- Japanese whisky brand Hibiki has released limited-edition bottles of its 21-year-old and 30-year-old expressions, each clad in artwork by Hiroshi Senju
- Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju is known for his large-scale waterfall paintings, creating a monumental artwork, Waterfall on Colours ‘Hibiki’, for the collaboration
- The Hibiki 21 is priced at $1800AUD and the Hibiki 30 is $14,000AUD
Hibiki 21 is not an easy whisky to get your hands on. Despite—or perhaps because of—its four-figure price tag, it remains a hotly coveted commodity, thanks to its elegant palate of floral notes, stewed figs, honeycomb, and Mizunara oak, to say nothing of the long finish with fragrant notes of incense and hinoki wood on the nose. As difficult to acquire as Hibiki 21 is, Hibiki 30 magnifies that tenfold, with its viscous texture and richly cultivated palate of dried figs, dark fruits, gingerbread, and oak sadly only destined to be tasted by a few.
Such is the nature of Hibiki’s age statements, with each expression representing a harmonious blend of malt and grain whiskies from Suntory’s distilleries in Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita. The emphasis on craftsmanship and the balance between whisky and nature is echoed in the work of Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju, whose large-scale waterfall paintings combine eastern and western sensibilities; with elements of modernism and abstract expressionism expressed through a minimalist visual style that utilises traditional Japanese painting techniques.
In collaboration with Hibiki, Hiroshi Senju has created a new artwork, Waterfall on Colours ‘Hibiki’, using a technique that involves filling canvas panels with water and a natural marble powder known as hokaimatsu and allowing the flow of water to guide the colours across the canvas. The piece features ten shades of purple, inspired by the kokimurasaki shade—a deep purple hue originally reserved for wear by Japanese nobility and forbidden for use by civilians—that Hibiki uses to symbolise its connection to rarity and craftsmanship.
The artwork graces a limited-edition release of Hibiki 21, with the waterfall imagery adorning the label and presentation box. Meanwhile, the Hibiki 30 is elevated to the status of an artwork in itself, encased in a traditional byōbu-style display with multi-panel screens and a reflective base, complete with an etched Hibiki emblem and a waterfall wrap surrounding the neck of the crystal bottle.
The collaborative releases featuring Hiroshi Senju’s artwork are priced at $1800AUD and $14,000AUD for Hibiki 21 and Hibiki 30, respectively. The limited-edition bottles are exclusively available through Kent Street Cellars.
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Words by T. Angel
