A few nights prior, up 26 storeys in the air, flanked by wall-to-wall views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a small cohort of industry insiders and journalists were among the first (and lucky few) to imbibe Hibiki 40YO – the new ultra-rare Japanese whisky from The House of Suntory.
Decades in the making, Hibiki 40YO follows in the tradition of several other expressions in Suntory’s signature collection of premium blended whisky.
The launch in Sydney yielded a rare opportunity to experience this new age statement in the company of its wider stablemates. Namely: ‘Japanese Harmony’, Hibiki 21YO, and Hibiki 30YO.
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Even at this early juncture, readers probably won’t be shocked to learn that the 40-year age statement blew every other beverage out of the water.
Even at a dinner so rich with indulgences – ranging from a 5-course degustation (courtesy of Oncore by Clare Smyth) to Haku Vodka Martinis between whisky tastings – the experience of trying Hibiki 40YO for the first time was an event unto itself.
“It’s not often that I have notes,” joked James Buntin, our host and prolific House of Suntory Ambassador, “but getting to present Hibiki’s new four-decade-old expression is nothing short of a milestone in my career – so I thought I’d better prepare”.
True to form, Buntin spent the better part of the evening giving all in attendance the ultimate crash course in the craft and heritage of Hibiki.
Unlike a number of other notable brands in the Suntory portfolio, Hibiki isn’t named for any specific distillery.
Instead, each Hibiki expression – whether it be no-age-statement or decades old – embodies the company’s ethos (translating to ‘resonance’ in English) of “meticulously [blending] to create a full orchestra of flavours and aromas”.
This was especially evident throughout the making of Hibiki 40YO. Working from a baseline of some 100+ individual whiskies, Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo (also recognised earlier this year as the world’s #1 master blender) handpicked an assortment of five mature-age cask types for the finished blend.
Intriguingly, Buntin revealed that these included a puncheon of 1978 Yamazaki aged in American white oak; along with the cult-favourite Yamazaki Spanish sherry cask, dated (in this particular case) to 1980.
For Scotch lovers, a four-decade-long nap in sherry casks and white American oak might suggest a whisky of dark, treacly intensity. Yet here, the Hibiki 40YO is in perfect harmony with the reputation of its wider family – smooth, fruit-forward, softly smoky.
In short? This 40-year-old limited edition adds yet another element of interest to the Hibiki range. More importantly, for connoisseurs of Japanese whisky, it’s also sufficiently different from Hibiki 30YO (in aspects of both craft and enjoyment) to warrant collecting – $75,000 price tag and all.
This article is sponsored by The House of Suntory. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
