Hibiki Harmony got into markets replacing the 12 Yr old variety. As a no-age statement whisky, it can be made available to a broader audience, but it also lives in turmoil with endless comparisons for the whisky it replaced. Removing age statements gives producers flexibility making whisky (how is it that 12 years function as the minimum age in the bottle?), just about all results in a sense of distrust with all the consumer familiar with seeing a number about the bottle.

Harmony is softer, gentler, and will be offering a quieter complexity when compared to discontinued 12 year old. You will find whiskies which can be had finest in a loud crowd, and whiskies you'll savor most which has a select few of friends. Harmony is really a singular experience. It is the whisky that carries a lot to convey, but speaks quietly. Sure, it's not Hibiki 12, however it is fairly simple it has more to provide.

What's from the whisky?
Hibiki could be the high-end blended brand from Beam Suntory. Hibiki 17 and 21 year old are beautiful whiskies, along with the 21 is amongst the best whiskies I've tasted. All Hibiki releases can be a combination of malted barley and grain whisky, with many kinds of oak used. This can be a combination of malt from Yamazaki, Hakashu, and Chita whisky (mostly corn whisky). For barrels used, there's American oak, some sherry oak, and Japanese Mizunara oak.

While blended whisky gets to be a bad reputation, and Hibiki bakes an effort never to market itself as such, it is deemed an demonstration of why blended whiskies really should not be ignored.

Nose: Notes of an vanilla-citrus terrine. Wonderful caramel sweetness blended with bright orange zest, joined with heavier toasted spice notes. A traditional oaky spice starts the nose after a time, and that offers you something unique. It's buttery, carries a touch of char, nice vanilla, a little bit of candied ginger combined with a combination. A variety of vanilla citrus finishes off of the nose as time passes.

Palate: A good looking spread of oak tannins, vanilla sweetness, sharp pepper spice, and a buttery finish. Honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg come through nicely. It's sharper for the palate compared to the nose. The final is gentle, and heavier on the blend of buttery-sweet and cinnamon spice.

Conclusion: The nose does wonders, and also the palate is a bit more ordinary, but overall the best Hibiki you can buy available on the market. It's priced well within a market in which the supply and demand chart for Japanese whisky is out-of-this-world.
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