A new blend from Suntory that brings to life the harmony of Japanese nature and craftmanship. A delicate and well balanced expression that is both subtle and complex. A blend of more than 10 malt and grain whiskies to create a harmony of flavours and aromas.
The brand is owned by Suntory, and the first Hibiki blend was released in 1989 to commemorate the company’s 90th anniversary; Hibiki Japanese Harmony appeared in March this year. The constituent malts come from Suntory’s two malt whisky distilleries, Yamazaki and Hakushu, and the grain component from the company’s Chita Distillery.
Founded in 1923, Yamazaki is Japan’s oldest whisky distillery. It was designed by Masataka Taketsuru (‘The Father of Japanese Whisky’), a young chemist who had been sent to Scotland four years previously by Suntory’s founder, Shinjiro Torii. Hakushu was built by Shinjiro’s son in 1973 and is one of the largest malt distilleries in the world. The production process is very similar to that for Scotch whisky, and the product is the closest in style to Scotch of all non- Scotch whisk(e)ys. But it is by no means a copy: from the start, the aim was to create a unique Japanese style.
Pale amber in colour. A delicate scent of polished copper and light vanilla to start with, developing complex floral, green, mossy then fresh oaky notes, changing all the time. A surprisingly dry mouthfeel, and a lightly sweet, then chilli-pepper taste, at full strength, mellowing with a little water, leaving a charred, oaky aftertaste. Some might like to try enjoying Hibiki Harmony in the Japanese way, called mizuwari, i.e. ‘cut with water’ or highball, cut with soda. The latter is simply a variation on the ‘Scotch & soda’ so popular with our forebears, but with typical panache, the Japanese attach a ritual to making it: “Add block ice to a highball glass. Stir with a bar spoon to chill the glass, then discard any melted water from the glass. Add 1 to 1.5oz whisky. Stir thirteen and one-half times clockwise. Add two to three times as much sparkling water as whisky. Stir three and one half times more clockwise.”
