- All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines are currently selling the exceedingly rare Hibiki 100th Anniversary Blend Whisky through their in-flight duty free.
- Purchases are limited to a single bottle per first class passengers.
- Beyond these flights, sale of the Hibiki 100th Anniversary Blend Whisky has traditionally been reserved for bars, restaurants, and hotels.
Forget lie-flat seats, hot towels, and champagne on arrival. There’s a new reason to fly first class.
As originally reported by One Mile At A Time, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines appear to be the exclusive retailers of Hibiki’s 100th Anniversary Blend Whisky — commemorative wooden box and all — via their in-flight duty free.
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The other catch? This richly unique blend of whiskies aged for over 17 years, Yamazaki Mizunara cask malt aged for over 30 years, along with Chita grain whisky can only be purchased by first class passengers, and it’s limited to just a single bottle per passenger.
ANA have have priced its wares at ¥50,000 (just under $500), while copping through Japan Airlines will cost you a tad more at ¥60,000 (just under $600). Though if you’re flying up in the pointy end of the plane, current roundtrip fares from Sydney to Tokyo in First Class will set you back about $12,000, I doubt the discrepancy makes much of a difference.
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Not to be confused with the 100th Anniversary editions of the Harmony, 21-year-old, or the 17-year-old, this special dram is extremely hard to come by outside these flight cabins — having traditionally been reserved for bars, restaurants, and hotels as opposed to the everyday punter.
To understand the rarity, in certain corners of the world such as Kyoto’s Hotel The Mistui, guests are only provided 45ml for a tasting experience that’ll set you back ¥18,000 ($180); or 15ml for a three-whisky tasting set for ¥36,000 ($360).
Potential resale value aside, anybody serious about their whisky would happily pony up for the first class fare if it meant an opportunity to enjoy an entire bottle all to themselves. Tres compelling, indeed.
