Premium blend | 43% ABV

The World Needs Some Harmony To Blossom

At Least At The RRP

Suntory’s first big announcement of 2021 was the… err… announcement of two limited edition bottles: the imaginatively-named Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 and Hibiki Blossom Harmony 2021. They were both released on May 25 and allegedly 30,000 of each were produced. They sold out almost immediately everywhere in Japan. Suntory did control the release in waves, but this hasn’t stopped the speculators. They both had RRPs of ¥8800, €65 or $75, but now grace auction sites for multiples of that.

Hibiki is Suntory’s premium blend, first released in 1989 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of their founding. Although the first bottle displayed no age statement, it was a 17-year old. This was then joined by further age statements, some of which have been discontinued or had supply highly-constrained. The Hibiki brand has also seen several variants, such as Deep Harmony, Mellow Harmony, Blender’s Choice and Master’s Select.

Those are the bottles that continue unique liquid. The insanity around the bottles containing the same liquid but a different design - such as the recent Ryusui Hyakka bottle - is, as the kids say, ‘something else.’ This bottle has taken the secondary market by storm but contains the standard no-age statement Hibiki Japanese Harmony. 

Back to the main event: Hibiki Blossom Harmony 2021 is a blend of Hibiki Japanese Harmony - the Hibiki NAS - with sakura (cherry blossom) cask finished whiskies. 

One of the more admirable aspects of the new Japanese whisky standards is that they didn’t impose any constraints on cask types. Some have gone all-in on cask diversification: Tequila, Cognac, Sake... even Sweet Potato Shochu. 

Suntory has been somewhat more restrained on that front, although they are branching out - pun intended. The Essence of Suntory Volume 3 brought us sugi - Japanese Cedar-aged and finished whiskies. 

For this Hibiki Blossom Harmony, it’s sakura’s time to shine. Cherry blossoms are Japan's most famous bloom. A huge domestic and international tourist attraction, they are the driver of the two-week party called ‘Hanami’. This word means flower viewing - yes, that sounds wonderfully sophisticated - but manifests itself for most people as an excuse for a highly intoxicated picnic…  or five. In fact, the box is decorated with ‘100 flowers suitable for celebration’. The label is also gorgeous - made of Japanese washi. This attention to detail is partly because it’s intended for the release coincided with the gift-giving season of Ochugen. It's a tradition in Japan to give gifts to someone who is taking care of you twice a year - oseibo (year end) and ochugen (summertime). Given how hard this was to find on the shelves, I hope the recipients appreciated how lucky they ere. 

Which distillery does the sakura cask component of this release come from? Well, it’s possibly (probably) Chita grain, given one of the bottles that was released as part of the Essence of Suntory Whisky Volume 4 gave us a clue. That was a blend of clean-type Chita grain whiskies distilled in 2000, aged in white oak casks for at least 15 years and then further aged for at least three years in Sakura wood casks

A release like this, and the buzz it generates, is very important for Suntory as they continue ramping up production in order to meet the hyper-demand for their whisky, or at the very least, return to a reasonable stock level. They responded to the Japanese whisky drought by putting their age-statement flagship single malts and blends on strict allocation, compared to Nikka who just decided to discontinue them. With a wave of new distilleries opened, opening and about to open in Japan Suntory need to find ways to stay relevant. These limited editions are part of that strategy. 

Review

¥8800 in Japan. 30,000 bottles released (estimate), 46% ABV Good luck finding one!

Nose

Very inviting. Floral … as one might expect, dominated by sakura. If you’ve ever been to one of Japan’s cherry blossom tree-filled parks at the height of sakura season, this nose will make you very happy. Hints of apricot and green olive. 

Palate

Rounded mouthfeel and fairly coating despite the 43% ABV. Cherry all-round - cherry rice cakes, cherry cake, cherry pie. Behind that cherry bomb, there is toffee, pear and caramel.

No doubt this is one for fans of sweeter drams. I can imagine it being somewhat divisive. The finish is floral, rich, lingering, and refreshing.

The Dregs

An easy drinker you’ll keep coming back to, especially if you enjoy whiskies on the lighter, sweeter side. Does it live up to the hype? At its RRP, it does, but the softening effect the sakura cask finish has may not please everyone. Rather like modern life. 

Score: 6/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. FF