"Ooooooooh Lovely" - That is a strong description right there. The Hibiki Harmony is a special dram and interesting hearing about the Sakura cask finished. Great video Mac.
A genuine, uncut reaction to a beautiful tipple! Glad you've tried Hibiki Japanese Harmony. See if you can get your hands on some of the other variants and age statements. The 17 year is the sweet spot!
Excellent content as always! Thank you for the comparison to standard Hibiki. You answered all my questions before I asked them! Just picked up a bottle in the US for a decent price, will open on a special occasion with friends.
Thank you! Glad to hear you found a bottle. Let me know what you think! Please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoff.ee/kanpaiplanet. Kanpai!
Thank you! You'll definitely enjoy this one then: ua-cam.com/video/YGRoj0SXftU/v-deo.html A review of the First Hibiki vs Hibiki Japanese Harmony! Kanpai!
Such an informative video. I've been enjoying my Hibiki Blender's Choice, now I want to snag a Blossom Harmony after watching your video! Well done, sir.
Thanks for commenting Costa! I think it is a great dram.Hopefully you find it in a bar for a decent price and can at least enjoy a dram. Please suscribe for more and share our videos far and wide! I truly appreciate it!
Again, awesome review and comparison! Please keep up your great work! Would you call Blossom Harmony as "Hibiki" given the differences you have described?
That is a great question! Yes, I would! In my unedited video, there was a point where I called it 'Hibiki Amplified.' I ended up cutting that comment out, but it expresses my feelings very well! Thanks for watching. Please share with all your friends, and hope you enjoyed the Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 review too!
Hey Mac thank you for the great video. I found this on Dekanta for 749 USD Yikes!! The standard is one of my "go to" whiskies from Nippon. Lovely stuff. The Blossom might be out of my reach sadly. Cheers friend.
The secondary market is insane on this bottle, as it is on the Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 which I reviewed in another video. Enjoy that Hibiki Japanese Harmony! 🥃🥃🥃
Great video again! Please keep it up! Just an idea, but could you make a video about whisky pricing in Japan? Because it's hard to get an perspective when things like import costs to Europe are calculated in. Not that price equals quality or intrinsic value, but I would like to know how those bottles are marketed over there. Especially curious about the Nikka range :) Slainte/kanpai!
Wow! The prices have really jumped up on these in the US. Costco might get a very rare drop of these for about $165 USD or so. Some liquor stores also get rare drops of these ranging from $200-250 USD. On the secondary market, these go for over $500, I've seen it even at $800.
I love the malted barley flavor in barley made whisky, but don't like when a bourbon barrel kills that. Does malted barley come through well in either or both of these?
@@KanpaiPlanet Given my recent experiences with some scotch single malts, too sweet and bourbon barrel influences killing my barley experience, this Hibiki still sounds potentially better given there is no ex-bourbon barrel used I think. A tasting bar is probably in order first. Thanks much and I like your reviews because I am very hung up on cask(s) and you seem to cover that well in your videos that I've seen so far. For most part, if a cask is refill, I'd rather a cask that has had only 100 percent malted barley whisky in it before. Thanks again!
I'm envious, Mac. The regular Hibiki is one of my favorite whiskies. I wish it were cheaper. Here in the Philippines it usually goes for $110-$130. I heard it's even cheaper in the US. And we're closer to Japan! I can just imagine how much the Blossom will cost if it ever reaches us.
I've not even seen Hibiki Blossom Harmony with my own eyes on the shelves in Japan! I really hope some of the 30,000 bottles make it overseas. If you're a Hibiki fan, check out my video explaining the origins (and taste testing) The First Hibiki: ua-cam.com/video/YGRoj0SXftU/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching and subscribing Thor. That is an excellent question. Short answer - it depends on the whisky. For example, Taketsuru blend, they do. What is most interesting to me is that chill-filtration and colouring are not disclosed as often as in, say, Scotland, where they are very important considerations for whisky drinkers. I think this tells us something interesting about the market here, and how the companies view their drinkers.
@@KanpaiPlanet it certainly does! That interesting to know about Taketsuru- thank you! Well they you can’t blame them for a lack of disclosure because it doesn’t seem to be hurting sales :) Have a great night, Mac! Hope to come visit Aloha one day from Osaka when the dust settles.
@@KanpaiPlanet As a freighter pilot, I have continued to fly throughout the pandemic. Going to see what Japanese whisky is available today leaving ICN. Many whiskys have been difficult to find over the past 2 years. Still want another Yamasaki 12.
Would be interested to hear what they have, and whether they are at sensible pricing. Find Jaapnese Whisky with an age statement at RRP is a very tough job even in the country in which it is made!
@@KanpaiPlanet There was no Hibiki or Yamazaki. I bought two bottles of KAMIKI, Sakura Wood and Blended Malt. $101 and $68 USD with crew discount. I have never tried KAMIKI before.
Cool video, Mac, and it's good to learn I will be saving money not buying this one, lol. That said, I'm not sure I tried any J.W. finished in Sakura casks yet...I'll have to try one at some point...Cheers & go on bringing us awesome reviews !
Thank you Greg! With your palate and blending skills I am sure you will enjoy trying some Sakura Cask whiskies and discerning the impact! With the support of people like you, I'll keep doing my best to bring fresh, interesting and well-made content from Japan! Kanpai!
@@KanpaiPlanet Thanks for your very kind compliments...In fact what also prevented me so far to try a "Sakura finish" is that it seems very few were true Japanese Whiskies, so that "Hibiki" might be a more "faithful" choice...I'll wait to see one that seems ok, unless you recommend me one you think stands out with this finishing ? Meanwhile, as I missed a purchase opportunity to buy the 'Hibiki" 21 yo (one of my very favorite J.W. ) at a decent price a few years ago, I only have the 12 yo (but no bottle in advance) that I enjoyed fully (it has a very special finish & filtering process too, mind you) only after 20 cl were gone...Kanpaï !
Thank you for another awesome video, price in US for that bottle is $200 +, and unfortunately I have no idea about any Japanese retailer that ships in US for reasonable price. I definitely love to try it. If you or anyone knows good online retailer can you please share. Thank you.
Thanks for your kind comment. Sadly, it is impossible to get Japanese Whisky shipped from Japan at a reasonable price. Hope you find it in a bar at some point! Kanpai!
After 4 months of searching for this bottle i was able to grab 2 of them, the prices are insane, sadly. but from all the places i paid the "lowest" for them and it was not cheap
These bottles are still pricey in the secondary market in Japan, but in some cases prices have been coming down over the last 12 months. In any case... Enjoy, and Kanpai!
Just so fascinating what Japanese whisky can do and great that I can hear from you what it tastes like! ;) The standard Hibiki is around 75€ here, it it is available. So , we‘ll see when I can afford to start the Japanese whisky journey :)
Checked on auction sites The price is high Great review Picked up prev ltd editions on scottish whisky auctions Rare drams where they split the bottle master of malt Id love this in a london hotel Great twitter feed too
Thanks for your kind words about the videos and Twitter feed. Auction prices for this (and Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021) are insane. It is worth trying though. Hope you get a chance to try it some day. Please feel free to share these videos with your friends, and subscribe for more!
@@KanpaiPlanet it will appear I know retail they are 77 dollars Found hibiki blossom from.taiwan 650 euros I like tasmanian ones Blame lost in translation hibiki 17
Hi Craig. This is currently a Japan only release. There are ways to get it to the UK (at a big premium), if you're lucky to secure one. Thanks for watching and commenting. Please subscribe for more!
Hi Mac, I was wondering whether you able decipher the codes on the Hibiki Harmony bottle? LXIBQXO 1 9697. I was curious to see when this expression was bottled. Hope you can help. Cheers!
I was able to get a bottle of the master's select before airports all shut down. The sakura cask sounds really interesting, glad the new rules have not limited the cask rules to oak. Fingers crossed I can find a bottle!
Good luck with finding some of this at a reasonable price! Master's Select is a solid dram though. BTW, just checked out your channel. Some nice content on there. Good mix of in-depth reviews and shorts. Subbed and looking forward to more.
Hey - great but tough question! I would estimate the Hibiki NAS at around 9-10 years, and the Blossom Harmony at, say, 10-12, given that I think it has that longer-aged Sakura Cask Chita Grain in it . Thanks for your comment and support!
Hello Mac! Nice video as always but "Each bottle retails at 8000 JPY" ? I doubt that. 69.900 JPY was the price I saw today in a shop. Has to be some good Chita to make up for that price. Ok the box is nice 😞
You are completely right. I wanted to focus on the recommended retail price, rather than the sad state we find ourselves in, with everything marked up horrifically.
@@KanpaiPlanet Yes for sure Mac. I understand that but I am aslo curious to know, where do you get the standard Hibiki Japanese Harmony for 5000 JPY??? (sorry for giving you a hard time 😁)
No worries at all my friend! Would you believe that, every so often, I find it at that price at Kakuyasu, a supermarket, or one of the electronic stores' alcohol section! Probably 10 times a year over the last 2 years.
I think it is great to see a variety of experiments. I personally felt the Sakura Cask finish on some of the component whiskies added an interesting new dimension to the overall blend. For the Mizunara fans, Suntory brought out Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021. You can watch my reivew of that here: ua-cam.com/video/d_Ty7LR73ZQ/v-deo.html
Let's hope for an international roll out soon. Thanks for watching! Please feel free to share the content on the channel, and please subscribe for more!
"Ooooooooh Lovely" - That is a strong description right there. The Hibiki Harmony is a special dram and interesting hearing about the Sakura cask finished. Great video Mac.
A genuine, uncut reaction to a beautiful tipple! Glad you've tried Hibiki Japanese Harmony. See if you can get your hands on some of the other variants and age statements. The 17 year is the sweet spot!
Excellent content as always! Thank you for the comparison to standard Hibiki. You answered all my questions before I asked them! Just picked up a bottle in the US for a decent price, will open on a special occasion with friends.
Thank you! Glad to hear you found a bottle. Let me know what you think! Please consider supporting Kanpai Planet at buymeacoff.ee/kanpaiplanet. Kanpai!
Such an informative review Mac, especially as I am about buy the standard Harmony. Your review helped me decide on getting it. Thanks and cheers.
Thank you! You'll definitely enjoy this one then: ua-cam.com/video/YGRoj0SXftU/v-deo.html A review of the First Hibiki vs Hibiki Japanese Harmony! Kanpai!
Just secured a bottle of this! Can't wait to try it. Thanks for the review!
A pleasure! Thank YOU for watching and commenting!
Such an informative video. I've been enjoying my Hibiki Blender's Choice, now I want to snag a Blossom Harmony after watching your video! Well done, sir.
Kanpai Victor. Thank you for your kind comment. Please share this video with all your drinks-loving friends and subscribe for more!
Love your video!! Keep them coming 🥃
Thank you very much!
Great review! I’ll likely never be able to get my hands on a bottle but at least I know it would live up to the hype.
Thanks for commenting Costa! I think it is a great dram.Hopefully you find it in a bar for a decent price and can at least enjoy a dram.
Please suscribe for more and share our videos far and wide! I truly appreciate it!
Looks great. Nice review
Thank you!
Just noticed the Sullivans Cove in the background! Visited the distillery just a few weeks ago on my honeymoon and snagged a bottle :D
Nice work! I've tried a few bottles and definitely want to try more. Congratulations on the honeymoon!
Really glad of the comparison with the standard Hibiki. Sounds like this edition isn't one for me
Thanks Vin. It's definitely not for everyone. I loved it, but part of that was definitely because it was different! Glad the comp was helpful.
Again, awesome review and comparison! Please keep up your great work! Would you call Blossom Harmony as "Hibiki" given the differences you have described?
That is a great question!
Yes, I would! In my unedited video, there was a point where I called it 'Hibiki Amplified.' I ended up cutting that comment out, but it expresses my feelings very well!
Thanks for watching. Please share with all your friends, and hope you enjoyed the Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 review too!
Hey Mac thank you for the great video. I found this on Dekanta for 749 USD Yikes!! The standard is one of my "go to" whiskies from Nippon. Lovely stuff. The Blossom might be out of my reach sadly. Cheers friend.
The secondary market is insane on this bottle, as it is on the Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021 which I reviewed in another video. Enjoy that Hibiki Japanese Harmony! 🥃🥃🥃
Thank you! I just bought it!)
Congratulations! Thanks for watching. Please subscribe for more!
Great video again! Please keep it up!
Just an idea, but could you make a video about whisky pricing in Japan? Because it's hard to get an perspective when things like import costs to Europe are calculated in.
Not that price equals quality or intrinsic value, but I would like to know how those bottles are marketed over there.
Especially curious about the Nikka range :)
Slainte/kanpai!
Thanks for your kind words and comment.
I'll have a think about a pricing video! I think it's a great idea!
Cool video. Which expressions uses some Mizunara casks? Harmony? Hakushu 12? Yamazaki 12?
Thanks Steven. Lots of Suntory premium expressions use Mizunara - for example all the Yamazakis (NAS, 12, 18, the new 25) do!
I can only access the regular Hibiki for now, sigh. Can’t wait to try it though
Hibiki Blossom Harmony is a lovely dram. Quite divisive though - not to everyon's taste!
Wow! The prices have really jumped up on these in the US. Costco might get a very rare drop of these for about $165 USD or so. Some liquor stores also get rare drops of these ranging from $200-250 USD. On the secondary market, these go for over $500, I've seen it even at $800.
Oh wow! Those are insane prices. This liquid is not worth anything close to those numbers. Thanks for letting me know!
Yeah, the regular Hibiki costs over tripple here compared to Japan (though we do have very high tax on alcohol).
Good luck navigating that landscape. Kanpai!
I love the malted barley flavor in barley made whisky, but don't like when a bourbon barrel kills that. Does malted barley come through well in either or both of these?
I think it does. They are definitely different from Bourbon. The Blossom Harmony is sweeter though so be aware of that. Kanpai!
@@KanpaiPlanet Given my recent experiences with some scotch single malts, too sweet and bourbon barrel influences killing my barley experience, this Hibiki still sounds potentially better given there is no ex-bourbon barrel used I think. A tasting bar is probably in order first. Thanks much and I like your reviews because I am very hung up on cask(s) and you seem to cover that well in your videos that I've seen so far. For most part, if a cask is refill, I'd rather a cask that has had only 100 percent malted barley whisky in it before. Thanks again!
I try my best to cover cask types in as much detail as possible in my reviews. Enjoy!
I'm envious, Mac. The regular Hibiki is one of my favorite whiskies. I wish it were cheaper. Here in the Philippines it usually goes for $110-$130. I heard it's even cheaper in the US. And we're closer to Japan! I can just imagine how much the Blossom will cost if it ever reaches us.
I've not even seen Hibiki Blossom Harmony with my own eyes on the shelves in Japan! I really hope some of the 30,000 bottles make it overseas.
If you're a Hibiki fan, check out my video explaining the origins (and taste testing) The First Hibiki: ua-cam.com/video/YGRoj0SXftU/v-deo.html
Regular Hibiki today was $85 US off the shelf at my local
Hi Mac!! Awesome video as always! Question for ya: Do you happen to know if Japanese whisky adds colour to their whiskies?
Thanks for watching and subscribing Thor. That is an excellent question. Short answer - it depends on the whisky. For example, Taketsuru blend, they do. What is most interesting to me is that chill-filtration and colouring are not disclosed as often as in, say, Scotland, where they are very important considerations for whisky drinkers. I think this tells us something interesting about the market here, and how the companies view their drinkers.
@@KanpaiPlanet it certainly does! That interesting to know about Taketsuru- thank you! Well they you can’t blame them for a lack of disclosure because it doesn’t seem to be hurting sales :)
Have a great night, Mac! Hope to come visit Aloha one day from Osaka when the dust settles.
When you do, make sure you let David know that you saw the bar in Kanpai Planet videos! 🤓
I got a bottle of the Master Select at the duty free in NRT, and I thought it was fantastic! I saved the bottle as well. Very nice.
Master's Select is a nice airport grab!
@@KanpaiPlanet As a freighter pilot, I have continued to fly throughout the pandemic. Going to see what Japanese whisky is available today leaving ICN. Many whiskys have been difficult to find over the past 2 years. Still want another Yamasaki 12.
Would be interested to hear what they have, and whether they are at sensible pricing. Find Jaapnese Whisky with an age statement at RRP is a very tough job even in the country in which it is made!
@@KanpaiPlanet There was no Hibiki or Yamazaki. I bought two bottles of KAMIKI, Sakura Wood and Blended Malt. $101 and $68 USD with crew discount. I have never tried KAMIKI before.
Cool video, Mac, and it's good to learn I will be saving money not buying this one, lol. That said, I'm not sure I tried any J.W. finished in Sakura casks yet...I'll have to try one at some point...Cheers & go on bringing us awesome reviews !
Thank you Greg! With your palate and blending skills I am sure you will enjoy trying some Sakura Cask whiskies and discerning the impact!
With the support of people like you, I'll keep doing my best to bring fresh, interesting and well-made content from Japan! Kanpai!
@@KanpaiPlanet Thanks for your very kind compliments...In fact what also prevented me so far to try a "Sakura finish" is that it seems very few were true Japanese Whiskies, so that "Hibiki" might be a more "faithful" choice...I'll wait to see one that seems ok, unless you recommend me one you think stands out with this finishing ? Meanwhile, as I missed a purchase opportunity to buy the 'Hibiki" 21 yo (one of my very favorite J.W. ) at a decent price a few years ago, I only have the 12 yo (but no bottle in advance) that I enjoyed fully (it has a very special finish & filtering process too, mind you) only after 20 cl were gone...Kanpaï !
Thanks for reminding me I didn’t get a bottle 🤣🤣🤣
#yourewelcome... I think!
Haha I love this comment
Which one? Mine or Armando's? 🤓
Would the 2021 Blossom Harmony be worth buying to keep as an investment?
I'm not the most qualified to answer. Good luck with you decide to do it.
Thank you for another awesome video, price in US for that bottle is $200 +, and unfortunately I have no idea about any Japanese retailer that ships in US for reasonable price. I definitely love to try it. If you or anyone knows good online retailer can you please share. Thank you.
Thanks for your kind comment. Sadly, it is impossible to get Japanese Whisky shipped from Japan at a reasonable price. Hope you find it in a bar at some point! Kanpai!
It's great to see someone who's so happy to be enjoying a whisky. Like looking in a mirror.
:-)
Thank you Jimmy. Great to see you on Kanpai Planet!
After 4 months of searching for this bottle i was able to grab 2 of them, the prices are insane, sadly. but from all the places i paid the "lowest" for them and it was not cheap
These bottles are still pricey in the secondary market in Japan, but in some cases prices have been coming down over the last 12 months.
In any case... Enjoy, and Kanpai!
Just so fascinating what Japanese whisky can do and great that I can hear from you what it tastes like! ;) The standard Hibiki is around 75€ here, it it is available. So , we‘ll see when I can afford to start the Japanese whisky journey :)
Thanks for watching! Hibiki Japanese Harmony is a good start on your journey. If you get it, let me know what you think!
Checked on auction sites
The price is high
Great review
Picked up prev ltd editions on scottish whisky auctions
Rare drams where they split the bottle master of malt
Id love this in a london hotel
Great twitter feed too
Thanks for your kind words about the videos and Twitter feed. Auction prices for this (and Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021) are insane. It is worth trying though. Hope you get a chance to try it some day. Please feel free to share these videos with your friends, and subscribe for more!
@@KanpaiPlanet it will appear
I know retail they are 77 dollars
Found hibiki blossom from.taiwan 650 euros
I like tasmanian ones
Blame lost in translation hibiki 17
Do either of them use the plum liqueur barrels that the 12 was famous for?
To my knowledge, no. Thakns for commenting. Please check out other videos on the channel, and subscribe for more! We're just getting started 🙏
Is there a correlation between sartorial refinement and beverage cost?
Almost certainly! 💴🥃💴🥃💴
How do we get it in the UK?!? Can’t find it anywhere
Hi Craig. This is currently a Japan only release. There are ways to get it to the UK (at a big premium), if you're lucky to secure one. Thanks for watching and commenting. Please subscribe for more!
No probs.
🥃🥃🥃
Hi Mac, I was wondering whether you able decipher the codes on the Hibiki Harmony bottle? LXIBQXO 1 9697. I was curious to see when this expression was bottled. Hope you can help. Cheers!
Re: Bottling date - I can't help you with that one! Good luck!
I was able to get a bottle of the master's select before airports all shut down. The sakura cask sounds really interesting, glad the new rules have not limited the cask rules to oak. Fingers crossed I can find a bottle!
Good luck with finding some of this at a reasonable price! Master's Select is a solid dram though.
BTW, just checked out your channel. Some nice content on there. Good mix of in-depth reviews and shorts. Subbed and looking forward to more.
At what age would you estimate both whiskies?
Hey - great but tough question! I would estimate the Hibiki NAS at around 9-10 years, and the Blossom Harmony at, say, 10-12, given that I think it has that longer-aged Sakura Cask Chita Grain in it . Thanks for your comment and support!
Hello Mac! Nice video as always but "Each bottle retails at 8000 JPY" ? I doubt that. 69.900 JPY was the price I saw today in a shop. Has to be some good Chita to make up for that price. Ok the box is nice 😞
You are completely right. I wanted to focus on the recommended retail price, rather than the sad state we find ourselves in, with everything marked up horrifically.
@@KanpaiPlanet Yes for sure Mac. I understand that but I am aslo curious to know, where do you get the standard Hibiki Japanese Harmony for 5000 JPY??? (sorry for giving you a hard time 😁)
No worries at all my friend! Would you believe that, every so often, I find it at that price at Kakuyasu, a supermarket, or one of the electronic stores' alcohol section! Probably 10 times a year over the last 2 years.
Shame on you for making me want this expression so much! 😋😝 Now I really have to hunt for it! 🧐🤓
Good luck! Another wave of bottles hit supermarkets a few weeks ago, but I have yet to see one on shelves at RRP the entire time since release!
Cool
Thank you!
$850 a bottle from Dekanta now. Can you please get me some at that price please haha
Wow! It's a great dram, but not $850 good!
It's seem Suntory has fail this time with Hibiki blossom , people may looking for more , isn't it ? and you ?
Thanks for your comment! How did they fail?
@@KanpaiPlanet people expect something special , sakura cask seem not suitable for whisky , i think so . Mizunara better .
I think it is great to see a variety of experiments. I personally felt the Sakura Cask finish on some of the component whiskies added an interesting new dimension to the overall blend. For the Mizunara fans, Suntory brought out Yamazaki Limited Edition 2021. You can watch my reivew of that here: ua-cam.com/video/d_Ty7LR73ZQ/v-deo.html
@@KanpaiPlanet yeap i've got both of the botle today via yahoo auction , i will try them , Kanpai !
@@nguyenquyhoang2226 Nice! If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for them?
So upset that it's impossible to get this bottle really anywhere in america 💀
Let's hope for an international roll out soon. Thanks for watching! Please feel free to share the content on the channel, and please subscribe for more!