Japanese scotch on the rise: the story behind Nikka whisky, and its distillery in Hokkaido
The golden-hued liquid swirls lazily around the glass and the scent that emerges is unmistakable. Even for a novice, the fragrances of peat and smoke are distinct, but there is also a hint of sweetness.
Sipped and savoured, the same notes are evident, before Minoru Miake suggests I might also be tasting a whisper of tropical fruits, such as peach or papaya, or even a note reminiscent of shortcake.
Those flavours may be beyond this untutored palate, but even I can see why the limited edition Yoichi Single Malt Manzanilla Wood Finish set tongues wagging when it was released by Nikka Whisky in September of last year.
A mere 4,000 bottles of the whisky were issued for the domestic market, ensuring that they were quickly snapped up by those who know their Scotch. But Miake, who watched over the barrels as their contents matured as head distiller of Nikka’s Yoichi Distillery, on the west coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s most northerly main island, kept a couple of samples back.
Honing his distilling skills with the company for more than 20 years, Mr Miake says he first acquired a taste for Nikka whisky while at college and that he is honoured to be able to carry on the traditions of a man that afficanados here regard as the father of Japanese Scotch.
“The best part of my job is that we are continuing to strive to create the perfect whisky, which was Masataka Taketsuru’s vision and has been passed down through the generations ever since”, Mr Miake said.
Yet the challenges are constant, he admits.
“The direct coal-fired distilling process that is traditionally used here at the Yoichi Distillery requires a lot of experience and hard work, but I do believe that it is necessary to maintain the vigour and depth of our unblended malt whiskies,” he said.
The cool climate, the clean air, pure local water and people who are committed to continuing Taketsuru’s legacy make Yoichi the ideal place to make whisky, he adds. And the parallels with the drink’s homeland are obvious.
A biting wind is driving off the ocean and the snow is piled in deep drifts up against the stone walls of the distillery buildings. Whisky barrels display the Nikka logo. The horseshoe of surrounding mountains is all the colours of winter and this could very easily be the highlands that inspired Taketsuru.
Born into a sake brewing family in Hiroshima in 1894, Taketsuru studied brewing technology in Osaka before taking a passenger liner to England in 1918 and travelling on to Scotland. His aim was simply to discover the secrets of producing top-class whisky.
After completing a course in chemistry at the University of Glasgow, he began an apprenticeship at the Longmorn Distillery in Speyside. He had a similar apprenticeship at James Calder, in Bowness, where he learned about coffey grain whisky, and the Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown to discover malt whiskies and the alchemy required in blending.
Taketsuru married Jessie Cowan, better known as Rita, shortly before his return to Japan in 1920 and worked for the forerunner of modern drinks giant Suntory for 11 years before deciding to set up his own distillery.
Taketsuru chose Yoichi, at 43 degrees north, for is first distillery precisely because of the harsh winter climate, the proximity of the ocean and the surrounding mountains.
He also insisted on using direct coal-fired stills, similar to those at the Longmorn Distillery, to give his whiskies a bold and burnt flavour. They also benefit from a briny tang that is infused in the maturation period as a consequence of the nearby ocean.
The very first batch of Nikka whisky was poured in 1940, with the first classically designed square bottle still on display in the distillery’s museum. And even though it has never been opened, the top one-fifth of the original contents have evaporated over the intervening decades - the “angels’ share”.
Japanese whiskies have developed a firm following around the world in recent years - in particular since a Single Cask 10-year-old whisky from Yoichi was in 2001 named as “Best of the Best” in the annual tasting competition run by Britain’s Whisky Magazine.
Yet Nikka has become something of a victim of its own success; soaring demand now outstrips supply for those brands that can require 20 years or more to reach maturity.
This year, for the first time ever, the Yoichi plant started distilling in January, as opposed to the traditional four-month distilling seasons from March until June and again from September to early December, in an effort to up their pace.
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