Hibiki 40 Year Old 

Suntory are one of the founding fathers of Japanese whisky, established by Shinjirō Torii in 1899 as a wine store in Osaka. The venture was hugely successful, and the company was renamed Kotobukiya in 1921, which built its first distillery three years later, Yamazaki. The distillery produced both malt and grain whiskies which the company blended together, releasing its first Suntory White Label in 1929, the resulting popularity of which saw the firm renamed after it 1963. Expansion in the next decade saw the company move its grain production to a new Chita distillery in 1972, and open a second malt distillery, Hakushu, the following year. Suntory today has a large stake in both the bourbon and Scotch whisky industry, but remains at the forefront of its native whisky market too.

This is Suntory's most popular blend, the Hibiki. Launched in 1989, it contains malt whisky from Yamazaki and Hakushu, and grain from the Chita distillery. It was developed by fourth generation chief blender Shinji Fukuyo with production overseen by third generation master blender and great-grandson of the founder, Shingo Torii, and is presented in a bottle with 24 facets representing the 24 seasons of the Japanese lunar calendar. Unprecedented demand for Japanese whiskies in recent years have seen the discontinuation of most age-statements, and only a 21 year old and a 30 year old remain part of the Hibiki core range.

This 40 year old was released in 2024, and is the brand's oldest age statement blend to date. The blend is a vatting of whiskies matured in a combination of American oak, Spanish oak and Japanese Mizunara oak, including:

• Yamazaki 1978 malt whisky, matured in American oak
• Hakushu 1981 malt whisky, produced from peated spirit
• Chita 1979 grain whisky

Please note due to the size of this lot, it will carry a four-bottle shipping fee.