Hibiki Suntory 12 Year Old Japanese Blended Whisky: At the backend of last year we pleasure of meeting Mr. Tatsuya Minagawa, who is the Suntory brand ambassador for Europe. While we were tasting the Hibiki 17yo and Yamazaki 12yo, we also manage to taste this 12 Year Old Hibiki; aged in ex-plum liquor casks endowing it with some very beautiful notes! On the nose: you’ll get a wonderful waft of sweet plums, followed by mixed spices and caramel. Suggestions of oak, marmalade and almonds will start to creep in. On the palate: those sweet plum notes will be confirmed, with the a sharp burst of oak and citrus. Those lingering spices will start to emerge with a faint hint of sherry. The finish: is very smooth and well-balanced, with no note overpowering the other.
The verdict: This blended, Japanese whisky is just awesome as mentioned above is very well-balanced. Although this is not a single malt scotch, it has to be enjoyed straight, or with a very small amount of mineral water to allow the flavours to breathe and I strongly suggest doing both – as this will open the door to the plethora of notes available.
Hibiki Suntory 12 Year Old Japanese Blended Whisky can be found online at The Whisky Shop for approximately £63
