Hibiki Japanese Harmony

HIBIKI JAPANESE HARMONY
2022 release

MASH BILL – unstated blend of malt and grain whiskies

PROOF – 86

AGE – NAS

DISTILLERY – Suntory

PRICE – $76

WORTH BUYING? – At this price, possibly

This well-known Japanese blended whisky doesn’t need a plug. But sometimes it’s useful to check in with an old standard.

The idiosyncratic reason I picked up this 2022 bottle was because the whisky inside was slightly but notably darker than the 2024 bottles on the shelf next to it. Older whisky in the blend? More sherry casks used? More artificial coloring added? I’ll never know. But that odd detail got me to buy it, anyway. Also the price on Hibiki has come down a bit lately, so, what the heck.

This is actually the first bottle of Hibiki I’ve purchased. Mainstream Japanese whiskies in general, with their reputation for artificial color, vague or misleading labelling, and questionable origins (Is a given brand actually Japanese at all or merely imported scotch?) have always left me blasé about buying them. Their tendency toward delicate flavor profiles in combination with high prices likewise hasn’t compelled me. I appreciate nuance, for sure. But if I’m going to pay a robust price I’d prefer robust flavor.

All that said, I’ve always looked at the unique Hibiki bottle with some fascination. Its particularity exemplifies the attention to fine detail I’ve long admired in Japanese culture. In my time spent in Japan, both in 2023 when I visited and 1995 when I lived there, this is what struck me most profoundly. In their art, industry, hospitality, philosophies, world view, everything about Japanese life and culture, high value is given to an appreciation and respect for nuance, particularly with regard to the interconnectedness of life. Wholeness is valued over the individual parts. And so, perhaps paradoxically, the individual parts must be closely attended in order to ensure a harmonious whole.

The Hibiki bottle embodies this with its twenty-four sides, representing the twenty-four annual micro seasons that in the west we divide into a mere four—spring, summer, autumn, winter. This thoughtful vessel is paired with the brand’s name. “Hibiki” means resonance. In making Hibiki Harmony, the blenders draw on whiskies from their three distilleries—Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita—to achieve a sense of harmonic resonance in how they balance the aromas and flavors unique to their various individual malt and grain distillates.

So here we are, nearing four weeks after uncorking and a third of the way into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.

COLOR – various butter and lemon yellows with polished brass highlights

NOSE – pear, lemon, vanilla, oak, oak tannin, dry bamboo, rock crystal sugars, a twinge of rubbery plastic

TASTE – sweeter than the nose, with a bit of fruit like melon and maybe grilled pineapple, vanilla custard, oak and oak tannin, a slightly creamy texture adding a bit of weight

FINISH – a fruity sourness like slightly over-ripe apricots or nectarines that have been soaked in sugar syrup, also the oak tannin, vanilla custard, a faint touch of the plastic

OVERALL – A bright, slightly sunburnt sip perfect for the summer seasons

I hadn’t been anticipating it, but then there it was: that darn plastic note I often get with whiskies that use artificial color. There are whisky fans who would throw their newborn under the bus to defend the notion that artificial color doesn’t impact flavor. But I trust my senses enough to have my doubts. It’s always a disappointing, nagging little note for me.

That aside, Hibiki is a perfectly fine, well balanced, well done, not exceptionally memorable nor unique blended whisky. I’ve already poured it into Highball cocktails to good success. Hibiki, a splash of fresh grapefruit juice, and Fever Tree Club Soda is a winning combo. But cheaper whiskies would serve a Highball just as well.

I don’t have much else to say about this whisky. The bottle is its most unique feature. I do appreciate the thought that went into that aspect of it. But despite my admiration for Japanese subtlety, Hibiki Harmony is simply not the most impressive example of that cultural impulse. If ever it is confirmed that Suntory has done away with artificial color, and if the price is okay, I’ll give it another go. Meanwhile, June’s penchant for sunny evenings and lighter brighter cocktails will no doubt have this bottle empty before too long.

Kanpai!

Five O’clock Somewhere

I’m tasting this whisky on the last day of Japan’s summer micro-season, Shōman, the time of early blooms. So I consulted Julia Momosé’s book, The Way of the Cocktail, which arranges its cocktail recipes in accordance with the twenty-four Japanese seasons. From the Shōman offerings, I selected the Elderfower Sour. Momosé calls for Chivas Regal 12 Year Blended Scotch Whisky, for which I substituted the Hibiki. She also calls for half an ounce of junmai ginjō saké and an egg white, neither of which I had on hand. So my impromptu adjusted Shōman seasonal whisky sour is as follows:

1.5oz Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky
0.75oz fresh lemon juice
0.5oz sugar cane syrup
0.25oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Garnish with a drop of Angostura bitters

Enjoying this among the blooms of my backyard was a lovely way to end the day. Kanpai!