Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, who is often referred to as “The Father of Japanese Whisky”. Born into a family of sake makers at the turn of the twentieth century, Taketsuru travelled to Scotland in 1918 to learn the art of whisky-making.

Returning to Japan in 1920 with his new Scottish wife Rita, Taketsuru also brought back traditional Scottish production techniques which he blended with Japanese precision and attention to detail to create The Nikka Distillery Co.

Taketsuru’s passion was whisky blending, and he built Nikka's two distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, to make a wide variety of malt and grain whiskies for making elegant and complex blends.