The House of Suntory has announced a new collaboration between its Hibiki Japanese Whisky and painter Hiroshi Senju, known for his large-scale waterfall works exhibited at institutions including the V&A and The Met. Launching this week in the UK, the project explores the shared craftsmanship behind whisky-making and fine art.
Senju has created bespoke designs for the collector’s edition boxes of Hibiki 21-Year-Old and Hibiki 30-Year-Old, drawing on his ongoing fascination with nature and the movement of water. His design, titled Waterfall on Colours “Hibiki”, features ten shades of purple inspired by the Kokimurasaki gradient, a tone that symbolises both rarity and refinement in Japanese culture.
Each bottle is presented as a keepsake. The Hibiki 30-Year-Old arrives in a traditional byōbu-style case with folding panels that echo the rhythm of Senju’s paintings. The 21-Year-Old pairs the same imagery with Hibiki’s balanced flavour profile, bringing a visual expression to the whisky’s sense of harmony.
The collaboration reflects how two disciplines, blending and painting, share an understanding of time and precision. Senju’s process involves letting pigments flow freely across marble powder and water, while Hibiki’s master blenders work with whiskies from Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries to create depth through restraint.
Both whiskies are available in limited quantities at Harrods, Berry Brothers & Rudd and The Whisky Shop.
