The is a producer of

Japanese whisky Japanese whisky is a style of whisky developed and produced in Japan. Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1923 upon the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki. Broadly speaking, th ...

and other beverages headquartered in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. It is owned by

Asahi Group Holdings is a Japanese global beer, spirits, soft drinks and food business group headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo. In 2019, the group had revenue of JPY 2.1 trillion. Asahi's business portfolio can be segmented as follows: alcoholic beverage business (4 ...

. The company operates a number of distilleries and other facilities in Japan, including two

distilleries, the

Yoichi distillery is a Japanese whisky distillery. It is located at , a town in the Yoichi District, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. The distillery is owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling, and was opened in 1934. It is the older of the two distillerie ...

in Yoichi,

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

(established in 1934), and the Miyagikyo distillery in

Aoba-ku, Sendai is one of five Wards of Japan, wards of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Aoba-ku encompasses 302.278 km² and had a population of 296,551, with 147,622 households as of March 1, 2012. Infrastructure The Miyagi P ...

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

, Northern

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

(established in 1969). It also owns the Ben Nevis Distillery (acquired in 1989) in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

History

The founder,

Masataka Taketsuru was a Japanese chemist and businessman. He is known as the founder of Japan's whisky industry and Nikka Whisky Distilling. Born to a family that had owned a sake brewery since 1733, he traveled to Scotland in 1918 to study organic chemistry and ...

, travelled to Scotland in 1918 to learn the process of distilling

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

first hand. He studied

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

under Prof. T. S. Patterson at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and malt whisky production at the

Hazelburn distillery Hazelburn distillery was a distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland, which was in operation between approximately 1825 and 1925. By 1871 was owned by the Greenlees brothers of Lorne Highland Whisky who also owned Dalaruan and Lagavulin but by 1881 th ...

, in

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

near the

Mull of Kintyre The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...

. He married Jessie Roberta "Rita" Cowan, the daughter of a Glasgow doctor, and returned with her to Japan in 1920. In 1923 he joined Kotobukiya (currently

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

) and helped to establish a distillery before starting Nikka in 1934. After their deaths, the company was run by their adoptive son,

Takeshi Taketsuru Takeshi Taketsuru ( ja, 竹鶴威, 6 March 1924 – 17 December 2014) was a Japanese whisky distiller. He was the nephew of Masataka Taketsuru, from his sister Nobuyo, and his wife Rita Taketsuru , born Jessie Roberta Cowan, was a Scottish-Japanes ...

, who expanded its business substantially.

Products

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel 50cl Bottle

Nikka whisky all malt and malt club 2014

Nikka produces a wide variety of Japanese whiskies, ranging from ¥900 (per 700 ml bottle)

Black Nikka The is a producer of Japanese whisky and other beverages headquartered in Tokyo. It is owned by Asahi Group Holdings. The company operates a number of distilleries and other facilities in Japan, including two Japanese whisky distilleries, the Yo ...

sold in Japanese convenience stores, to the ¥15,750 (per 750 ml bottle) Nikka Single Cask. In 2008, Yoichi 20 Year Old was voted best single malt at the

World Whiskies Awards With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

. Black Nikka is a 37% alcoholic whisky, available at corner stores throughout Japan in 180, 300, 700, 1800, 1920, 2700, and 4000 mL bottles. Individual servings, pre-mixed with soda or water, are also available. Nikka has been owned by

since 1954.

Whiskies

*Yoichi Single Malt *Miyagikyo Single Malt *From The Barrel *Taketsuru Pure Malt *Taketsuru Pure Malt 17-Year *Coffey Malt *Coffey Grain *Pure Malt Red *Pure Malt Black *Pure Malt White *All Malt *Blended *

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland ...

Distilleries and plants

130823Nikka Wisky Yoichi Distillery Hokkaido Japan02s3

, Hokkaido Plant (

Yoichi, Hokkaido is a town located in the Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Demographics As of September 2018, the population of Yoichi has dropped to 18,993 people, a drop of 10% over less than a decade. The density is 160 persons per km². The total a ...

) – malt whisky distilling, bottling * Miyagikyo distillery, Sendai Plant (

Sendai, Miyagi is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date ...

) – malt whisky distilling,

grain whisky Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for mashi ...

production, bottling *Hirosaki Plant (

Hirosaki, Aomori is a city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. On 1 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 168,739 in 71,716 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Hirosaki developed as a castle town for ...

) –

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

brewing, distilling, bottling *Tochigi Plant (

Sakura, Tochigi 270px, Ryuko-ji temple 270px, Ruins of Kitsuregawa Castle is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 44,712 in 16,882 households, and a population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of ...

) – grain whisky storage & ageing, re-storage of blended whisky *Kashiwa Plant (

Kashiwa, Chiba is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 433,436 in 194,216 households and a population density of 3800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The name of the city is written with a si ...

) – bottling *Nishinomiya Plant (

Nishinomiya, Hyogo 270px, Nishinomiya City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 270px, Hirota Shrine is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218948 households and a population density of 48 ...

) – liqueur bottling *Moji Plant (

Kitakyushu, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one of ...

) –

shōchū is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or brown sugar, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as chestnut, sesame seeds, potatoes, or even carrots. Ty ...

distilling, bottling * Ben Nevis distillery (

Fort William, Scotland Fort William ( gd, An Gearasdan ; "The Garrison") formerly ( gd, Baile Mairi) and ( gd, Gearasdan dubh Inbhir-Lochaidh) (Lit. "The Black Garrison of Inverlochy"), ( sco, The Fort), formerly ( sco, Maryburgh) is a town in Lochaber in the Scottish ...

, UK) –

production

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Nikka English-language website
{{Authority control Distilleries in Japan Japanese brands Japanese whisky Food and drink companies based in Tokyo Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo Food and drink companies established in 1934 Japanese companies established in 1934