Hibiki Blossom & Yamazaki 2022 Limited Edition (2 Bottle Set)

The 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition released exclusively in Japan. Created by marrying malts of 12 years and older, all of which had been matured in Mizunara Japanese oak casks. The Hibiki Blossom Harmony release blends Suntory’s Hibiki whisky with whisky that has been finished in barrels made from sakura trees, or Japanese cherry blossom trees. Each bottle comes packaged in a gift box, decorated with a modern cherry blossom design.

This is lot is a 2 bottle set including a 2022 Hibiki Blossom and a 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition.

Yamazaki

Opened in 1923 Yamazaki was Japan’s very first commercial whisky distillery. It’s located in the small town of Yamazaki, Shimamoto, just outside of Osaka and was originally commissioned by Kotobukiya, the company who would later become Suntory. The now legendary Masataka Taketsuru of Nikka whisky fame was appointed in 1924 to help create a high quality malt whisky. Taketsuru would later leave the company in 1934 and go on to found the Nikka Whisky Company. In 1934 Suntory’s first blend would be released using malt and grain whisky produced at the Yamazaki distillery in combination with Scottish made malt whisky. The company would focus on these blends all the way until 1984 when the very first ‘Pure malt’ whisky was released in the form of a Yamazaki 12 year, although originally it had no age statement. The 1980’s was a period of great innovation and rejuvenation for the distillery as it saw considerable investment, allowing for a greater variety of spirit makes and cask experimentation.

Heralded as the original Japanese whisky, Yamazaki products continue to win awards after awards. Utilising a variety of cask types and maturation methods has allowed Suntory to create a single malt that complements its blends very well. A core component of the highly awarded Hibiki blend, Yamazaki’s lighter and fruitier style contrasts that of its sister distillery Hakushu who is often more oily and smoky in nature. The huge demand for Japanese whisky has seen the landscape of Suntory’s range change, with a severe reduction in quantity of its age stated Yamazaki and Hakushu core products. The Yamazaki 12, 18 and 25 are in exceptionally high demand and as such a non-age stated distillers reserve release was created to ensure the malt remains accessible. Suntory releases a limited edition Yamazaki release each year, often using a variety of specialist casks and has experimented with everything from native Japanese Mizunara to Spanish Sherry casks. These releases are highly sought after and not commonly available outside of Japan

Hibiki

First released in 1989 as a celebration of Suntory’s 90th anniversary, the Hibiki blend has become known around the world for its truly outstanding quality of malt and grain whiskies. Created from a mixture of Yamazaki and Hakushu malt whisky combined with grain whisky from the Chita distillery, 5 different cask varieties are said to be used including American oak bourbon casks, Sherry casks and Mizunara oak casks.Just as famous as the whisky itself is the bottle that its presented in. With 24 different sides, it is said to represent both the 24 hours in the day and the 24 micro seasons in the Japanese calendar. The name Hibiki translates to “Echo” and came about when Suntory commissioned a Japanese designer in 1986 to create a new logo for the Suntory concert hall. Even the labels used on the Hibiki bottles are premium in their design, made from Washi paper which is a traditional Japanese paper handcrafted from local products.

The Hibiki brand has undergone a number of changes throughout its lifetime, originally being a non age statement bottling before the development of the 12, 17, 21 and infamous 30 year old age stated series. These bottlings have won a substantial amount of awards within the last decade or so, beating out nearly every other blend on the market in their categories. As the demand for Hibiki has risen however, Suntory has been unable to maintain its supply. Consequently, as has become the norm for Japanese whisky, the development of non-age statement products was required. This saw many of the age-stated Hibiki's discontinued and replaced instead with products such as the Harmony and Blender’s choice. Suntory often releases special edition varieties of the Hibiki range with unique bottles adorned in iconography from Mt Fuji to the animals of Japan. These releases have become increasingly desired as collectors across the world seek to acquire these limited edition bottles.