Nikka

In 1918 the firm Settsu Shuzō sent Taketsuru to Scotland, where he studied at the University of Glasgow and trained at the Longmorn and Bo'ness distilleries.^6,7 He married Rita Cowan there and returned with her to Japan in 1920.^6,7 Taketsuru then distilled for Kotobukiya, later Suntory, and set up his own firm because he was unhappy at being moved to run its Yokohama brewery.^1,2,3 He built the Yoichi distillery in 1934, believing that a northern climate suited whisky.^3,6 The firm made apple juice and brandy at first and began making whisky in 1936.^1,2,7 Its first whisky, Rare Old Nikka Whisky, went on sale in 1940, and soon after the firm became a factory supervised by the navy.^1,2,7 Taketsuru became president in 1943.^1,7 In 1952 the firm took the name Nikka, from the first letters of Nippon and Kaju, and moved its head office to Nihonbashi in Tokyo.^1,2

In 1954, with banks refusing loans and major shareholder Kaga in poor health, the Kaga and Shibakawa families sold half of Nikka’s shares to Asahi.^1,4,5 Asahi sent a man to strengthen sales, and on his urging Nikka launched a cheaper whisky at its rivals’ price in 1956.¹ Its sales of that grade doubled in a year, and Nikka rose from third to second in the trade.¹ With new capital from Asahi, Nikka opened a plant at Nishinomiya in 1959.¹ In 1963 a grain distillery was set up within Asahi’s brewery there, with a Coffey still, a kind of continuous still, bought from Britain.^1,2 In 1967 Nikka opened a bottling plant at Kashiwa in Chiba, which now blends and bottles the malt whisky aged at its distilleries.¹

Masataka Taketsuru died on 29 August 1979.^1,7 His adopted son Takeshi Taketsuru, Nikka’s second master blender, was made president in 1985.^1,7,8 In 1989 Nikka bought the silent Ben Nevis distillery from the brewer Whitbread & Co.^3,6,9 In 1999 Nikka moved its grain stills from Nishinomiya to Miyagikyo, which now uses Coffey stills to make grain whisky.^1,2 These stills are less efficient, but more of the raw materials’ own flavour tends to stay in the spirit.

In 2001 Asahi Breweries bought all of Nikka’s shares and took over selling its drinks, leaving Nikka to make them.^1,2,5 On 1 July 2011 Asahi Breweries became Asahi Group Holdings, and Nikka became a subsidiary of a new Asahi Breweries.¹ From 29 September 2014 to 28 March 2015, NHK broadcast Massan, a daily drama about Masataka Taketsuru’s life.^7,8,10 The drama boosted sales of Nikka whisky.^7,8,10 In 2015, with Yoichi and Miyagikyo malt stocks running very low, Nikka withdrew all its Yoichi and Miyagikyo single malts, including those with an age on the label.