Hibiki 21 Year

Review by: The Muskox

This is one of the more expensive samples I’ve tried, with the Japanese whisky hype bubble pushing a bottle of Hibiki 21 to well over a grand. Could it possibly be worth it? Well, for me personally, I can’t imagine ever spending that much on a bottle, so the answer is automatically no. But is it a good whisky? Let’s find out.

Distillery: Blend (malt whisky from Hakushu and Yamazaki, grain whisky from Chita).

Bottler: Suntory.

Region: Japan.

ABV: 43%.

Age: 21 years.

Cask type: A mix of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and Mizunara oak casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Very dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet and syrupy. Continental breakfast. Buttered apple tarts, cookie dough, cinnamon buns, browned butter, oatmeal with brown sugar, and buttered corn. Birch bark, baking spices, and rum balls. Maple syrup on Belgian waffles. Banana muffins and oatmeal raisin cookies. Plums. A bit of potpourri.

Palate: Medium body. Soft and sweet arrival with toffee and vanilla fudge. Dried orange blossom, tangerine, and peach tea. Rich and buttery in the middle – brown sugar, angel food cake, and golden syrup. Soft oak and just a hint of distant smoke. Some delicate tea and floral notes underneath it all.

Finish: Medium-short and sweet. Muscat grapes, poached pears, peanut butter cups, brown sugar, and hojicha ice cream.

Conclusion: Not mind-blowing, but certainly tasty. You can definitely pick out the grain, but it doesn’t really hinder the whisky at all. There are some really nice flavours in here – great browned butter notes, delicate flowers, and rich sweetness. I think it’s actually not that far off in flavour from Nikka FTB, with those rich buttery notes in the spotlight for both whiskies. Of course, the richness is hampered by the low ABV, which kind of sucks. Of course, if this was bottled at cask strength, it’d probably be about 5 times more expensive. If you’ve got FOMO for this whisky, I’d say you can rest easy.

Final Score: 83.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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