The world of luxury Japanese whisky just got a little bigger today with the announcement of the new Hibiki 40, a $35,000 blend aged for four decades from esteemed producer House of Suntory . We were lucky enough to get a taste of this rarified new whisky , and spoke to chief blender Shinji Fukoyo to get the inside scoop about how it all came together. Suntory owns three distilleries in Japan: Yamazaki , Hakushu , and Chita.
The first two produce single malt, and their age statement expressions are world-renowned. Chita, on the other hand, is a grain whisky distillery, and its flagship expression, the Chita, is an excellent expression that brings a very different flavor profile to the category. Whiskies from all three of these distilleries are blended together to create Hibiki, which is hands down one of the very best Japanese blends that you can find.
The whisky is anchored by the non-age-statement Hibiki Harmony, which was introduced a few years ago when the age statements started to decrease in availability (and skyrocket in price). There are still bottles of the 12-year-old floating around on the secondary market, and the fantastic and aspirational 21- and 30-year-old expressions remain part of the lineup. But the new 40-year-old takes this venerated whisky label to new heights.
“Hibiki 40 Year Old was crafted as a tribute to the past and the expert craftsmanship of the House of Suntory,” Fukoyo tells Robb Report . “Along with the harmonious and blooming elements pre.
