Hibiki 12 Tasting Notes and Ratings.

Hibiki 12

Added on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 at 09:39 AM

Bottler:

Age:	12 yrs	Type:	Japanese
Vintage:	N/A	Subtype:	Blend
ABV:	43.00 %	Region:	Japan
Price:	$55	Availability:	Better Stores

Member Ratings and Notes

Adam

Having tried this on various occasions, I must admit that my liking for it has varied quite a bit. It's never struck me as offensive or particularly unlikeable, just sometimes a bit "blah" with too much grain influence. Yet other times, I enjoy it a lot more, liking the whole coconut/vanilla/malt palate, which has some nice sweet aspects to it (that must be from the plum wine casks that play a role in the maturation). And even though it still tastes grain-y (particularly in the finish), it doesn't bother me as much. I think that the more I get to know this, I've found it to be a generally agreeable blend, certainly preferable to many others.

Chris

I tried this in a master class at Whiskylive Los Angeles alongside all the component whiskies that make up the blend. This is a pretty decent blend, but suffers from the same issue I have with almost all blends, i.e. it has been designed for drinkability and lacks any distinct flavors. A little grain on the nose, followed by caramel, honey, and some grain notes on the palate. I'd say I enjoyed most of the component whiskies more than the blend itself, in particular the plum cask matured single malt. It is a very well crafted blend, however, and I'm sure any blend drinker would be happy with it.

Andy

Whimpy, grainy, watery. Don't want to write more.

Ries

n: balanced and well-rounded (almost to a fault). This has a bit of everything all put together in one package. Fresh honeysuckle, floral malt, icing sugar, and a bit of coconut grain sweetness.

t: initial is a red berry sweetness, with a golden honey, green grass, and very delicate floral. I get a bit of ripe plum and maybe some ume on this (salted plum). Grapefruit candy and finely-tuned spice in finish. This is a sipper and "too easy" to drink. The grain doesn't hide but adds to the marshmallow and coconut sweetness in the backend. Just too thin and light for my tastes. [B-/C+]

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