Overnight, it transformed the global demand for Japanese Whisky and namely anything with a Suntory label on it. Also sign me up for newsletters so I can get special offers, recommendations, and expert advice to my inbox! However, there’s much more to having a whisky mizuwari than just dumping all the ingredients into a glass and knocking it back, there is recipe and there is ritual as well.

Distillery Bottling - A 50cl bottle of Suntory's excellent Hibiki 12yo, the starting point of the Hibiki range. Nose Juicy marmalade with real chunks of orange, cooked apples dusted with cinnamon, thick honey and plum wine. Included in their portfolio and under their ownership (some of these may surprise you) are Lucozade, Ribena, Orangina, Courvoisier, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Jim Beam, and Makers Mark. Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. The Hibiki 12 years old was discontinued by Suntory in 2015, making this expression rare and collectible!

I was also very lucky to have been gifted a bottle of the 12 around five years ago and thought it was unusual whisky, but still very good. The depth of flavor and complexity in whisky is amazing, and I can’t fathom how people can stand to just drink thin yellow beer all their lives. The grain component is soft and yeasty, and an altogether foreign aroma pervades – this is when I race to my computer to learn this whisky is partially matured in plum liqueur casks.

I thought it fitting to have some Hibiki in this style to honor Suntory Whisky’s 90th anniversary and a visit to Camper English’s Alcademics led me to this recipe as told by Suntory’s ambassador Neyah White.

It does, and more to the point, it’s a delicious way to enjoy the Hibiki 12, as much of the whisky’s character comes through.

Hibiki 12yo is made from a blend of over 30 whiskies, including some that plum liqueur cask matured whisky. With over two thousand items in our catalogue, including over 2000 single malts, we continue to be recognised as one of the market leaders in terms of our ability to acquire exceptional rare and vintage malts. Nose: Juicy marmalade with real chunks of orange, cooked apples dusted with cinnamon, thick honey and plum wine. Last month, March, Suntory celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Yamazaki Distillery and the House of Suntory Whisky. The malts are from Suntory owned Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries, with some aged grain from Chita.Don’t let relatively young age scare you, there are plenty older whiskeys that are nowhere as good and very few that are on the same level.

Alaska (anchorage only), California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming. My responsibility and obligation to submitted samples is simply to taste them and review them objectively as possible, nothing more. The little bit of oak present here is nothing more than a frame for holding the canvas of grain on which these flavors are painted. Just turned 21 a few weeks ago, and have a bottle of this and a Glencairn on the way as my first nice whisky to experience! If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service.

Dusty, mildly sherried, soft woodspice notes of vanilla, clove and cinnamon round things off nicely. Samples allow me to broaden my experience and content more so than I would by simply my own limited budget, so I am grateful to all those that support me in this way.