We are back in Japan, to witness the grace, elaboration and refinement of a tea ceremony translated into the art of whisky blending. The aroma of Hibiki 17 is elegant, complex and floral with exotic spices, green plums and notes of old wood and leather. Distant charcoal, honeycomb and hints of tobacco round off the nose. Bold, intense oak flavors dominate the taste, taking turns with plum sourness, sweet nectarines and fresh mint. Although a little weak in its savory-dry 'matcha green tea finish', it still is a skillfully blended, adorable Japanese dram.
RATING: 4.0/5.0 stars ≙ 87 pts → FIRST-CLASS
399.0
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Bottle
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Additional comment: I noticed that Hibiki is said to have a rather high content of Yamazaki, while the new 'Toki' blend focusses more on Hakushu. However, having tasted both Yamazaki 12yo and Hakushu 12yo, I must say that the latter is also quite prominent in the Hibiki range. Hakushu adds that floral/grassy component to the blend, giving it additional complexity. I suspect they keep the Yamazaki content as low as possible, to keep that for their highly sought-after Single Malts.