Hibiki Harmony is Suntory’s response to their whisky shortage. Made of the same combination of Yamazaki malt, Hakashu malt and Chita grain as Hibiki 12, the Hibiki Harmony is a no age statement (NAS), presumably younger, version of the famous blend and was pushed out to the market as stores of older whisky dwindled. The NAS trend is a tad annoying, but I get why distilleries are beginning to deliver releases like this.
As whisky consumption continues to rise the stocks of older whisky shrinks and as that happens the distilleries have a choice. They either keep the same statements that every one knows and loves and jack up the price or they release a NAS version that tries to copy the profile of its counterpart as best it can. I understand this is a function of supply and demand on a product that takes over a decade to create, but what I don’t like is when they charge the same price, or sometimes higher, for the NAS version as they did the age-stated one. The NAS replacements are rarely as good as what they replaced and it seems incredibly unfair to charge the same for a product that doesn’t deliver a sensory experience similar to what it replaced.
Hibiki Harmony Info
Region: Japan
Distiller: Suntory
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43%
Price: $75
Hibiki Harmony Review
EYE
Straw
NOSE
It’s not a very complex aroma, but it is good. Fruity with notes of apricot, golden raisins, hay, toasted malt, a touch of cocoa and a bit of alcoholic sting.
PALATE
Like the nose it’s limited, but decent. Notes of apricot and golden raisins play here as well accompanied by notes of malt and a bit of spice.
FINISH
Medium in length and dotted with notes of malt, fruit and graham crackers.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a rounded mouthfeel.
OVERALL
Hibiki Harmony is nicely done, but tasting it next to the Hibiki 12 shows a none-too-subtle difference. The 12 is richer and more complex than the Harmony and has more to explore across the palate and nose than the Hibiki Harmony. All-in-all there’s nothing wrong with the Harmony, I’m just struggling to get a whole lot out of it which makes its high price difficult to manage.
SCORE: 85/100
