Nikka

Nikka Whisky founder Masataka Taketsuru was widely recognised as the ‘Father of Japanese whisky’. The son of a sake brewing family, Mastataka arrived in Scotland in 1918, with the aim of learning to produce whisky. When he returned to Japan a few years later – along with his Scottish wife Rita – he oversaw and launched the construction of Suntory’s Yamazaki: Japan’s first whisky distillery.

When Mastataka's contract with Suntory ended in 1934, Rita inspired him to build his very own distillery on the island of Hokkaido in the coastal town of Yoichi: a cold, austere location similar to Scotland that could remain true to traditional Scottish methods of whisky production . Commercial success led him to build a second distillery, Miyagikyo , in the north of Japan’s Honshu island.

After a Yoichi bottling was awarded the title of “Best of the Best” in a blind tasting organised by Whisky Magazine in 2001 (the first time a non-Scottish whisky received the honour), international recognition for the quality of Japanese whisky has elevated Nikka to its status as the producer of some of world's most sought-after spirits.