Hibiki Blender’s Choice was probably the most controversial Japanese whisky of 2018. For many, it’s yet another manifestation of the sad reality of Japanese whisky these days. To explain the background a bit for those who may have missed the trend, Japan’s biggest whisky producers–including Suntory–have been discontinuing age-statement mainstream products and replacing them with non-age-statement (NAS) versions. It’s pattern we’ve seen repeated with many major Japanese single malts, such as Yamazaki and Yoichi. Rumors began to swirl early in 2018 that Hibiki 17 would be the next age-statement Japanese whisky to be discontinued.