Hibiki Harmony
*NOSE: At first sniff, I get a lot of Bourbon notes that fade to reveal notes of Cedar and Sandalwood. Dry Sweetness like Powdered Cake Mix or Raw Sugar Cookie Dough. Bourbon-y Vanilla, Light Green Fruits (Apples, Pears, Grapes), and Old Leather. Some background notes that are hard to pin down. Peanut Butter? Floral? Sherry? The more time I spend nosing, the more notes that reveal themselves.
*NEAT: Sweet. Vanilla, Malted Barley, Old Leather, Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Old Wood. Just the slightest Balck Pepper Tingle. Just a Wisp of Smoke (Peat?) and a touch of Bitter. Medium Length Finish with just a little heat. Vanilla, Wood, Leather, and Slightly Bitter Coffee Coat and Layer the palate.
*SPLASH: Gives the Nose and Palate a "Burnt" Quality. Creme Brûlée. Some of the Green Fruits from the nose finally make an appearance (most notably Pear). That Coffee aftertaste on the finish is amplified, but becomes a little creamier.
*VERDICT: This one started out rather Ho-Hum for me, but the deeper into the pour I got, the more I liked it. I do feel it's a tad overpriced at $80. This is a solid 4, but I feel I may be judging it a little too harshly after having the near perfect Nikka WFTB, so I'll round up to a 4.25. I really wish I had been into whisky early enough to have had some of the Age Stated versions.
80.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@PBMichiganWolverine Wow, you're right! I didn't think it would ever come back down from $2000. I'd love to see spirit prices come down from the stratosphere.
@Scott_E Yep, I think $60 is closer to a reasonable price, all things considered. They languish on the shelves in Virginia ABC stores at $85.
The aged versions are still highly priced. The 21 is well north of $900 I think
Feels to me like there's more of this available lately. I see it everywhere now. I actually just grabbed a bottle at Trader Joe's, of all places, for $67. Maybe prices are drifting downward?
@ctbeck11 when this first came out to replace the 12 year, I could and would purchase for around $59. Ironically, the 12 was being sold at that time. There was grumblings about a NAS replacing and age statement for the same price. More for less. Unfortunately that is a common story across all whisky. Anyway, I will pass merely on price alone. Too bad as it’s good. Especially with Sushi (for me)
Nice review. I’ve been passing this by due to the price as well. I’ll stick with stocking bottles of FTB and wait for a sample of this one. I would also love to try some of the age stated releases. You never know. Maybe I’ll stumble upon one in a restaurant some day. I’d be willing to pay $50 or so for a pour of the older stuff.