The leaves are falling, temperatures dropping, and yes, it’s that moment when Londoners start to wonder: is it too early to call whisky a form of central heating? This autumn, the city plays host to one of its largest ever Japanese whisky takeovers, with 24 of London’s best bars uniting to celebrate Hibiki Japanese Harmony, the award-winning whisky from The House of Suntory.

From now until December 2025, the series brings together mixology and meticulous craftsmanship in a way only the Japanese seem to manage, balancing ritual with reinvention. Across the capital, bartenders have reimagined tradition in liquid form, from matcha-whisked Old Fashioneds to highballs laced with fig leaf and genmaicha tea.

At The Aubrey in Knightsbridge, the Neo-Kyoto Carré offers a meditative reworking of the Vieux Carré, blending Hibiki with Junmai sake — a cocktail about renewal and transformation. In Shoreditch, Waltz serves its Matcha Old Fashioned whisked, not stirred, the slow melt of the ice drawing out quiet layers of flavour. Meanwhile, at The Spy Bar at Raffles London at The OWO, the Dohyo Highball, named after the sumo ring, pairs Hibiki with genmaicha, amazake and fig leaf soda, an earthy toast to centuries-old ritual.

Other highlights include Kwãnt’s Green Mawashi in Mayfair — a carbonated blend of Hibiki, agave and Gyokuro tea — and Nipperkin’s Tea & Harmony, a frozen meditation on the Japanese tea ceremony. Together, the cocktails nod to both London’s avant-garde cocktail culture and the quiet precision of Japanese artistry.

Crafted from a blend of the finest whiskies from The House of Suntory, Hibiki translates to “resonance”. And that, perhaps, is the point. These cocktails aren’t simply about flavour, but about the harmonies between old and new, East and West, autumn chill and whisky warmth (you get the idea).

The 24 participating bars mirror the 24 facets of Hibiki’s iconic bottle, each representing one of Japan’s Sekki, the micro-seasons that shape its natural rhythms and, in turn, the whisky’s maturation.

Here’s the 24 bars taking part and their cocktails:

  • Lobby Bar at The London Edition – Kyoto Garden Storm
  • The Donovan Bar – Sumotori
  • The Spy Bar at Raffles London at The OWO – The Dohyo Highball
  • 8 at The Londoner – Tare Old Fashioned
  • The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz Hotel – The Dohyō
  • K Bar at The Kensington Hotel – Hibiki Dohyo
  • The Bloomsbury – Chanoyu Kei
  • Map Maison – Sōkō
  • Clap – The Dojo
  • Nipperkin – Tea & Harmony
  • Sachi (Kappo Restaurant) – The Yokozuna Harmony
  • The Aubrey – Neo-Kyoto Carré
  • Dinings SW3 – Soba and Chestnut Pour
  • Prince Akatoki – Harmony
  • Waltz – Matcha Old Fashioned
  • Los Mochis – Green Fig Highball
  • Sprout – Green / Red / White / Black (four rotating cocktails)
  • Scales – Enso Highball
  • Sea Containers – Sumo Old Fashioned
  • Kwãnt – Green Mawashi
  • Humble Chicken – (TBC)
  • Shanghai Me – Harmony Sunset (The Fortune Bloom Ritual)
  • Velvet – Mawashi
  • Archive & Myth – Hibiki Harmony Soft Serve Ritual