Hibiki Harmony entered markets replacing the 12 Year-old variety. Like a no-age statement whisky, maybe it's made available to a broader audience, it also lives in turmoil with endless comparisons towards the whisky it replaced. Removing age statements gives producers flexibility making whisky (how come 12 years be the minimum age from the bottle?), it also creates a feeling of distrust with the consumer familiar with seeing a number around the bottle.
Harmony is softer, gentler, while offering a quieter complexity compared to the discontinued 12 yr old. You will find whiskies which are had very best in a loud crowd, and whiskies you'll relish most having a small number of of friends. Harmony can be a singular experience. Oahu is the whisky that carries a lot to convey, but speaks quietly. Sure, it's not Hibiki 12, yet it's entirely possible that it has more to supply.
What's in the whisky?
Hibiki is the high-end blended brand from Beam Suntory. Hibiki 17 and 21 yr old are beautiful whiskies, and also the 21 is one of the best whiskies I've tasted. All Hibiki releases really are a mix of malted barley and grain whisky, with many types of oak used. This can be a blend of malt from Yamazaki, Hakashu, and Chita whisky (mostly corn whisky). In terms of barrels used, there's American oak, some sherry oak, and Japanese Mizunara oak.
While blended whisky turns into a bad reputation, and Hibiki makes an effort never to market itself therefore, it is deemed an instance of why blended whiskies should not be ignored.
Nose: Notes of the vanilla-citrus terrine. Wonderful caramel sweetness when combined bright orange zest, joined with heavier toasted spice notes. A geniune oaky spice gets control of the nose from a time, and that will give you something quite different. It's buttery, features a touch of char, nice vanilla, some candied ginger combined with the amalgamation. A mix of vanilla citrus finishes over nose with time.
Palate: A good looking spread of oak tannins, vanilla sweetness, sharp pepper spice, along with a buttery finish. Honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg come through nicely. It's sharper for the palate than you are on the nose. The conclusion is gentle, and heavier with a blend of buttery-sweet and cinnamon spice.
Conclusion: The nose does wonders, and the palate is a bit more ordinary, but overall the very best Hibiki you can actually buy on the market. It's priced well inside a market where the demand and supply chart for Japanese whisky is out-of-this-world.
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