A 50cl bottle of Suntory's excellent Hibiki 12yo, the starting point of the Hibiki range. It's a fantastic example of a Japanese-style blended whisky: sweet and perfumed. Along with grain from Chita and malt from Yamazaki they use some whisky matured in plum wine casks in the mix.
Suntory Hibiki 12 years Details Spirit Type: Whisky Country: Japan ABV: 43% Bottle Size: 700ml
Tasting Notes Nose: Very fruity, with ripe oranges, apple pie, marmalade, and plums (would I have still got those plums if I didn't know about the plum liqueur maturation? I'd like to hope so). Fresh honeysuckle and nougat aromas, sugared almonds, sponge cake, icing sugar. Expressive and exciting.
Palate: Smooth as a snooker ball, with delicious fresh grain, oak tannins, and delicately sherried malt. Some clove, pepper, and mixed peel as the sherry come forward. The citrus is here as well if slightly more tart like lemon or grapefruit.
Finish: Spices, apple peel, and the last remnants of the finely-tuned grain. Nothing dominates, everything in place - the integration and balance are quite remarkable. The spices seem to build in intensity at the finale.
