Nikka

In 1918, Masataka Taketsuru, son of a sake brewing family, was recruited by the Settsu Shuzo Company to produce the first authentic Japanese whisky. With a background in chemistry, the young man decided to leave for Scotland, in the aim of discovering the secrets of whisky production. A few months after his arrival, Taketsuru met Rita Cowan, with whom he immediately falls in love with. Rita became his wife, but also his muse.
Two years later, the couple returned to Japan. In 1922, Taketsuru then joined the Kotobukiya group, a beer industry giant later renamed Suntory, for who he builds the first Japanese distillery in 1924.
Some years later, Rita inspired him to realize his dream: build his very own distillery. The northern island of Hokkaido is where Taketsuru found the ideal site for the construction of Yoichi, a distillery built in the purest Scottish tradition. For his first distillery, Masataka Taketsuru sought similar conditions to Scotland, where he had himself learned everything about whisky making.

Yoichi was established in 1934, in the small eponymous coastal city, benefiting from a rough, humide climate. To this day, the distillation process has remained very traditional. At Yoichi, the pot stills are still heated by a coal fire, a practice which the Scotts have since given up, as it is difficult to control. However, the very strong direct heat slightly burns the contents of the still at the bottom, giving the whiskies a powerful, spicy character. The small onion-shaped stills have relatively straight sides, which combined with a descending neck, allows heavier elements to pass into the spirit. This gives the resulting whisky a richness and unctuous texture which are well adapted to the Yoichi’s bold style.

The growing success allowed Masataka Taketsuru to establish a second distillery in 1969 on the main island of Honshu. A stark contrast to Yoichi’s rough coastal conditions, the Miyagi region’s rolling hills and peaceful forests are renowned for providing a very pure air and particularly clean water, which convinced Taketsuru after 3 years of searching. The Miyagikyo distillery was built in 1969, in the heart of the natural environment, from which the whiskies draw their softness, their elegance, and purity. In order to best transcribe the particular location’s characteristics, the Miyagikyo distillery benefits from the latest innovations, in order to provide optimal control on the distillation process. Here, the entire process is managed by computers with an extreme precision, in the aim of producing as pure a spirit as possible, while preserving its delicate character. The pot stills are heated by steam, at low temperatures to ensure a soft and gentle distillation.
The shape of the stills themselves is designed to favor elegance. Quite large, they are adorned with a second ring-like cavity above the main body. The heavier elements are cooled in this area and drop back down along the sides, allowing for lighter, refined floral and fruity aromas to rise. The neck here is positioned at a rising angle, again keeping the heavier bodies from passing into the spirit.