WILDERNESS WHISKY

In 1918, a young man arrived in Scotland from Japan. Born into a family of sake brewers, Masataka Taketsuru had a mission: to learn the secrets of whisky. He studied chemistry at the University of Glasgow and worked at three distilleries.

Taketsuru returned home with books full of notes and a Scottish wife, Rita. He built Japan’s first whisky distillery at Yamazaki, but decided that he needed conditions similar to Scotland to create the perfect drop. He headed north to Yoichi, Hokkaido, where the cool, crisp air was better suited to ageing whisky than the warm, humid south. Rita preferred it, too.

In Hokkaido, Taketsuru perfected the art of blending that became the hallmark of Japanese whisky. He died in 1979, but his dedication paid off in 2001, when Nikka 10-Year Yoichi was named the “Best of the Best” by Whisky Magazine.

In 2018, Nikka Taketsuru 17-Year was named the “World’s Best Blended Malt.” from the crack, the colour coming from raw sulphur being deposited by the vapour.

The last few hundred yards of ground in front of the mountain were completely bare, and covered with grey ash from previous eruptions. Dead pine trees lay bleached in the sun. They don’t decay, because not even bacteria can survive in the acidic soil this close to the mountain.

If ever I was going to see Hyrule’s Death Mountain, this was it.

“Try picking up that rock,” said Shinobu, pointing at a large boulder. I scoffed, but he insisted. So, I wrapped my arms around it, braced my back and, to my surprise, lifted it to chest height. When I dropped it, the ground echoed like a drum.