Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, who is often referred to as 'The Father of Japanese Whisky'. Born into a sake-making family at the twentieth century's turn, he traveled to Scotland in 1918 to study whisky production.

Returning to Japan in 1920 with his new Scottish wife Rita, Taketsuru also brought back traditional Scottish production techniques which he merged with Japanese craftsmanship to establish The Nikka Distillery Co.

Taketsuru's passion was whisky blending, and he built Nikka's two distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo, to produce diverse malt and grain whiskies for creating sophisticated blends.