Hibiki
Частина:
Suntory Global Spirits
Heart malt:
Yamazaki
About the brand
Hibiki is the luxury Japanese blended whisky of Suntory — Nikka's historic rival. The name means "resonance" or "echo", which captures the idea: a harmony in which different voices become one. Suntory's master blender marries 30+ malt and grain whiskies from three of the group's distilleries.
Hibiki's three hearts
- Yamazaki — deep fruit, marmalade and an oriental note from rare Mizunara Japanese-oak casks.
- Hakushu — freshness: green apple, mint and a barely-there wisp of peat smoke.
- Chita — the smooth grain whisky that binds the two malts together.
The first bottle was released in 1989 for Suntory's 90th anniversary. The faceted decanter has 24 sides (the 24 seasons of the Japanese lunar calendar) and the hand-made washi-paper label carries a brush-drawn name. Most age-stated versions (12/17/21/30 YO) were withdrawn as stocks ran dry; the range now centres on Japanese Harmony (NAS). Hibiki 21 YO has been named "World's Best Blended Whisky" five times.
Хронологія
- 1989 Premiera marki na 90-lecie Suntory — pierwsze butelki Hibiki 17 i 21 YO w karafce o 24 fasetach.
- 1997 Wejście w segment ultra-premium: limitowane Hibiki 30 YO.
- 2004 Hibiki 21 YO zdobywa złoto na International Spirits Challenge — przełom dla japońskiej whisky na Zachodzie.
- 2009 Hibiki 12 YO z destylatami dojrzewanymi w beczkach po likierze śliwkowym umeshu.
- 2015 Premiera Hibiki Japanese Harmony (NAS) — nowa baza marki w odpowiedzi na kryzys starych zapasów.
- 2018 Wstrzymanie produkcji kultowej Hibiki 17 YO z braku odpowiednio starych destylatów.
- 2021 Hibiki Blossom Harmony — limitowana edycja finiszowana w beczkach z japońskiej wiśni sakura.
- 2023 Stulecie japońskiej whisky (Yamazaki, 1923) — jubileuszowe edycje Hibiki Centenary.
