Nikka

Tuottaja

In 1918, Masataka Taketsuru embarked alone on a long voyage to Scotland. In this distant land the secrets of whisky-making would be imparted to this young Japanese man.The Taketsuru family owned a "sake" brewery, however Scotch whisky captured the young man's imagination, as well as the interest of few other enterprising Japanese of that day. He decided to dedicate his life to whisky. Given the chance to go to Scotland, Masataka enrolled at the University of Glasgow and became the first Japanese ever to study the art of whisky making. He took chemistry courses at the university and apprenticed at distilleries, learning first-hand from craftsmen and receiving training as a blender. Masataka would later become known as a master blender.In 1920 Masataka returned to Japan with Jessie Roberta, whom he had married earlier that year. Later joining a company that aspired to make genuine whisky, he succeeded in producing Japan's first whisky.