Nikka Whisky Distilling Co.
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Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. — a Japanese distillery company founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, who studied distillation in Scotland. Controlled by Asahi Group, it operates Yoichi (Hokkaido, coastal peat) and Miyagikyo (Sendai, fruity lightness). Flagship brands: Nikka From The Barrel, Taketsuru Pure Malt and the Yoichi/Miyagikyo single malts.
Історія
Nikka's history is above all the biography of Masataka Taketsuru, the "father of Japanese whisky". In 1918 he sailed to Scotland, studied chemistry in Glasgow and apprenticed at distilleries (Longmorn, Hazelburn), returning to Japan in 1920 with his Scottish wife, Jessie "Rita" Cowan.
After years at Kotobukiya (today's Suntory), where he built the Yamazaki distillery, in 1934 he founded his own company Dai Nippon Kaju in Yoichi, Hokkaido — selling apple juice until the whisky matured. The "Nikka" name (from Nippon Kaju) first appeared on a bottle in 1940; the firm was renamed The Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. in 1952.
In 1969 Taketsuru opened a second distillery — Miyagikyo near Sendai — for softer, fruitier spirit for the blends. In 1989 Nikka bought the Scottish distillery Ben Nevis, at the foot of Britain's highest peak. The company is now owned by Asahi Group Holdings, which leaves its traditional production methods untouched.
Хронологія
- 1918 Masataka Taketsuru wyjeżdża do Szkocji — studiuje chemię w Glasgow i terminuje w destylarniach.
- 1920 Taketsuru wraca do Japonii ze szkocką żoną, Jessie „Ritą” Cowan.
- 1934 Założenie firmy Dai Nippon Kaju w Yoichi na Hokkaido; do czasu dojrzenia whisky firma sprzedaje sok jabłkowy.
- 1940 Premiera pierwszej butelki „Nikka Whisky” (nazwa od Nippon Kaju).
- 1952 Firma przyjmuje nazwę The Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., Ltd.
- 1969 Otwarcie destylarni Miyagikyo pod Sendai — łagodniejsze, owocowe destylaty dla blendów.
- 1979 Śmierć Masataki Taketsuru w wieku 85 lat; firmę przejmuje jego adoptowany syn Takeshi.
- 1989 Nikka kupuje szkocką destylarnię Ben Nevis u podnóża najwyższego szczytu Wielkiej Brytanii.
