Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka and father of Japanese whisky.
In 1918, a young Japanese man with an ambition to make genuine whisky went alone to Scotland to unveil the secret of whisky making. He is Masataka Taketsuru.
In 1920 Masataka returned to Japan with his Scottish wife. Being the only Japanese who knew how to produce whisky at that time, he was hired by Kotobukiya Limited (Suntory) in 1923 to direct building the Yamazaki Distillery. There he led the project and devoted himself to producing Japan’s first genuine whisky.
In 1934, Masataka decided to become independent to make his own ideal whisky. He went north and built his first distillery in Yoichi. In 1936 the first pot still was designed by him and made in Japan was installed and started distillation. Finally in 1940, the first whisky from Nikka was launched. The brand name of this whisky was “NIKKA WHISKY”, short for "Nippon Kaju", which later became the name of the company itself.
Taketsuru Pure Malt is a range of blended malt whiskies named in honor of Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka and father of Japanese whisky. These whiskies highlight the complexity and preciseness of blending.
