Hibiki 21 (히비키 21)

(한국어 시음기 밑에 있어요!)

Last October while on the Yamazaki distillery tour I had the opportunity to try a collection of discontinued Suntory whiskies. I didn't have the money set aside in my travel budget to try the Yamazaki 25 and the Hibiki 30, but I did take the opportunity to try the Yamazaki 18 and the Hibiki 21 (You can find my Yamazaki 18 review here). In hindsight, I should have got the Hakushu 18 too in order to round out the mid-range age statement trio, but I opted for a Yamazaki 12 instead. Hindsight is 20-20, eh?

Hibiki is one of those whisky brands that tend to have a very special place in the cabinets of whisky connoisseurs. It's a blended whisky, but it's such a high quality one, perhaps only rivaled in the category by Nikka's "From The Barrel", that you'll hear praises sung of it throughout the whisky world. Make no mistake, it's good stuff, regardless of its age.

The Hibiki 21 though has quite a reputation that sets it head and shoulders above its siblings. It is, after all, THE most awarded whisky in not only Japan, but the entire world. To not have tried it while at the Yamazaki distillery would have been the utmost of sacrileges that would haunt me through time eternal. Well...not really, but you get the picture, right? RIGHT?

As you can guess from the name Hibiki 21, all whiskies that go into this blend must be at least twenty one years old and as a 100% Suntory product, all malt and grain whiskies blended into it come from Suntory's Yamazaki, Chita and Hakushu distilleries.

Vitals:

ABV: 43%

Colour: Amber.

Chill-filtered: Yes.

Nose: A dominant malty sweetness along with heavy raisin and cherry notes almost overpowers at first, but as this subsides there's notes of coconut milk, fresh apples, pears, cinnamon and cloves. It’s quite a complex nose that highlights the influences of the various whiskies in the blend. 24/25

Palate: Rich, but extremely refreshing. The malt sweetness holds up even as the sherry cask notes wane. There’s an element of baked apple pie with some mild spice and some mild charring on the crust. As it nears the finish, some dark forest fruit notes such as cherries and blackberries emerge, along with a hint of smoke and a vanilla oakiness. 25/25

Finish: Everything begins to draw down into a very balanced and well rounded finish, trailing of on a sweet, slightly smoky note. Superbly clean, moderate finish with no traces of any unsavoury flavours. 23/25

Value: You *can* find this at Namdaemun. Can being the operative word here. You won't wanna though as you'll be forking over a cool million won or two for it. I wouldn't even suggest getting a dram of it at a bar as it'll likely cost you more than a bottle of a single malt scotch. Just go to Osaka, do the Yamazaki tour and try it there. Your wallet will thank you for that. 1/25

Conclusion:

Overall, an excellent whisky. From start to finish, it exudes balance, class and elegance. Everything that went into it comes together to create a harmonious whole that is superior to its components by sheer magnitudes.

This was easily one of the best blended whiskies I had ever tasted. Before I tried it last year, I had a slight prejudice against blends because they are often cheap and generic. However, the Hibiki 21 was THE game changer for me. It opened my eyes to a world of whisky that I was too blind to see before. Everything about it was truly awe-inspiring. "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time." - Lost in Translation

Basic Rating(N+P+F): 96%

Price Adjusted Rating(N+P+F+V)*: 73%

Daily Drinker: Ha. Ha. Ha. If I had a bottle, I'd only drink it on the birth of a child. Period.

Possible pairing: Nothing. Savour this on its own. It's too expensive and precious to sully with anything else!

Where to find in Korea: Namdaemun...but seriously, don't bother. Save for a trip to the Yamazaki distillery in Japan instead.

TLDR Version:

N: Malty sweetness, raisins, cherries, coconut milk, apples, pears, cinnamon and cloves. a very complex nose.

P: Rich, but refreshing. Malty sweetness, sherry, baked apple pie, cherries, blackberries, vanilla, oak and a faint smokiness.

F: Mild smoke, moderate length.

V: Haha, you're joking, right?

C: Perhaps the best blended whisky in the world.

히비키 21 (한국어):

N: 달콤한 맥아 보리, 건포도, 체리, 코코넛 우유, 사과, 서양배, 계피, 정향. 매우 복합적이예요!

P: 풍부하지만 상쾌한 맛, 달콤한 맥아 보리, 셰리 와인, 사과 파이, 체리, 블랙베리, 바닐라, 오크, 살짝 스모키한 맛.

F: 살짝 스모키한 맛, 피니시가 길지도 짧지도 않아요 (중간이예요).

V: 가격이.. 거짓말이죠?ㅋㅋ

C: 최고의 블렌디드 위스키예요.

Buy / Mooch / Pass: Pass. It's amazing, but hold off until production restarts.

Review by Glasgowhisky

2020/02/18