I can't believe I received a HIBIKI 17 as a gift. The person who gave it to me kept it at home unopened for 6 years after bringing it from Japan. He told me "I don't drink whisky, and I see how you enjoy it when you describe it." Instead of opening it, I opened a current HIBIKI to celebrate it and for that person and I to have an "idea" of what 17 could be. Regards from México!
Im flying ANA first class from SFO to Tokyo in August and they have Hibiki 17 on the flight. I can’t wait to get that. I need to learn to appreciate whiskey’s a bit more before I go.
The 12 is absolutely amazing for the price it retailed at when it was a regular bottle at RRP, it definitely punched well above it's weight. Such a shame that these all effectively turned into inaccessible offerings and were replaced. I'd love to see a side by side with the Nikka equivalents though.
I lived in Japan and Hibiki is my fave. I have a bottle of Hibiki 17 but doubt I can open it. I have drank 21 on a few occasions. That stuff is incredible. I have some Hibiki NAS bottles which also have gotten too expensive.Unfortunate post 2015 the prices of these skyrocketed and availability became difficult.
Before Covid lockdowns Binny’s in Chicago used to ship They had the Hibiki 12 for $60 sadly I only ordered one bottle an amazing dram. Sometimes you can find Harmony locally but it’s rare to see it.
I bought a bottle of the 12 in 2016 for £85 (about $100). Still the most expensive bottle I've ever bought. It was fine, but would I pay like $600 today? No! Anything over $100 and you're not paying for the quality of the spirit; you're just paying for rarity and bragging rights. All IMO, of course.
The japanese took out the swiss in mechanical watch accuracy, the Japanese took out the USA auto market with Toyota, the Japanese now taking Scotland on!
I actually really like the Nikka Coffey Malt and thinks it’s a good buy at $75-$85. it’s available here in Texas (usually at the bigger stores). Cheers!
@@LiquorHound I do see a bottle near me around $60-$70 which is not outrageous. I used to see it in Tokyo for about that much. How do you prefer to drink it?
Interesting approach of those discontinued ones, Chris....I tried all 3 (still raving a bit one day to try the 30 yo but "forget it", price for a dram would be too ridiculous) but own only the 12 yo as a bottle...I struggled with all three at some points in tastings over the years (batch variation + variation inside the bottle sometimes quite important-the 12 yo for instance, for me lost its initial dryness over time, despite the bamboo filtering), but my favorite remains the 21 yo when a good batch, as you said, not one that emphasizes too much the peat...Cheers !
I tell people that if they want to try Japanese whiskey at a lower price they should try Metallica Blackened... it's very similar to Yamazaki or Hibiki. Thankfully i was smart enough to see ahead of the curve with Yamazaki 18 and bought 4 cases back when it's was $65 and no one knew what it was lol... still have all 4 cases sealed. Not for sale
So it’s a bit complicated - given that all of them have dropped in quality from their early releases. If it was a 90’s JW Blue, I’d say yes (even against these older bottlings of Japanese whiskies). A newer Blue would not fare as well, but I think you’d find a similarity in the peat levels of the blends. Cheers!
Yes, there are scammers out there. CHINESE FAKES OF THESE ARE COMMON. I recall seeing this when I was in China. Best to buy from a reputable Japanese dealer. I’ve had the 12 and the 17 but never the 21. Maybe next time I travel to the Far East.
I can't believe I received a HIBIKI 17 as a gift. The person who gave it to me kept it at home unopened for 6 years after bringing it from Japan. He told me "I don't drink whisky, and I see how you enjoy it when you describe it." Instead of opening it, I opened a current HIBIKI to celebrate it and for that person and I to have an "idea" of what 17 could be. Regards from México!
I was gifted a Hibiki 21 about 10 years ago for my birthday when I decided to share with all my friends that night. Crying right now.
At least it’s a memory you’ll never forget. 🙂 Cheers! 🥃
That stuff is incredible.
Great review. I'm a big fan of Japanese whiskey and was excited to see this.
Im flying ANA first class from SFO to Tokyo in August and they have Hibiki 17 on the flight. I can’t wait to get that. I need to learn to appreciate whiskey’s a bit more before I go.
The 12 is absolutely amazing for the price it retailed at when it was a regular bottle at RRP, it definitely punched well above it's weight. Such a shame that these all effectively turned into inaccessible offerings and were replaced. I'd love to see a side by side with the Nikka equivalents though.
I lived in Japan and Hibiki is my fave. I have a bottle of Hibiki 17 but doubt I can open it. I have drank 21 on a few occasions. That stuff is incredible. I have some Hibiki NAS bottles which also have gotten too expensive.Unfortunate post 2015 the prices of these skyrocketed and availability became difficult.
Before Covid lockdowns Binny’s in Chicago used to ship They had the Hibiki 12 for $60 sadly I only ordered one bottle an amazing dram. Sometimes you can find Harmony locally but it’s rare to see it.
I bought a bottle of the 12 in 2016 for £85 (about $100). Still the most expensive bottle I've ever bought. It was fine, but would I pay like $600 today? No! Anything over $100 and you're not paying for the quality of the spirit; you're just paying for rarity and bragging rights. All IMO, of course.
Happy fathers day LiquorHound & everyonee!! 👍 👌💪🍻🥃👍😎
Found a bottle of Hibiki 21 here in Tokyo the other day for ¥99800… went back a few days later…. Gone.! Nov 23.
Dewars Japanese smooth 8yr.Yamazaki 12yr.
NIKKA yoichi, nikka miyagikyo,
NikkaPuremalt, nikka
Coffey malt,
Taketsuru pure malt
❤👌😎
The japanese took out the swiss in mechanical watch accuracy, the Japanese took out the USA auto market with Toyota, the Japanese now taking Scotland on!
The people have spoken and its not overhyped! Cant find it anywhere and it triples in value!
great review ❤
Thank you!
I have a bottle of Hibiki 21 i bought in Japan on accident. Not sure how to sell it
There’s some auction houses in Europe that I see some go through. Cheers!
It is about 80 bucks in sweden
How do you find those Nikka Coffee malts? Are they worthwhile?
I actually really like the Nikka Coffey Malt and thinks it’s a good buy at $75-$85. it’s available here in Texas (usually at the bigger stores). Cheers!
@@LiquorHound I do see a bottle near me around $60-$70 which is not outrageous. I used to see it in Tokyo for about that much. How do you prefer to drink it?
My favourite whisky is King George V...(John Walker)....😎🙏👍
Interesting approach of those discontinued ones, Chris....I tried all 3 (still raving a bit one day to try the 30 yo but "forget it", price for a dram would be too ridiculous) but own only the 12 yo as a bottle...I struggled with all three at some points in tastings over the years (batch variation + variation inside the bottle sometimes quite important-the 12 yo for instance, for me lost its initial dryness over time, despite the bamboo filtering), but my favorite remains the 21 yo when a good batch, as you said, not one that emphasizes too much the peat...Cheers !
I tell people that if they want to try Japanese whiskey at a lower price they should try Metallica Blackened... it's very similar to Yamazaki or Hibiki. Thankfully i was smart enough to see ahead of the curve with Yamazaki 18 and bought 4 cases back when it's was $65 and no one knew what it was lol... still have all 4 cases sealed. Not for sale
How long ago u can get a yanazaki 18 for $65?? What year?
Can you recommend a single cask, cask strength, Scottish malt or two that you think dominates these?
Mature Signatory Vintages (wide shouldered bottles) that are over 18 years old will most likely do the trick. Cheers!
Could JW blue hold up to these on it own?
So it’s a bit complicated - given that all of them have dropped in quality from their early releases. If it was a 90’s JW Blue, I’d say yes (even against these older bottlings of Japanese whiskies). A newer Blue would not fare as well, but I think you’d find a similarity in the peat levels of the blends. Cheers!
Yes, there are scammers out there. CHINESE FAKES OF THESE ARE COMMON. I recall seeing this when I was in China. Best to buy from a reputable Japanese dealer. I’ve had the 12 and the 17 but never the 21. Maybe next time I travel to the Far East.
Is it just me or are these reviewers high or something? How in the heck can you taste all those flavors?
Japanese whiskies are a shell of their former selves.
That’s true. Stick got picked clean a few years ago. Quite a number of them aren’t even Japanese. They blend stock from Scotland to meet demand.