Review - Suntory Hibiki 17 years

Review of a 18cl (180ml) bottle circa 2005 bottling, tasted 2012-01-01. My first Japanese whisky experience.


First reaction, from nosing of bottle immediately after cap removal is distinctly and umistakably, of plum wine. A wonderful thing to experience for the first time! I left the bottle alone for 15 minutes before pouring a dram for nosing and tasting and followed up the tasting the next day, these are combined notes with my final score.


Nose:
Plum wine prominent, a little "feinty" (for a 17 year old whisky?), caramelised sugar. Caramel intensifies over time and comes to dominate. Not much else in there, except maybe a floral hint.


Taste:
Pepper first, followed by red wine (is that some sherry)? Light mouthfeel. A little "bitey". Pepper mellows to something vaguely reminiscent of radish while sherry dissipates, some citrus comes on too. Soft grain sweetness develops. Interesting bitter turn upon swallowing.


Finish:
Starts bitter. Dry. Citrus makes an appearance briefly. Quite long and warming! Bitterness dissipates. Left with some soft cereal notes and what might be a hint of that plum.


Balance: 
Not as "harmonious" (as the translation of Hibiki implies), I find that although certain elements in this whisky work well, they do not combine in such a way as to elevate the overall experience, such as a very good whisky can do.


The caramel somewhat overshadows the exquisite plum in the nose, the sherry notes (and whatever else might have been there to taste) seem to have been "muted" by the grain and there is a discord between nose and taste. Bitterness, whilst tolerable, is not beneficial and tends to be overly prominent during tasting and finishing.


Overall: A good whisky, interesting, but all I'm really left with is "caramel and plum wine" and some mild annoyance at the bitterness. Not as smooth as I'd hoped for. Still a damned good blend, however!


Score: N20 T20 F21 B19  (80)




Second tasting (@ 2 days, 2012-01-03)


Had a follow-up dram again tonight. I usually do not add water to whiskies at 40-43% ABV, but I thought I'd give it a go and was pleasantly surprised!


With the addition of water, the nose becomes floral and fruity, with an added hint of peat smoke, improving its balance noticeably as the caramel recedes from the forefront. Sadly though, the plum recedes also and is barely noticeable - but given the new found balance in the nose, it's not a major loss.


The taste becomes more well rounded and balanced; now with butter and a touch of aniseed. Bitterness is reduced and finally develops into spice and wine notes. The finish is shortened, but leaves a very nice mouthfeel with a buttery finish.


Wow. This is honestly the first blended whisky I like better with water. I would rate this a little higher (anything up to 85/100) except I believe a whisky should be rated at its bottled strength (unless cask strength), so will let the original verdict stand.


In closing - hidden subtlety and complexity here, definitely try it with water!




Third tasting (@ 4 weeks, 2012-01-28)


Four weeks after initial tasting, with water, detected new candied lime and butter shortbread on the nose. Sweetness is softer, like demerara sugar. That deserves a couple of extra points for complexity and refinement. Lime continues on the palate intermingling beautifully with the other components. Great mouthfeel. This has definitely improved given a few weeks to breathe.


Score: N22 T22 F21 B21  (86)

Verdict

A very good, bordering on great blended whisky that needs some time and a little water to really open up and reveal its true character. A good demonstration of why I taste whisky two or three times in the first month of opening.

Final (average) score: N21 T21 F21 B20  (83)




Note: Original review posted at Connosr prior to blog creation: 
http://www.connosr.com/reviews/suntory-hibiki/suntory-hibiki-17-years-old/plum-wine-and-caramel/