The newly-released Hibiki 40 Year Old combines well-aged whiskies from all three of Suntory’s prized distilleries Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita.
Japan’s leading whisky producer, The House of Suntory, earlier this month announced the release of Hibiki 40 Year Old. It is the oldest blended whisky in Suntory history.
I know what some are thinking. 40 years old doesn’t sound that old or rare for a blended whisky. But it bears remembering that whisky making in Japan only began about 100 years ago in the 1920s, which is relatively new compared to Scotland. More vitally, Japan does not have Scotland’s rich tradition in making blended whisky. Unlike Scotland’s more collaborative distilleries, Japan’s whisky makers do not trade stock with one another. Which means in order to make blended whisky, whisky producers in Japan like Suntory have to own multiple distilleries.
To make Hibiki 40 Year Old? Suntory needs the appropriately aged stock – carefully created and lovingly nurtured by earlier generations of Suntory distillers and blenders – from its various distilleries Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita.
Which it now has.
It’s a milestone in Japanese whisky.
Crafted by Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo from that treasured, high-quality stock – matured in a combination of Japanese Mizunara oak, Spanish oak and aged American oak – this expression is literally bottled history. According to the official tasting notes, the special blend “reveals aromas of Japanese loquat, dry lemon peel, and clove” on the nose while offering “avors of pure acacia honey and dry fig on the palate, culminating in an aromatic aftertaste”.
Shinji Fukuyo said that “behind the elegance and bloom that is typical of Hibiki, there is a sense of subduedness, like that of an old temple, and a wabi-sabi patina due to the long aging process”.
“I would like people to enjoy the pure aroma that has been sharpened over the years; the tranquility of old temples and storehouses and the nostalgic warm feeling that accompanies them,” he added.
To properly honour the craftsmanship of the liquid, The House of Suntory tapped renowned Japanese washi artist Eriko Horiki to hand craft the washi label on the Hibiki 40 Year Old box. The bottle itself is fashioned from crystal glass in Hibiki’s iconic multi-faceted shape by a renowned glassware maker known as a trusted purveyor to the Japanese imperial family, and then emblazoned by traditional Japanese maki-e, mother-of-pearl inlay, and gold lacquer.
Only 400 bottles of the Hibiki 40 Year Old will be released in selected markets including Singapore. Each bottle retails for S$47,000 before tax.
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