The House of Suntory has released its latest Japanese whiskey, a unique blend from the nation’s distilleries, running a $75,000 price tag. Hibiko 40 Year Old blends whiskies from Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita – each matured for over 40 years and meticulously blended to create a full orchestra of flavours and aromas.
Handed down from one blender to the next, Hibiki 40 Year Old has been made possible thanks to decades of accumulated expertise and experience in the art of blending. It is the pinnacle of generations of learning and craftsmanship, and a unique and incredibly rare embodiment of the finest standards of Japanese mastery, making a statement of the spirit of innovation at The House of Suntory.
The blenders carefully selected a variety of The House of Suntory's treasured, ultra-high-aged whiskies produced with great care by their earlier generations. The decadent result is a taste with layers of unprecedented aroma and mellowness.
Suntory's chief blender, Shinji Fukuyo, crafted Hibiki 40 Year Old. On the nose, it reveals aromas of Japanese loquat, dry lemon peel, and clove. It unveils flavours of pure acacia honey and dry fig on the palate, culminating in an aromatic aftertaste.
Fukuyo said that behind the elegance and bloom that is typical of Hibiki, there is a sense of subduedness, like that of an old temple, and a wabi-sabi patina due to the long ageing process.
“I would like people to enjoy the pure aroma that has been sharpened over the years; the tranquility of old temples and storehouses and the nostalgic warm feeling that accompanies them,” Fukuyo said.
Hibiki 40 Year Old demonstrates the next chapter for Hibiki, where its signature ‘Creating Harmony’ not only resonates with the complexity of Mizunara Japanese oak and the subtle sweetness of Spanish oak, but is further elevated with the smoothness of caramelised cacao palates from the aged American oak.
To honour Japanese craftsmanship, The House of Suntory has partnered with the renowned Japanese washi artist, Eriko Horiki, to hand craft the washi label on the Hibiki 40 Year Old box.
The bottle is fashioned from crystal glass, boasting 30 facets intricately crafted by a renowned glassware maker known as a trusted purveyor to the Japanese imperial family. It is decorated with traditional Japanese maki-e, mother-of-pearl inlay, and gold lacquer to pay homage to our heritage and tradition.
The wooden box is made of 12 kinds of Japanese wood such as pine and zelkova, and has 12 faces, representing the 12 months of the year. Around the box, flowers and grasses of the four seasons of Japan are depicted in maki-e lacquer, representing the changing seasons and linking the past and future through Hibiki.
Only 400 bottles of the ultra-luxury Hibiki 40 Year Old will be released in selected markets, at selected retailers, with each bottle retailing for $75,000.
