Hibiki has been Suntory's blended range since 1989, built on malt from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries and grain from Chita, and presented in a 24-facet decanter whose facets answer to the 24 sekki of the traditional calendar. This edition takes the 17-year expression and decorates that decanter, and its gold carton, with chrysanthemums and red-crowned cranes under the title Kacho Fugetsu. What gives the bottle its present standing is a separate event: in May 2018 Suntory confirmed that Hibiki 17 and Hakushu 12 would be withdrawn owing to supply constraints on aged whisky, with Hibiki 17 leaving the core range from that September. The company framed the withdrawal as temporary and apologised for it; the expression has not returned to the core lineup.

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What does Kacho Fugetsu mean?

Kacho Fugetsu — written 花鳥風月 — reads literally as flower, bird, wind, moon. It is a classical Japanese phrase for the beauty of the natural world and for the contemplation of it, and it is the stated theme of this edition, whose decanter and carton carry chrysanthemums and red-crowned cranes.

Is Hibiki 17 still in production?

No. In May 2018 Suntory confirmed that Hibiki 17 Year Old and Hakushu 12 Year Old would be withdrawn because demand had outrun the supply of aged whisky, with Hibiki 17 leaving the core range from that September. The company described the withdrawal as temporary and apologised for it, but the expression has not returned to the core lineup — so remaining bottles draw on a finite pool.

What is inside the Kacho Fugetsu decanter?

Suntory's 17-year blend, unchanged by the decoration. Hibiki draws malt from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries and grain from Chita, married across five cask types including Mizunara, sherry and ex-bourbon wood, and the 17-year expression carries a seventeen-year minimum on its youngest component. The chrysanthemums and cranes are applied to the bottle and carton; the whisky is the same one Suntory withdrew from its core range in 2018.