Head to head · unusually close flavour match
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Hibiki Japanese Harmony
One axis separates these two: sherried, 6 against 3.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Hibiki Japanese Harmony | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Blended scotch |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Japan |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Strength | 43% ABV | Not published |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Not disclosed |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £75 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £11 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | — |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Speyside, Scotland, Hibiki Japanese Harmony from Japan.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is a single malt, Hibiki Japanese Harmony a blended scotch.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old states 12 years; Hibiki Japanese Harmony states none.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old lists ex-bourbon barrel and oloroso sherry butt. Hibiki Japanese Harmony publishes no cask detail at all.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Hibiki Japanese Harmony is £25 dearer a bottle than The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old.
Hibiki Japanese Harmony publishes no strength, so we will not cost it per litre of alcohol.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Hibiki Japanese Harmony |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 1 |
| Sweet | 8 | 7 |
| Fruity | 6 | 7 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 4 |
| Sherried | 6 | 3 |
| Cereal | 5 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 5 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is peaty, 0 against 1.
Level only on spicy, 4 each.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Hibiki Japanese Harmony
Honey, orange blossom and a whisper of incense. Delicate to the point of shy.
We cannot publish an ABV. Suntory's Japanese Harmony page states none, and the Japanese site renders its specs via JavaScript, so the widely repeated 43% is not something we can source. Suntory also names Mizunara only as a tasting note, not a declared cask type — so the common 'partly matured in Mizunara' claim is not supported by the producer's own wording.
Full record →Both listed for gift; only The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for after dinner; only Hibiki Japanese Harmony for highball.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Hibiki Japanese Harmony: thebalvenie.com, house.suntory.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.