Hibiki Blender's Choice

Hibiki is known to be the best blended whisky in the world, at least its 21yo expression has been accumulating awards non-stop. When i tasted that expression i truly recognized it as the best blend i have ever had, but it wasn't too far from their own 17yo. Well, the 17yo is gone (at least for a while) and now suntory has replaced it with this "Blender's Choice", which is a NAS of "their rarest whiskies, some of them matured in red wine casks". Bottled at 43%abv, golden color. On the nose it is all about Grapefruits and fresh gooseberries, it is a lovely aroma of fresh citric farm fruits where this whisky starts. Red fruits, agave and tequila hints on the borders of the glass. Thick orange candy have appeared. Lots of super fresh, super appealing fruits. Peaches. After 3 minutes a lovely milk chocolate is rising. Marshmallows and some fruit spiciness. The aroma is just incredibly well crafted, mostly citric and syrupy. On the palate, it starts with peach syrup, then a mild spiciness. Some grapefruit is rising, very easy to drink. A second sip gave me dry apricots and some saltiness. I am holding it for so long that i am actually writing this while holding it in my palate, it is that easy to drink but not very complex. Third sip gave me gooseberries. It has a Sugar and hay aftertaste. Very thick and rounded. It is delivered in a nice strength which is not overly strong nor weak. A second sip gave me a tobacco note, some dim earthy finish as well. Ginger. Hints of ashes and peaty profiles. Everything feels wrapped. Overall, this is a very enjoyable whisky, that can be shared with any enthusiast or begginer and they will appreciate it. It is not very complex and the spectacular nose gets the huge portion of the points here. It is not the best Hibiki, it is not better than the 17yo either. It feels this replacement manages to make happy the usual customers, but it could definitively be better. My score for it is 90 over 100.

A friend got me this bottle in japan and this is lovely with dark tasting notes like berries, cherries, cherrywood, floral, toffee, dark chocolate, and white chocolate with bright raspberries and lychee on the palate. This may be more of a 12 replacement than a 17 replacement as this is aged 12-30 years like the old 12 but an average age of 15 here would discourage calling this 12 years old. Better than 12, not sure if better than 17 as this I’ll need to taste side by side to truly find out

The flavors of this sample courtesy of @worldwhiskies95 reminded me of one of the many summer treats missed this year, the occasional lunch-time indulgence at the Belgian waffle stall in the small park near by office. The toasty, creamy, ginger notes bring to mind their waffles and spekuloos ice-cream. A lovely gentle dram for a warm autumnal evening.

Wood on the nose and on the tongue, deep and Rich flavor. Spreads super nicely, tons of fruit at the beginning. Berries. Super fruity and light wood, no burn at all. Tastes like a creamy berry whiskey.

Hibiki blenders choice lives up to its expectations but the prices are just no longer practical. The masters select was priced better and I personally preferred it as well.

Nose is sweet, little floral. Tastes caramel, vanilla sweetness that goes into a slightly citrus flavor. Finish is medium and sweet. Slightly smoky throughout. Wonderful.