Hibiki 21 Year Old in a 600mL Arita porcelain bottle painted with plum blossom over flowing water. It is the 2006 Arita bottle from Suntory's Special Bottle Collection, released alongside a Kutani bottle decorated with loquats.
About This Whisky
The decoration is iro-e, overglaze enamel colour, showing plum branches above a running stream. Plum blossom opens in late winter, so in Japanese design it often stands for fresh starts. The porcelain holds 600mL of Hibiki 21 Year Old.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Baked apple, blackberry jam and a thread of caramel.
- Palate: Rounded, with honey, dried apricot, sandalwood and gentle spice from Japanese oak.
- Finish: Medium-long, with lingering cedar and candied peel.
Serving & Food
Room temperature suits it best. Use a small, thin-rimmed glass, pour a modest measure and add water only a drop at a time. Pair it with ume-glazed pork belly, salted plum rice crackers, or a simple almond financier.
How to Enjoy
Collectors of Suntory's ceramic series, and gifts where the bottle is meant to stay on the shelf long after the whisky is gone.
Product Details
Producer: House of Suntory
Country: Japan
Style: Japanese blended whisky
Age: 21 years
Presentation: Arita porcelain bottle, overglaze plum and flowing-water design
Release Year: 2006
ABV: 43%
Volume: 600mL
About the Distillery
Arita, a small town in Saga Prefecture on Kyushu, is where porcelain making in Japan began. Tradition credits a Korean potter, Ri Sampei, with finding porcelain stone at Izumiyama in 1616 and firing the first Japanese white porcelain at a kiln nearby. The town still honours him as the founder of its craft, and Sueyama Shrine is dedicated to him.
In 1637 the Nabeshima domain reorganised the local kilns, closing many and concentrating production in thirteen sites around Arita. That decision shaped the district that has produced porcelain ever since.