Hibiki 17 Year Old

What it is

Hibiki 17 was the mid-range age statement in Suntory's blended range, bottled at 43% with everything in the blend aged a minimum of 17 years. Suntory announced its discontinuation in 2018, with supply winding down from 2019. Its cult status in the West owes something to Lost in Translation, but mostly to the fact that it was genuinely good and then genuinely gone.

Where it comes from

Built from Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts with Chita grain whisky. The Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association standard arrived in 2021, after this was discontinued, so no Hibiki 17 was ever formally assessed against it. Suntory has since confirmed that all its exported whisky is fully Japanese, and Hibiki is on that list, but the bottles predate the rules.

How it's made

Hibiki blends draw on a wide spread of cask types, with American oak, sherry and Japanese mizunara doing most of the work, and the 17 sat at the point where mizunara starts contributing properly. Suntory doesn't publish component ratios. The 24 faceted decanter, meant to represent Japan's 24 micro seasons, is shared across the range.

What to expect

Fuller and more honeyed than Japanese Harmony, with dried fruit, orange peel and a clear thread of incense from the Japanese oak. It's a blend built for sipping neat and it rewards that.

How it compares

Hibiki Blender's Choice arrived the same month the 17 was discontinued and got treated as a replacement, which isn't quite fair since it uses wine casks the 17 never did. Against Hibiki 21 the 17 is lighter and less wood driven. Prices now sit far above where Suntory set them, so what you're buying is the scarcity, not a better whisky than the 21.