Bottling Dates for Yamazaki, Hibiki, Hakushu

Part 1

So, you’ve picked up an older bottle of Hibiki and you want to know what year it’s from, right?  Sure you do, same thing happened to me.

In general, deducing exact bottling dates on any whisky can range from really easy to almost impossible. Usually there exists enough information, though, to narrow down the date within ten years or less.  A few years back, I came across this springboard on The Whisky Jug, and that got me going on bottle codes.

Glenturret 12 Year Single Cask Sherry - Bottled 2017

Bottle Codes

Almost all current whiskies have Bottle Codes (laser codes - etched or printed somewhere on the bottle). This code identifies the Batch and often reveals right then and there what year it was bottled.  Spotting these codes can be challenging at first since their location varies and are often feint.  I recommend looking while outside during the day and possibly using the flashlight on your phone for an assist.

Springbank Local Barley 10 Year

For examples of easily decipherable Bottle Codes, look to the Springbank Distillery.  Since 2014 they’ve been laser printing exactly what the product is and what year and day it was bottled on the side near the base. My Springbank Local Barley 10yr has the following info laser printed right below the back label: “Local Barley, 06.11.17 17/521.”   The first set of numbers translates easily to November 6, 2017 while the second set re-affirms 2017 and includes the batch number after the slash. (Prior to 2014, Springbank utilized that second set, the Year/Batch numbering system, but placed said information on the back of the front label. You’d have to look through the back of the bottle to see something like “13/494” hiding there.)

And speaking of looking through the back of the bottle for a code, check out Macallan - one of the most difficult bottle codes to decipher.  The Macallan started using codes like this, “L0186F L10 08: 42 15:03”, on their inside front labels as far back as 1998.  Good luck with that mess.  However, I’ve read where people have contacted Macallan’s customer service and supplied them with a Batch Code and have actually received the information they requested.  So that’s a possibility.

But we’re here to talk about Suntory. I haven’t bothered their customer service… yet.  I’m not optimistic going that route due to the language barrier – plus, whenever myself or a friend has asked an employee at Yamazaki or Hakushu Distillery about these types of details, they respond as vaguely as possible. Something like "no one kept records of that information." And not trying to knock the very friendly folks at the distilleries – detailed records of whisky bottling history in Japan is just tough to come by.  Historically, whisky was for drinking, not for chronicling for posterity. But we’re in the information age now and we must know everything!

Like when was my original Hibiki No Age Statement bottled?!?

OK, getting to that.  Suntory has been using laser etch Bottle Codes worldwide on Hakushu, Hibiki, and Yamazaki since at least 2006. Most of the bottles I’ve seen contain 5 or 6 characters, but a friend in Japan provided codes that were up to 12 characters. However, the method for identifying the bottling year is the same, regardless.  Here are some examples:

Hibiki 12 Code = U2LOT
(Click to Enlarge)

• Hakushu Owner’s Cask 1992 Cask # 2B 40276 (Japanese Bottling 700ml) Code = K1HKF
• Hibiki 12 (US Bottling 750ml) Code = U2LOT
• Hibiki 17 (Japanese Bottling 50ml) Code = L07ONN
• Hibiki 17 (Japanese Bottling 700ml) Code = LE7LJT002018
• Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel 2013 (European Import Bottling 700ml) Code = X3CJJ
• Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve (European Bottling 700ml) Code = L46KLL

Can you recognize a pattern in the codes?  The Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel is a big clue – the only number present on the code is a “3”.  We already know that it was bottled in 2013 because it says so on the front label. So, could that “3” indicate 2013 as well?  You bet! Also, I can tell you that the single cask Hakushu was bottled in 2011, again stated on the label. So, the “1” in the bottle code reaffirms 2011.

Basically, you have a series of three letters at the end of the code (or the middle of the code for that 700ml Hibiki 17).  The number before that string of 3 letters represents the last digit in the bottling year.  So, for the Hibiki 12, the “key number” is a “2”, signaling it was bottled in 2012. Why not another year ending in “2”?  Well first of all, these bottle codes didn’t exist in 2002 or 1992, and secondly, Hibiki 12 didn’t exist until 2009!  Plus, I actually remember buying this particular bottle in 2013.  So, it totally tracks.

The key number for both the Hibiki 17 mini and 700ml bottle is a 7.  Again, I know they were purchased new on the shelf in 2017.  But, since bottle coding existed in 2006, how would someone who didn't buy it new on the shelf in 2017 be able to conclude that it was bottled in 2007 vs. 2017?  That's when you would have to also compare the evolution of the packaging.  More on that in the next installment. 

And lastly, the Yamazaki Distiller’s was bottled in 2016 – don’t let the 4 fool you on that one – the key number to look for is the one that precedes the string of 3 letters, in this case a 6.

Hakushu 12 Bottled 2018

Close Up Hakushu 12
w/ Bottle Code LK8ANN

Overall, I’ve looked at close to 100 bottles and they all follow this pattern. Whenever buying a new Yamazaki or Hakushu 12, I’m always checking the code and that key number is always the current or previous year.  I recently bunkered a few Hakushu 12s – the newer ones with boxes – and all of their “key numbers” equal “8”.  If you've got a bottle that doesn't appear to follow the pattern, let me know!

Now, is there a way to approximately date these Suntory bottles prior to the etched bottle codes?  Still  a work in progress, but I believe there is.  And it’s all based on what I learned from the aforementioned bottle codes combined with label and logo changes, plus the information on the bottom of the bottles.  That's what I'll be investigating in Part 2.