Nikka Whisky Celebrates 90 Years of Japanese Whisky
The history of Nikka Whisky, and the entire Japanese whisky category, can be traced back to one man: Masataka Taketsuru. A sake brewery has been in his family since 1733, and he joined the business before studying fermentation techniques at Osaka Technical School.
Amidst the economic turmoil after the First World War, Settsu Shuzo abandoned its whiskey production plans. Shinjiro Torii of Kotobukiya (later renamed Suntory) hired Taketsuru to oversee the construction of the Yamazaki Distillery near Kyoto. In 1929, Taketsuru produced the first Japanese whisky dubbed Suntory Shirofuda.
Nikka Whisky Soars to Life
After returning home, Taketsurudedicated to making apple products as Dai Nippon Kaju Taketsuru. Later he designed the first pot still to be manufactured in Japan. It was installed at Yoichi Distillery in 1936. Nikka Whisky, short for Nippon Kaju, later became the company name.
Notably, Yoichi is a unique distillery because it still uses direct coal fire to heat its stills. This gives the malts a characteristic toasty flavor. Taketsuru found peat on the Ishikari Plain nearby. Nikka still owns a peat bog there, but they import malted, peated barley from countries like Australia and Germany to make their whiskies these days.
After releasing Nikka Whisky in 1956, Yoichi Distillery launched Nikka Black in 1957. Super Nikka was followed in 1962 as a tribute to his wife Rita, who died in 1961.
Aspiring to make whisky alone, Taketsuru opened a second distillery near Sendai on Japan’s main Honshu island in 1969. Located farther south, Miyagiko produces lighter, more elegant whiskies that complement those made at Yoichi.
With two Coffey stills of this type, Miyagiko became known for increasing Nikka’s capacity for production. In 2012, Nikka Coffey Grain was launched, followed in 2014 by Nikka Coffey Malt – the range now includes Gin and Vodka.
After Taketsuru died in 1979, Nikka released whiskies throughout the 1980s, including Nikka from the Barrel single malts. The company was acquired by Asashi in 2001 and is now Japan’s second-biggest whisky maker.
