Suntory Hibiki Harmony

Mellow, Sweet Fruity
2022-09-18

From the Yamazaki distillery, pioneer of Japanese whisky, there are some high-priced bottlings. Named after the region, the Suntory Yamazaki distillery is both the best known among Japanese whisky distilleries and number one in production volume and exports.
The blended Suntory Hibiki Harmony comes in a wonderful bottle. The 24 indentations each represent an hour of the day and each month of the Japanese lunar calendar. The bottle label is made of handmade paper and radiates an especially high quality. We are curious about the content.

Smell

The malt-grain mix reminds us on the nose of parfumed, slightly burnt fried potatoes with Provencial herbs. Soft and floral, the whisky transitions into an herbaceous note reminiscent of thyme and rosemary. Subtle hints of oak can be detected.

Taste

The flavours in the mouth are predominantly sweet. Opening with honey and overly sweet orange, the Japanese whisky tingles slightly spicy-woody on the back of the tongue. In the middle part, we taste apricot and a bit of milk roll. All in all, very round and balanced, but not a taste explosion.

Finish

The finish is very soft, surprisingly short and has hints of light oak.

Thoughts

The design of the bottle is great and exudes high quality. The composition of the contents is only partially convincing. Distinguished by precise and intense aromas, the blend from the Japanese Suntory Yamazaki distillery lacks depth and complexity. What the whisky does, it does very well, but it is missing something special. Light, accessible and simple would be the attributes we would assign. The price is unreasonable.

Rating: 77/100 - Very Good (Marcel: 78 | Sascha: 76)

Value for Money: 2/5 - Bad

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Preview Image Source: The Whisky Exchange