Japan’s ‘Scotch’ whisky

Masataka Taketsuru mastered the art of whisky-making in Scotland before introducing its rich heritage to his homeland

Red-tinted, pagoda-style rooftops stretch skyward atop stone buildings at the Yoichi Distillery, on Japan’s island of Hokkaido. Among them, rows of greenery punctuate the serenity of the grounds. But it’s what’s inside their walls that deserves most attention — the crafting of whisky with long ties to Scotland.

It was here, in 1934, that Masataka Taketsuru founded the first of two distilleries. Known as the ‘father of Japanese whisky’, the businessman’s devotion to timehonoured Scottish techniques dates back to the two years he spent living in the UK, where he apprenticed at three distilleries.

Upon his return to Japan, Taketsuru sought to recreate the liquid gold he so admired.

“Yoichi Distillery is located less than a mile from the coast,” says its chief blender Hiromi Ozaki. “The sea breeze from Ishikari Bay delivers a briny hint to the whisky.” It’s a description that will sound familiar to lovers of the fuller-bodied malts of Scotland’s Hebridean islands.

And so will the methods of production. Direct coal-fired distillation was a common practice when Taketsuru was learning the craft in the UK. Though the process has all but disappeared from Scotland today, at Yoichi the flame still burns, with the high temperatures allowing for a distinctively toasty malt.

Taketsuru was driven by passion and curiosity to pursue his ideal whisky. “His philosophy has been passed on to every craftsman at Yoichi,” Ozaki says. “We stay true to tradition but pursue innovation, delivering excitement to spiritlovers around the world.”