N: Citrus and pine needles, then some black licorice that feels like the best part of a cheap bourbon. There's honey and white tea. Also a hint of a black tea brewed in mineral heavy water. Biscuit and cereal grains. And a fleeting whiff of cigarette smoke at the end. P: Butterscotch, caramel, and red fruit all mingle together and fill your mouth with rich, oily flavor. Vanilla joins on the exhale. There's a heady maltiness that runs through the course of the palate, start to finish. It's as if all the flavors were served on a thick slice of whole grain bread. Most of the notes from the nose make a brief appearance slightly after the opening medley: pine needles, black licorice, white and black tea, and smoke - although the palate smoke is a more traditional peat smoke, rich and fragrant. There's also lychee, honey, lemon, and fresh herbs. A light milk chocolate orange precedes the finish, which is a black pepper medium spicy, well balanced against a little bittering wood tannin, and then wrapped up with a lingering dark chocolate that hangs on for a good long time. This whisky, especially the nose, reminds me of a big, mean IPA circa 2005, way before they went all juicy. There was an earthy brutality in those beers - they were great, but you had to really want them. This dram has that same raw element, but it adds several layers of flavor above that and arrives at something much more elegant and elevated. While recognizing the craft in it, I still think it drinks a little young, rough, and brutal. I'm not actually sure if I mean that as a compliment or a critique. Really, I think I mean that as a statement about the 17 year and 21 year Hibikis that are not particularly attainable - I expect they are actually quite a bit better than this, and that is saying something, because this is pretty damn good.