Nikka Distilleries

The first distillery, Yoichi, of NIKKA WHISKEY, where our founder Masataka Taketsuru chose this location in Hokkaido as a starting point to fulfill his dream.

The Yoichi Distillery, founded in 1934, was the first NIKKA WHISKEY distillery. Masataka Taketsuru established it as his ideal place to make whiskey, seeking an environment similar to that of Scotland, with a cool climate, clean air and fresh water resources. After a long search throughout Japan, he finally found Yoichi, Hokkaido, which offered all the natural qualities necessary to make his ideal authentic whiskey.

The second distillery, Miyagikyo, of NIKKA WHISKEY, is located in a valley surrounded by beautiful forests and two crystal clear streams in Sendai.

Driven by the dream of making a more complex and refined whiskey by blending different single malts, Masataka Taketsuru founded Nikka Whiskey's second distillery in 1969, the Miyagikyo Distillery. Together with his son Takeshi and a dedicated team, they searched throughout Japan for a suitable location and finally chose a lush, green valley west of Sendai, in an area known as "Mori no Miyako" (The City of Trees).