Hibiki Harmony

Yes. I know, jeffwhisky.com well and truly has been unloved for some time. But I am trying to catch up… promise! This bottle certainly was a sizable splash in the stepping stones of my whisky journey so why not get back on the rails with it.

Reviewed this on my YouTube channel, which takes up a lot of the Whisky brain bandwidth these days, well over a year ago and featured the brilliant, Kanpai Planet. Yet this bottle has spanned beyond that, all the way back to the brighter days of 2018. Managed to grab it using a Whisky Exchange voucher found as a prize with some Christmas riddles as back then I wouldn’t even spend above £30 on a bottle.

Experience

Absolutely stunning. Need I say more?

Starting from the top down, the solid glass handle at the top of the cork is a thing of beauty and better yet, instead of using a glass stopper it has a synthetic cork making it still easy and satisfying to open.

The 24 sided bottle reflects all the light gloriously and the echizen washi paper label provides a good touch of heritage about it. As I am sure you can tell, I am a fan.

Sadly, the negative is that it is not natural colour which in this bottle is a real shame as seeing what shade it actually is would provide a nice slice of visual storytelling around the liquid.

Nose

I remember first opening this bottle, I wasn’t able to pick anything out on the nose, it was just far lighter than anything I had tried up to that point. Luckily now I am sat on a bed of notes from the last 5 years while having a healthy near final pour in the glass as I type.

The sweetness hits first like soft Spring air in a well looked after flower garden. Sandlewood is a real dominant factor in this whisky which I always link to a light spray of Hugo Boss aftershave, this ties in beautifully with rose petals and Turkish Delight sweets. Apricot yogurt drizzled over honeydew melon served on a wooden bowl.

In summary… fancy.

Taste

Each sip manages to somehow balance a creamy butterness while retaining a light and fresh mouthfeel, carrying a fair amount of flavour in tow.

Some sour sweet grapes mix with orange peel creating a bitter twang buried in the sweetness. A perfume note starts building up in the back of your thought as you get through the glass like walking through the tester section at Boots in the run up to Christmas.

It finishes limply with the cream fading into a slight woody dryness that disappears far too quickly.

Value for Money

If I had to use my hard earned cash back in 2018 this would have cost me £51, which now is a more eye watering £70 on most online shelves. I understand not only are you paying for the bottle and the liquid but also import duty and all that fun stuff which comes with a “world whisky”.

When I reviewed this on the tube I gave the value 4 out of 6, yet the more jaded and rapidly aged self if not that generous and has dragged it down a point.