Nikka

Nikka

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, one of the key figures in the birth of Japanese whisky. The company began as Dai Nippon Kaju, with Yoichi Distillery completed the same year in Hokkaido, and the first bottle of Nikka Whisky followed in 1940. A second major milestone came in 1969 with the opening of Miyagikyo Distillery, giving Nikka two very different malt whisky styles to work with and helping define the house’s approach to blending.

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, one of the key figures in the birth of Japanese whisky. The company began as Dai Nippon Kaju, with Yoichi Distillery completed the same year in Hokkaido, and the first bottle of Nikka Whisky followed in 1940. A second major milestone came in 1969 with the opening of Miyagikyo Distillery, giving Nikka two very different malt whisky styles to work with and helping define the house’s approach to blending.

About Nikka

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, one of the key figures in the birth of Japanese whisky. The company began as Dai Nippon Kaju, with Yoichi Distillery completed the same year in Hokkaido, and the first bottle of Nikka Whisky followed in 1940. A second major milestone came in 1969 with the opening of Miyagikyo Distillery, giving Nikka two very different malt whisky styles to work with and helping define the house’s approach to blending.

Alongside malt whisky from Yoichi and Miyagikyo, the company also built a distinctive grain whisky identity through its Coffey stills, imported from Scotland in 1963 and 1966. Those different components sit behind some of the brand’s best-known bottlings, from From the Barrel to Coffey Grain, and help explain why Nikka holds such an important place in Japanese whisky: it is not just one distillery or one style, but a house built around diversity, blending skill and the legacy of Taketsuru’s original vision.

Loading