Suntory’s "Hibiki 21 Years Old" Whisky Honored with the Trophy in its Category at the ISC International Liquor Competition in the U.K

At the awards ceremony of the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2013, a worldwide liquor competition held on Tuesday, July 16 in London, Suntory Liquors Limited was awarded the Trophy, the highest award in the World Whiskies category for its blended whisky Hibiki 21 Years Old. This coincided with the designation of Suntory Liquors as “Distiller of the Year,” an annual honor bestowed upon the best distiller that consistently produces a variety of high-quality products.

Hibiki 21 Years Old competed against about 400 whisky products entered in this year’s event and won the top spot in the World Whiskies category. This is the first time for Hibiki 21 Years Old to be honored with “Trophy”, Suntory Liquors Limited has also received the Distiller of the Year award for the third time, having taken it in 2010 and 2012. The judges offered high praise for the whisky, saying that “Suntory is a force to be reckoned with and are really pushing the Japanese whisky category to an International level,” and also that “Hibiki 21 Years Old has a rich, full aroma with plenty of oak and soft fruit flavors, a good balance and texture, and enjoys a long rich finish.”

Suntory views this prize, awarded as the company goes into its 90th year of crafting whisky, as a significant testament to the judges’ evaluation of the high quality of its unblended malt and grain whiskies, the varied and distinguished range of those unblended whiskies, and the strength of its blending techniques.
As a result of this recognition, we will further accelerate our domestic and international marketing of Hibiki brand products.


About the International Spirits Challenge

The International Spirits Challenge is a competition held every year in the UK. Entries are divided into each category such as “Whisky” or “Liquors”, and gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in each of those categories. There is also one ultimate award, the Trophy, given to the gold medal winners chosen as best in the categories of awards given. Distiller of the Year award is given each year to one maker of a diverse range of high quality products.

The winners in the “Whiskies” category are chosen unanimously by a panel of nine judges, including blenders from whisky distilleries from around the world, and each year these awards garner the attention of the worldwide liquor industry.

The Award-Winning Whisky

Suntory Whisky: Hibiki 21 Years Old
This whisky is a blend of painstakingly selected ripe grain malts aged over 21 years and the key Yamazaki sherry cask malt is vatted with other carefully chosen mellow unblended grain malts over 21 years old. With aromas of sweet dried fruit and a spicy flavor, it is characterized by a solemn, refined richness and profound, lingering echoes.

Name of Competition
* 18th International Spirits Challenge 2013
Prizes and Winners
* Trophy: Suntory Whisky Hibiki 21 Years Old
* Distiller of the Year: Suntory Liquors Limited
Awards Ceremony
* 19:00(local time), Tuesday, July 16, 2013
* At Honourable Artillery Company, London, U.K.
Whisky Website
* http://suntory.jp/WHISKY/