Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka. After studying in Scotland, meticulously writing and studying how to make whisky, he became the first Japanese to learn to make the spirit. Being employed at Kotobukiya for 10 years he decided to go independent, creating his first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido.
In 1940 the first Nikka was launched. Boasting a range of whiskies, each as smooth as the last, and becoming known for their blends, Nikka swept the market and catapulted Japanese Whisky into the world.
