House of Suntory 100th Anniversary: Hibiki
Japan's very first whisky distillery, Yamazaki, was built in 1923 by Shinjiro Torii, making it 100 years since the House of Suntory's first foray into whisky. Meaning 'resonance', Hibiki was first launched in 1989, to commemorate 90 years of Suntory as a company, and has ever since been embraced as the paragon of the art of Japanese whisky - winning awards all over the world. The new bottlings are two special versions of the much-loved Hibiki 21 Year Old and Hibiki Harmony, which represent Suntory's philosophy of living in harmony with people and nature.
Our ballot for Hibiki Harmony now closed, and you can enter our ballot for Hibiki 21 Year Old, here.
Hibiki 21 Year Old Mizunara Suntory 100th Anniversary
This limited edition bottling of Hibiki 21 Year Old is a delicate balance of several malt and grain whiskies, meticulously crafted to create a full orchestra of flavours and aromas. Rethinking the art of blending for this special release, Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo chose to use Mizunara oak for maturation as a sign of respect for Japanese heritage, rather than the more traditional sherry cask. This is the first time Mizunara oak has been used to enhance a Hibiki expression. The final blend is an exploration of how a single detail can alter the whole alchemy, creating this extraordinary whisky. Bottled at 43% abv.
The nose is refined and elegant with top notes of kumquat and jasmine, and a hint of soothing Japanese incense. The palate brings a subtly sweet floral flavour alongside spiced Japanese sandalwood and agarwood notes, before a long and deep finish of Mizunara woodiness. Enter the ballot, here.
Explore our entire range of Japanese whisky, here.