Nikka

DISTILLERY IN FOCUS NIKKA

No matter whatever happens to the Japanese whisky industry in the years to come, Nikka Whisky will always hold a cherished position – thanks to the man known as the ‘Father of Japanese Whisky’, Masataka Taketsuru.

In 1918, sake maker Masataka Taketsuru, went to Scotland to learn how to make whisky. Arriving in war-torn Europe must have been the culture shock to end them all, but he apparently loved it. Not only did he learn his new trade, he married and even considered staying in Scotland on a permanent basis. The support provided by his new wife, Rita, who followed him to Japan from Scotland and his dream of making great whisky drew him back to his homeland in 1920. His return was not always plain sailing, with one entity closing and at one stage being shoehorned into another as a brewer (a position from which he resigned), he persisted, and his dreams were realised. He eventually made the first Japanese whisky. Masataka was determined to make whisky of the highest calibre. In 1934, after leaving the brewery, Masataka began Nikka Whisky (originally called Dainipponkaju Co. – Dai Nippon Kaju, with the ‘Ni’ and the ‘Ka’ forming the name of the new enterprise), and established the first distillery at Yoichi, on the island of Hokkaido, well to the north – making it one of the very northernmost Japanese distilleries. It was an ‘interesting’ choice, especially back then, as the new distillery was a long way from everything that was convenient. Masataka believed, however, that this site was the closest to his experiences in Scotland and would produce the best local whisky. Here was to be found agricultural land that suited his purpose, peat and a good quality water supply. His first whisky was released in October 1940.

Masataka was far from finished. In 1963, he had the first Coffey stills to be employed in Japan imported from Scotland, imported to improve Nikka’s blends. A few years later, their Kashiwa plant was completed and then the Miyagikyo distillery, followed by the Tochigi plant. Nikka also have plants at Nishinomiya, Hirosaki and Moji. Masataka passed away in 1979, at the age of 85, and is buried in Yoichi next to his beloved wife, Rita, who was at his side until she passed some years earlier. After his death, Nikka remained in family hands for a period before being purchased by Asahi Breweries.

The distillery focuses on various styles of malt and has even been referenced as offering similar characters as Ardbeg. These whiskies provide an appealing oiliness not encountered elsewhere. The use of peat is also noticeable here (as one would expect as soon as any comparisons with Ardbeg are drawn). They still use Masataka’s original strain of yeast, which some believe was more likely to have been brewers’ yeast from the Sapporo brewery. The stills here are coal-fired, some

of the only stills in the world which can make this claim. Yoichi is all about tradition and respecting the legacy of Masataka Taketsuru.

The distillery, on the other hand, has taken a much more modern approach. Originally intended to be one and half times the size of Yoichi, it is now three times as large and one of the very few in Japan to work with both malt and grain, but even with its approach to malt, it has adapted as it best sees fit to utilise what is offered at its location. In addition, the warehouse experiments with different uses

of barrels, and indeed, styles of barrel. The results are evident in the more fruity, elegant styles produced. The grain distillery was established in 1999, at which time their Coffey stills were transferred to Miyagikyo.

The Miyagikyo distillery is located in the north of the island of Honshu, near Sendai, built in a valley that is in an area that fresh clean air and water.

Nikka made the notable decision to withdraw almost all age statements from the bottles. This, in an age where such a statement is relied on by many drinkers keen to go with the older-is-better approach to their whisky, might seem a risk, but the team believe that this, in fact, frees them to bottle their product when it is at its absolute optimum, surely a good thing.

In 1989, the company ventured back to Scotland, purchasing the Ben Nevis distillery.

The man currently at the helm and responsible for maintaining the Taketsuru philosophy is Tadashi Sakuma, Nikka’s master blender, a position he has held since 2012. He has worked hard to incorporate the use of the Coffey stills to their full advantage and led the charge with new products to realise that – such as Coffey Malt and Coffey Grain. He is also the man who led the move to NAS – no age statements.

Sakuma has successfully walked the tightrope, with his two distilleries, of traditional and modernity and the future for Nikka, in his hands, looks very exciting indeed.