Hibiki Harmony Blended Whisky Review
In-Depth Review
Hibiki is Suntory’s famous blended whisky line that has won numerous awards around the world for its excellent age stated and specialty expressions. Hibiki has always stood as the purest example of Japan’s skill at the art of blending. Blending takes malt and grain whiskies from different casks, years, and styles to create a harmonious blend that delights the palate and produces more complex notes than a single malt may be able to achieve.
Hibiki Harmony, in particular, is made using malt whiskies from the Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries, and also includes grain whisky created at Suntory’s lesser-known Chita distillery. A Suntory brand ambassador told there that may be up to 100 different whiskies featured in a batch of Hibiki Harmony, making it an evolving and complex process to recreate flavors and textures. So while none of these bottles have specific batches numbers on them, your bottle may have slightly different characteristics to the one I am tasting.
*The images are of my 30th Anniversary bottle, but the whisky itself was from a standard Hibiki Harmony bottle*
Age: Non-Age Stated
ABV: 43%
Cask: Various
MSRP: 79.99
Distillery Name: Suntory’s Chita, Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries contribute to this blend
Review Date: 12/11/20
Color: Light Straw
Nose: The nose starts off with corn, tropical sugars, with a bright floral quality to it. This is a balanced nose, with some tart nuances blended with spun sugar and yellow fruits. A good amount of oak and sandalwood also makes an appearance.
Palate: At first sip, there seems to be a lot going on here. White chocolate, lemon peel, and tropical fruits come through first. Then come more exotic woods like sandalwood and old mahogany. There is a dusty quality about the whisky, which makes me wonder if there is a portion of older distillate in here. Hints of candy corn, green apple, and a burst of acidity come through as well. The mouthfeel is pretty light for such a flavorful whisky.
Finish: Medium finish that features more exotic woods and tropical fruit. The finish also features burnt sugar and a dash of star anise.
Final Thoughts: Hibiki Harmony is a great example of Suntory chief blender - Shinji Fukuyo’s - incredible skill for blending. His work in choosing among the 1.5 million that Suntory has in their warehouses has paid off in a light, fruity, exotic blend that is quintessentially Japanese. While it may not have the robust power or the layers of depth of some of their age stated whiskies, Hibiki Harmony is a great way to enter the Japanese whisky world.
But at an $80 MSRP, I struggle to justify the price when compared to other whiskies of similar quality. Outside of Japan, there are other whiskies from Scotland, Tiawan, or even Australia that I feel like offer more depth and excitement than what Hibiki Harmony has achieved. So while Hibiki Harmony presents good flavors and is more readily available than Yamazaki or Hakushu malts, value is not one of its strong suits. After buying and finishing a bottle of this, I don’t think I’d pick up another and instead save up a couple bucks more and buy a Yamazaki 12 instead.
