Via barrels handed down from one blender to the next, Hibiki 40 Year Old has been made possible thanks to decades of expertise and experience in the art of blending. The blenders carefully selected a variety of The House of Suntory’s ultra-high-aged whiskies produced by earlier generations.

Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo crafted Hibiki 40 Year Old. “I would like people to enjoy the pure aroma that has been sharpened over the years; the tranquility of old temples and storehouses and the nostalgic warm feeling that accompanies them,” said Fukuyo.

The expression demonstrates the next chapter for Hibiki, where its signature “creating harmony” not only resonates with the Mizunara Japanese oak and the Spanish oak, but is further elevated with the aged American oak.

To honor Japanese craftsmanship, The House of Suntory has partnered with the Japanese washi artist Eriko Horiki to hand craft the washi label on the Hibiki 40 Year Old box. The bottle is fashioned from crystal glass, boasting 30 facets intricately crafted by a renowned glassware maker known as a trusted purveyor to the Japanese imperial family. It is decorated with traditional Japanese maki-e, mother-of-pearl inlay, and gold lacquer to pay homage to our heritage and tradition.

The wooden box (see above) is made of 12 kinds of Japanese wood such as pine and zelkova, and has 12 faces, representing the 12 months of the year. Around the box, flowers and grasses of the four seasons of Japan are depicted in maki-e lacquer, representing the changing seasons and linking the past and future through Hibiki.

Only 400 bottles of Hibiki 40 Year Old will be released, with each bottle retailing for $35,000.

The post Suntory Releases It Oldest Blend To Date appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

Founded in 2015 by Makiyo Masa, dekantā sources some of the latest and rarest bottles of Japanese spirits. Masa began her journey with Japanese whisky, noticing the gap in the market for an online retailer that met the growing demand worldwide. dekantā now features over 2,000 products.

Back in March, I spoke Masa in New York City about the growth of Japanese whisky, sourcing rare finds and the mysteries of Mizunara.

The Whiskey Lifestyle: What inspired you to start dekantā?

Makiyo Masa: Nothing really [or] particularly inspired me to start dekantā. Back to 2013, I first started my business in Asia, in Hong Kong and Macao, I was selling wine and Scottish whiskey. Then I told my husband, who is my business partner, “In Japan, we also produced very good whiskey.” He was very surprised. So, we just started to put some Japanese whiskey into auctions. We were one of the first people to start doing that and it went very well. So, that’s how it started.

TWLS: Having been in the Japanese whiskey space for that long, what it’s like to see the evolution and growth of the spirit?

MM: It’s just unbelievable, the way it’s been growing — it has become so popular. I still couldn’t believe it. I remember in 2014 I hadn’t done the Suntory Rolling Stones, so I bought one for myself for $5,000. But nowadays, you can see it on the retail market for about $55,000. So, this is just unbelievable to see. [Editor’s Note: It now retails for $10,000 more than when this interview was done.]

TWLS: When you are sourcing your products, what inspires you? How do you decide which whiskeys you all sell?

MM: We have two main categories of products, which require different approaches to purchasing. One category is the more standard, popular one. People know or have heard of these [whiskies] mostly likely like a Yamazaki 12, Hibiki 17, Nikka, Yoichi — just the standard ones. The other section is where our Tokyo purchasing team will source the special ones that people never heard of from small craft distilleries like Ji-Whisky, they also produce great whiskies. I also see a spike in demand for vintage collectible bottles, released in the 60s, 70s and 80s, a lot of older bottlings and in particular, from the 1980s for Olympic winter, Olympic games, those bottles. So, we have a purchase team just so working on this part everyday, buying all the older stock anywhere we can source.

TWLS: What has been a unique whiskey that you’ve tried or something that surprised you when you first tasted it?

MM: There are a lot of unique ones for me. Every time I try something new, I feel surprised. Hibiki 21 is my personal favorite personal favorite. So, for really unique one I would say to Yamazaki 25. The color is very sherry. It’s extra finish with Mizunara cask, so when you try [it] you would just think it’s a very sherry but the finish is so beautiful. It’s just finished in the most beautiful way in Mizunara. It’s just surprised me.

TWLS: How do you introduce Japanese Whisky to people?

MM: I always pour the whiskey first. Just try it. That’s the best way to introduce it. Then I start to give them the information about the distillery, the bottle, the label and story behind it. I think the best experience is always to try.

TWLS: We have one here, so let’s try it. [laughs]

MM: This is the Yamazakura, a selection of 963 18 year old pure malt whiskey finished in Mizunara wood. This [distillery] used to make sake, so it’s an old sake producing distillery. In 2000, they started bottling their first single cask, so this is the oldest Yamazakura you will some on the market at 18 years old. [pours whiskey] I don’t know if you’re familiar with Mizunara Oak. The Mizunara tree has to grow to be 200 years old in order for you to cut and use it for something. So, any Mizunara cask is over 200 years old so that’s why its very popular.

TWLS: What is it about the Mizunara tree that makes it so great for aging whiskey?

MM: I cannot give you a very technical answer, but I guess it’s just because it’s unique and it takes a really long time. That’s so rare. And the finish is very smooth. It has a very beautiful balance.

TWLS: What’s next for dekantā?

MM: Our main focus there will always be whiskey because we are so passionate about that. We started with whiskey, but we also sell wine, shochu, awamori — we have a lot of other spirits. For the future, I want to becomes more branded. So, we may try to do more of our open private label bottling, which are from some small distilleries because they are great whiskies but people just never heard of. It’s dekantā’s mission to bring them to our consumers and the world.

The post The Whiskey Lifestyle Q&A: dekantā Founder Makiyo Masa appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.