Had a vertical Hibiki tasting: Some lovely 1.5oz pours of Harmony ($10), 12 year ($22.50), and the 21 year ($75). One ounce of the Hibiki 21 is the price of an entire 750mL bottle of the Harmony… and I would rather have another ounce the 21 rather than an entire bottle of Harmony. NOSE: Bourbon and water. Is that harmony? I been smelling too many crazy cask-strength stuff recently. I had to put my nose into the glass and almost touch the liquid with a single overgrown nosehair I need to clip to get any discernable aromas. Soft, rounded notes of vanilla, oak, coconut. Maybe imagine some honeydew and bamboo forest. PALATE: Rounded to the point of being unnoticeable. At first, you’re like “Oooh, this is nice,” and then you’re like, “That’s it?” Every sip is the same as the last. Vanilla, honey, wheat, sawdust, apples. Is it muddled or is it balanced? It’s so shy, I don’t care. What I do notice is that it’s tainted by a young liquorice flavor. FINISH: It goes away. VERDICT: This is not an adequate replacement for the 12 year. The entire delicious plum, marmalade sherry profile is absent. If you’re into the whole “wellness” fad, and dig gentle, soft, meditative things, maybe Harmony is appropriate, but at a lower price point than $50-60. At $20-30, this would be adequate, but is currently way overpriced due to the Japanese whisky hype. MARK: 63/100.