Hibiki 30 Year Old 700ml – Hibiki 30 Year Old 700ml was created to be the paragon of the Suntory blend. The name Hibiki literally means “resonance” in Japanese, and reflects the Suntory Corporate philosophy to “live in harmony with people and nature.” Composed of malt and grain whiskies matured at least thirty years in oak barrels, the Hibiki 30-year-old will seduce lovers of whisky with its deep complexity and incredible maturity. Bottled in its delightful bottle with 30 facets representing 30 years of age, the most mature of Hibiki family expresses the quintessence of the art of Japanese whisky.TASTING NOTESCOLOR:Dark gold. NOSE:Absolutely stunning. Very complex right at first nosing, starting on a very wide array of various aromas such as marzipan, orange marmalade, nutmeg (a lot, really), apricot jam, quinces (lots), chamomile and many others… The oakiness is just perfect. Then gets quite spicy, with still a lot of nutmeg but also ginger, juniper berries, saffron… Also old Sauterne of the highest grade, vanilla crème, bergamot… Exceptional, certainly the most beautiful blend I have ever Nosed, although I must confess I haven’t tried many.TASTE:A little less classic and surprisingly sweetish for a short while (marshmallows and bubblegum) but it’s soon to get back on track, with an excellent oak up front and a spicy cortege progressively joining in (some nutmeg albeit less than on the Nose… white pepper, very sweet curry, something like satay…) Also, some spearmint. Gets maybe just a tad drying at the ‘end of the middle’.