How Suntory’s Superb New 40-Year-Old Hibiki Whisky Was Made
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.
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“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 present in all Hibiki bottles, 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.” He says that working with ultra-aged whiskies to create the blend was challenging, but it came with a sense of reverence considering that they were distilled and barreled by previous generations.
Hibiki 40 is a blend of five different types of whisky produced at all three distilleries, but it’s anchored by one particular liquid: a 1978 vintage Yamazaki single malt aged in American oak. “[That] is the whisky that ties everything together, resulting in the unprecedented layers of aroma and taste,” Fukoyo says. “While Yamazaki American oak is the main element for the overall aroma bringing flavor concentration and purity, mizunara and Spanish oak also lend a bit of accent to the blend. Hakushu’s unique smokiness and aged complexity gave depth to the final product, and Chita brings the sweet and smoothness to the liquid. Together, they form a layered and complex profile, where no single note dominates but rather enhances the overall balance.”
Unlike Scottish blends which are made up of whisky produced at many different distilleries, Japanese blends are mostly made using different styles of whisky from one distillery, or several owned by the same company as is the case with Suntory. That gives the blender many different options to choose from to create unique flavor profiles. Fukoyo refers to the Chita whisky element as the “dashi” or broth in the blend, calling it “the serenity of Japanese whisky” due to its subtlety and refinement. “Blending is at the heart of everything we do, like assembling the pieces of a puzzle for each unique final product,” he says. “The highest standard of quality and perfectionism inform each new release, and this offering is no different.”
We got to try a sample of this whisky for ourselves, and it’s superb. The core Hibiki character is present, but amplified and altered after 40 years aging in different types of casks. There are rich notes of dried fruits, tropical fruit like pineapple and mango, some black pepper spice, caramel, dried apple, espresso, lemongrass, and just whiff of smoke curling around the finish. Suntory collaborated with artist Eriko Horiki to create the packaging for Hibiki 40. The bottle is made from crystal and is decorated with Japanese maki-e, mother-of-pearl inlay, and gold lacquer, and it comes inside a box made from 12 different kinds of Japanese wood. Just 400 bottles of Hibiki 40 are being released, each with a price tag of $35,000 (and presumably more than that on the secondary market), which you can find starting this month at specialty retailers. You can also find other Hibiki expressions, like the Blossom Harmony special release, available to purchase from websites like ReserveBar now.
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