Description

Discontinued in 2018. Gold Editor’s Choice, Whisky Magazine. World Whisky Award winner. One of the most celebrated blended whiskies ever produced — and one you can no longer buy new.

Hibiki 17 Year was discontinued by Suntory in 2018 — the same inventory pressure that had already claimed the 12 Year in 2015. Global demand for Japanese whisky exceeded the available stock of 17-year-old spirit, and rather than compromise the blend, Suntory stopped producing it. The 17 Year will not be returning to regular production.

During its production run, Hibiki 17 was the most acclaimed expression in the range — winning a Gold Editor’s Choice from Whisky Magazine and the top prize at the World Whisky Awards 2010. It was the benchmark for what blended Japanese whisky could achieve: spicy, sophisticated, and genuinely complex in a way that blind tasters routinely mistook for something far older and more expensive.

Finding a bottle today requires a specialty retailer with legacy stock. This is one of those acquisitions that becomes meaningfully harder every year.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Warm amber with golden highlights.
• Aroma: Rich with honey, dried fruit, floral notes, and a warm spice. More complex and structured than the 12 Year.
• Palate: Spicy and sophisticated — a harmonious blend of aged malt and grain whiskies with layers of dried fruit, caramel, and a distinctive Japanese oak character.
• Finish: Long and warm — spice and dried fruit fading into a clean, elegant close.

Specs

• Category: Blended Japanese Whisky
• Distillery: Suntory (Yamazaki, Hakushu, Chita)
• Age: 17 years
• Status: Discontinued (2018)
• Size: 750ml