Nikka and Yoichi, 90 years of iconic whisky

2024 marks Nikka's 90th year of success. It all started when Masataka Taketsuru founded Yoichi, a distillery located on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. This is the story of a visionary and passionate pioneer who has made a fundamental contribution to the success of Japanese whisky around the world today. 

History is marked by symbols often resurfacing at crucial times to encapsulate in a single image the fate of a multitude of people and cultural traditions. That may be why, with Yoichi's 90th anniversary on the horizon, in 2022 Nikka decided to bring back one of its most iconic whiskies to the delight of the distillery's many admirers around the world. Yoichi 10 year old is a close relative of the edition that permanently marked the fate of Japanese whisky when it won "Best of the Best" at the World Whiskies Awards in 2001. This achievement changed the face of this spirit from national drink to worldwide cult. 

In February 2001, Whisky Magazine created a unique event - a blind tasting where 293 whiskies from every corner of the globe were judged by a panel of 62 experts. Yoichi 10 Year Old Single Cask immediately stood out, earning the highest score in the Japanese whisky category. But the real surprise came at the end of the competition, when it was revealed that this Single Malt obtained the highest overall score, even surpassing the legendary Scotches. It was a momentous triumph enshrining Japanese whiskey as a leading player in the market and making Yoichi the icon it is today.

Yoichi encored at the World Whiskies Awards in 2008, again proving itself a top brand in the Japanese whisky scene. Today, after a break in production from 2015 to 2022, Yoichi 10 year is once again a mainstay in the Hokkaido distillery's core range, despite the chronic lack of aged barrel stock that has been plaguing distilleries of the Rising Sun for years. The problem was compounded by Yoichi's success, which placed the limelight on Japanese whisky and increased demand by ten times. 

Another preparatory step in the lead-up to Yoichi's anniversary was the Discovery series. Since 2021, Nikka has been celebrating their extensive expertise in the creation of top-level whiskies with limited-edition releases. Each year’s release showcases a specific aspect of the production process, offering enthusiasts an unexpected sensory experience.

The first edition of the Discovery series explored the fascinating world of peat, a hallmark of Yoichi. An unpeated version of this whisky revealed a previously unknown side to the distillery - a Single Malt with malty, fruity and spicy notes. By contrast, Miyagikyo - the second distillery opened by Masataka in 1969 known for its delicate, floral style - surprised everyone with a peaty Single Malt, demonstrating its versatility and Nikka distillers' unparalleled skill.

In 2022 the Discovery series focused on the influence of the yeasts used during the fermentation of barley on whisky's aromatic profile. Yoichi Aromatic Yeast captivated enthusiasts with a floral, fruity bouquet, the result of an unusual selection of yeast strains.

Finally, the third edition of the Discovery series celebrated the art of blending, the ability to combine spirits from different producers to create a balanced, complex whisky. Nikka The Grain comes from a meticulous selection of the best spirits from four Nikka distilleries: Miyagikyo, Nishinomiya (closed in 1998), Moji and Satsuma Tsukasa. This release is a tribute to Nikka's ability to create whiskies where the whole is much more than the sum of its parts.

If in the last hundred years Japan has become one of the world's leading whisky producers, the origins of its history can be traced back to the figure of Masataka Taketsuru, who first brought the production of the Scottish spirit to the island of the Rising Sun.

It all began in 1918, when a very young Masataka Taketsuru traveled to Scotland to study Chemistry. He came from a family of sake producers, but his dream was to build a real whisky distillery in Japan. For this reason, in addition to attending classes at the University of Glasgow, Masataka worked in three different distilleries where the master distillers taught him techniques the Scots had been handing down for over a century. In Scotland Taketsuru also got his share of romance when he met and fell in love with Rita Cowan, who would play a key role in shaping Nikka's fortunes. The couple got married and moved back to his native country together.

A mixed marriage was a sensational event at the time, especially for an isolated country like Japan. Ten years ago this movie-like love story inspired Masam, Japan's first TV series featuring a non-Japanese main character. Legend has it that the series contributed to an increase in the popularity of whisky in Japan, triggering Nikka's local sales boom. In this story, what is not fiction but fact is the huge influence Rita had on Masataka as a businessman by supporting him in difficult times - Yoichi's early years were hard, the distillery opened in 1934 but the first whisky didn't come out until 1940 - and encouraging him to expand the Group's activities.

Going back to the 1920s, Masataka had his first real business experience with Shinjiro Torii, with whom he started Suntory. A decade later, Masataka was ready to strike out on his own and decided to found his own company, Dai Nippon Kaju, which later became Nikka. 

That brings us to 1934, exactly 90 years ago, when Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the eponymous town in northern Japan. A legend was born. 

The Yoichi distillery is located in an area of Japan that is similar to Scotland. Covered in snow until spring and constantly swept by the sea breeze, the mountainous region of Hokkaido is home to the Ishikari plains, known for their rich peat bogs. The place is particularly reminiscent of the Scottish region of Campbeltown where Taketsuru studied. Water, a central element in Japanese culture and crucial for the production of whisky, flows to the distillery by way of underground springs.

Yoichi's pear-shaped copper stills are still coal-fired and reach a temperature of 1000° C – a traditional approach that has long been abandoned in Scotland in favor of steam coil heating systems, which are much easier to control, safer and more cost-effective. However, even today, direct-fire heating plays an important role for Yoichi, as it gives its whiskies remarkable body and richness. Finally, the use of local peat to malt barley adds a refined smoky note which, combined with light hints of sea breeze, is the signature feature of Yoichi's Single Malts.

2024 will see a number of celebratory events around the world. In Italy a three-day event has recently been held in Rome at Drink Kong, a bar that came in 21st place on the last World's 50 Best Bar list - the best placement for Italy. With close ties to Japan and winner of Nikka Perfect Serve in 2013, Patrick Pistolesi's bar provided the ideal setting to showcase the many faces of Nikka's multifaceted world.

Day 1

The first day was a tribute to one of the most coveted awards by bartenders around the world. Nikka Perfect Serve celebrates Japan's art of hospitality where the line between host and guest blurs into the concept of Ichi-go Ichi-e – every encounter is a unique moment filled with empathy. Standing behind the bar at Drink Kong mixing their signature drinks were the two winners of the last edition - Andrea Marenda from Rivoire, Milan, winner of the 2023 Italian regionals, and Daniele Salviato from Cucù, Bassano del Grappa, who won the global finals the year before. 

Day 2

Inside Patrick's bar there is a secret door opening onto a magical place, a micro cocktail bar combining elegance, privacy and the very best mixology has to offer. Called Nite Kong, it immediately became clear that no location could be more in-tune with our very special guest Rogerio Igarashi's personality. Flying in straight from Bar Trench, Tokyo, the Japanese-Brazilian bartender captivated participants with a guest session showcasing his polite, tasteful approach, embodying through his rigorous, yet essential technique the all-Japanese aspiration and constant pursuit of perfection.

Day 3

The last day closed the event with a bang. We were honored to have as a guest speaker Salvatore Mannino, one of the pillars of French distributor La Maison du Whisky and prominent connoisseur of Japan and its whiskies. 

In the privacy of the Ginza Room - an intimate corner hidden inside Drink Kong - Salvatore opened five fine bottles, each representative of Nikka's complex world: Yoichi Apple Brandy Wood Finish (a celebratory bottling for the 100th anniversary of Masataka and Rita's wedding); Yoichi Unpeated and Nikka The Grain from the Discovery series; the newly reintroduced Yoichi 10 year; and finally, for a dramatic coup de théâtre, an old Taketsuru 17 year, a blended malt with few equals in the world for grace and finesse in organoleptic nuances. 

Some nights feel like they'll never end - and perhaps they shouldn't - and after the tasting yet another celebrity bartender appeared behind Drink Kong's counter, Lilian Sausset from Clap, a chain that has been getting a lot of buzz in London, Dubai, Ibiza.

We are approaching the end of a very intense year for the Nikka Group, but first the time has come to amaze the world with a celebratory bottling that's set to leave a mark.

Nikka has announced the release of Nine Decades, a blend combining whiskies chosen by nine successive Master Blenders from the distillery’s foundation to today, including of course Masataka Taketsuru. The blend also includes Yoichi whisky distilled in the 1940s, an incredible tribute to Nikka's glorious history.