The House of Suntory, the founding House of Japanese Whisky, announced the release of Hibiki Blossom Harmony, a limited-edition blend featuring whiskies finished in Sakura casks, and for the first time Hibiki 30 Year Old will be available in the U.S.

Sakura Blossom season in early spring has always been an occasion for celebration in Japan, with many gathering around the flowering Sakura trees that inspire the Japanese to appreciate life as it blooms. Hibiki Blossom Harmony captures this spirit by blending a rare selection of whiskies finished in Sakura wood casks with diverse matured malt and grain whiskies to create this particular Hibiki.  

This limited-edition bottle will be available beginning in October in select global markets including in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Austria, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The expression is bottled at 43 percent ABV and has a suggested retail price of $160 USD. 

Hibiki is a blend of various malt and grain whiskies from Suntory’s Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries. The Sakura cask was one that intrigued Fifth Generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo.

Achieving the right balance and orchestration proved to be a great challenge from the start since the Sakura cask is one with strong character that can easily become overbearing. After a period of trial and error, Fukuyo found that the grain whiskies finished in the Sakura cask best elevated the overall balance.

Released in 1997 as a rare, limited edition, Hibiki 30 Year Old represents the paragon of the Hibiki brand and the art of Japanese craftsmanship. For the first time, this bottle will be available in the U.S. as of October for a suggested retail price of $5,000.

Hibiki 30 features a select blend of Yamazaki malt whiskies that are 30 years and older from Suntory’s historic collection, with mild grain whiskies that have also matured at least 30 years. With a mere few thousand bottles produced each year, each is bottled by hand. This luxurious liquor has received accolades and awards from whisky connoisseurs around the world and it represents the pinnacle of whisky making at Suntory.

For more information, visit whisky.suntory.com.