This is Hibiki 21 Year Old in a square Kutani porcelain decanter, painted in the Yoshidaya manner with pine, bamboo and plum. Suntory issued it in 2008 as part of its Special Bottle Collection, in which the Kutani bottle that year was matched by one from Arita.
About This Whisky
The decanter is a four-sided bottle decorated in Yoshidaya style with pine, bamboo and plum. Together these plants are the Three Friends of Winter, a long-standing motif in East Asian art for resilience in hard seasons. Inside is Hibiki 21 Year Old, the same blend sold in the faceted glass bottle, here in a 600mL fill rather than 700mL.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dried cherry, orange blossom and honeyed oak.
- Palate: Plush and even, with raisin, cocoa, soft vanilla and a warming thread of wood spice.
- Finish: Lingering and fragrant, with sandalwood and a light bittersweet edge.
Serving & Food
If you do open it, pour slowly, because porcelain hides the level. Taste it neat at room temperature from a small copita. Dishes from Kanazawa suit it, such as jibuni duck stew; roasted chestnuts and a square of dark chocolate work too.
How to Enjoy
A display piece for anyone who collects Japanese ceramics, with a fine 21-year blend sealed inside.
Product Details
Producer: House of Suntory
Expression: Hibiki 21 Year Special Bottle Collection
Style: Japanese blended whisky
Age: 21 years old
ABV: 43% ABV
Volume: 600mL ceramic decanter
Country: Japan
Presentation: Kutani porcelain, Yoshidaya-style square bottle with pine, bamboo and plum design
Release Year: 2008
Origin: Japan
About the Distillery
Kutani ware comes from southern Ishikawa Prefecture. Its story began around 1655 in the village of Kutani, in the Daishoji domain, after porcelain stone was found there. The kilns closed after roughly half a century for reasons still debated, and pieces from that short period are now called Ko-Kutani.
About a hundred years later the craft was revived, and several kilns developed styles of their own. The Yoshidaya kiln, opened in 1824 with the backing of the wealthy merchant Yoshidaya Den'emon, became known for covering the whole surface in green, yellow, purple and deep blue, leaving out red, with soft, naturalistic drawing.