If you’ve stuck with us over the last couple of months, it will have become clear that we have a pretty big boner for Japan, from its bizarre pop culture icons, to its sublime beers and delicate buns, and its confusing acceptance of all things hyper-cute in even the most straight-laced corners of its central metropolis, we are confirmed Japanophiles.
Yet perhaps one of the most surprising things we’ve learned about Japan is its taste for quality whisky. Last year, Suntory beat all Scottish competition for the first time ever with its Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 being named as Best Whisky in the World, awarded 97.5 marks out of 100 in the 2015 World Whisky Bible and described as a drink of “near incredible genius” by the hiccuping and mildly slurring powers that be.
Well our fledgling site can’t come anywhere near sourcing (or affording) that incredibly rare single malt, so we’ll be doing the next best thing and sampling one of Suntory’s other premium whiskeys… the Hibiki 17 year old blend. For complete transparency: I got some for my birthday, and I was really good that year and didn’t ask for any other presents at all.
Scent
Like burnt oak mixed with buttered candy. Looking at that phrase objectively, that sounds like a horrible combination, but the actual physical effect of this smell makes me want to go to a park, smear a tree with some melted Werther’s Originals, set fire to it and watch it burn to the fucking ground as it billows its weird sticky sweet smoke all over my naked body. Oh yeah, by the way I’m naked in this scenario.
Taste
Incredibly subtle and smooth, in fact for the first few seconds you’re barely aware you’re drinking whiskey, but then this coating of warmth blankets your mouth and leaves you with a delicate concoction of nuttiness, spice and an almost umami sense of sweet yet salty sourness. In a way it’s a perfect entry-level whiskey, delivering absolutely no harshness and hiding its strength through gentle layers of honey and damson.
But then in another way, it’s for grown-ups only and shouldn’t be wasted on the non-experienced, which is what I say loudly to any visitors to my flat who see the fancy looking icosikaitetragon shaped bottle (yeah I counted how many sides it has and then looked it up on Wikipedia, what’s it to ya?) and say “oooh that looks fancy and expensive, can I have some?”
Perhaps whisky snobbery dictates that blends shouldn’t be held up to the same kind of scrutiny as single malts, because they just can’t compete in the purity stakes, but Hibiki 17 is by far one of the best whiskies on the planet, single malt or no, and frankly it should be for its £100 price tag. Which is again something I say to people visiting my flat who aren’t allowed to drink my whisky.
Nobody visits us anymore.
Anyway, I have about half a centimetre of the bottle left now, so whoever leaves a positive comment below can have a lick of the stopper. 5/5
Find your perfect dram with our whisky and bourbon reviews section. Perhaps Whistlepig’s Straight Rye Whiskey?
