Hibiki 12 Years Old Blended Japanese Whisky 50 cl

Product Information

Everything from the mash bill to the casks ensures sipping Hibiki is a unique experience and, the more you know about this whisky, the more you’ll appreciate drinking it. Suntory, Hibiki’s parent company, suggests pairing the whisky with nothing more than a splash of soda water and some large, clear ice cubes. Incredibly well constructed with a stunning range of flavors means even the most budget-friendly bottles of Hibiki should be savored rather than gulped down. Before drinking Hibiki, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the brand’s multi-faceted approach, so you know exactly which flavors and aromas to pay attention to. Hibiki was one of the first brands to put Japanese whisky on the map, taking it from a relatively unknown concept to something adored and obsessed over after the Hibiki 30 Year Old won the World’s Best Blended Whisky category at the World Whiskies Award in London. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service.

In 1929, Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru to create the world’s first Japanese whisky. They got it wrong. The expression, called Suntory Shirofuda, tasted too much like Scotch — too peaty, too powerful. Torii realized the Japanese palate didn’t want ultra-smokey peat bombs; it wanted finesse. So they made what has since become the most popular whisky Japan: Suntory Kakubin. It’s light, punchy and floral, the baseline for all Japanese whiskies to come. Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Let’s start with who makes the wonderful Hibiki 12 Year Old. Hibiki is a blend made from the Japanese giant Suntory. Suntory are not just a Japanese Whisky company. They are one of the largest food and drink producers in the world. Included in their portfolio and under their ownership (some of these may surprise you) are Lucozade, Ribena, Orangina, Courvoisier, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Jim Beam, and Makers Mark. OK you get the picture – they are huge!Hibiki means ‘harmony’ in Japanese. The beautiful 24 faces of the bottle symbolise the ancient tradition of “Sekki” – the age-old Japanese calendar. It has been followed for centuries and represents the 24 Japanese seasons. Rather beautifully, ‘hibiki’ means resonance in Japanese, and this speaks to the artistic sensibility of the product. Hibiki was born in the form of a blend that was the result of sampling and tasting aged malt whiskies from one million casks at Suntory. The current incarnations are made from a blend of more than 30 individual malt and mellow grain whiskies, and the final blend is topped off with a whisky aged more than 30 years. This concludes a process that sees the master blender taste over 300 malt whisky samples a day. From its inception to its current forms, Hibiki’s craft and method reflects its core ideologies of harmony and resonance with a caring and precise vision.

Nose: Sweet, aromatic and unmistakably Japanese in its composition. Stone fruits (apricots and peaches) mix it up with stewed apples, orange liqueur and just a touch of spit-roasted pineapple. This expressive fruitiness is offset by a gluey/solventy note of grain – this more or less passes after some time spent in the glass. Fruits are a combination of ripe and fresh and slightly reduced – but all of them are pleasantly aromatic from sandalwood, incense and cherry blossom. Running throughout – golden toasted cereals, cut grass and honeycomb. A few drops of water brings out some darker fruits – red berries and currants (but not quite plums for me) and adds additional sweetness – toffee and fudge. We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof. Since then, the brand has gone from strength to strength, incorporating delicate Japanese charm and masterful blending into cask after cask. Nowadays, Hibiki’s symbolic of what ultra-premium Japanese whisky is really capable of.The vast number of whiskies used for each bottle – sometimes more than 30 per blend – reveals a fast-paced adventure for all the senses. It’s something no other whisky brand has achieved, perfected only with years of experience. With its unusual flavors like lychee and fig and full orchestra and aromas blended with a traditional smokiness, Hibiki is everything its name, “harmonious” represents, and more. The Hibiki continues to be one of the most popular whiskies from Japan. The name “Hibiki” means harmony in Japanese. The name also symbolizes the unique marriage of malts and the harmonious blend of flavors in the whisky. The sweet floral aroma of the hand-selected, matured malts, combined with a natural wood essence, create a truly distinctive whisky, with a full-bodied taste. The 24 faces of the bottle symbolize the ancient tradition of “Sekki” – the age-old Japanese calendar. It has been followed for centuries and represents 24 seasons. The front label is made from the hand-crafted Japanese paper, “Washi”. Recent Hibiki 12 Years Old Awards: Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets.

If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Drinking Hibiki whisky is no casual occasion. If ever there was a brand that truly deserves the respect of making whisky drinking into a prestigious occasion, it’s Hibiki. This premium brand is one of the most impressive in the world and is one you’ll want to appreciate slowly. Hibiki, like everything else produced under the Suntory house of brands, was first inspired by Scotch whisky’s rugged yet complex nature. With a similar amber coloring but a more delicate crafting, Hibiki pulls together the best of traditional whisky with a refined edge. Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age.

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If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. It’s filtered with bamboo charcoal, which is what gives Hibiki its sweet, gentle flavor that it’s loved best for. This phenomena is far from being limited to Japanese whiskies –‘special’ editions from Macallan (a topic worthy of an article onto itself), Ardbeg and Highland Park – there’s a raft of expressions that are deemed by consumers to be so inherently desirable (or valuable for resale) that folks will pay nearly any price to obtain them. But, in the case of Japan, there’s a worry that this explosion of interest is a mere passing trend – that by the time the distillers have produced and laid down enough spirit to meet the new levels of demand, that desires will have moved on to the next shiny thing. It’s an awkward place for the Japanese industry to be in – they’ve committed to expansion – they’ve committed to the future of Japanese whisky – but, the near total collapse of the industry (not all that long ago) must be playing on some people’s minds – without a full range of expressions to showcase the quality of Japanese whisky, can the level of interest be maintained long enough to see the newly distilled liquid to market? Will mysticism and reputation alone be enough for the next 8-10 years? You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account.

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Recent Tastings

Taste: A decent arrival – not underpowered – but at the same time, not singing from the rafters either. Less overtly fruity than the nose, but still presenting apples, tart lemons and a healthy addition of berries (perhaps the merest hint of something approaching a plum?!). Burnt toffee and honeycomb provide some richness to the composition. The palate feels slightly resinous and certainly has plenty of wood influence – aromatic as with the nose – but feeling a little engineered now. This influence grows with the development adding ginger and pepper spicing and well as an increasing bitterness. Reduction brings out more of the sweeter elements – fudge again, sappy oak and vanilla. Hibiki is more than just a mere brand of whisky: it’s a work of art, a harmonious fusion, and a brilliant example of everything the Japanese whisky industry is known best for.