Discover the Yoichi Distillery
Discover the Yoichi Distillery
Whisky of the world
Hokkaidō — literally ‘Northern Sea Province’ — is the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, and the ancestral home of the Ainu people. Hokkaidō officially became part of Japan in 1869, and was a major source of natural resources, mainly coal, to feed Japan’s expansion in the 1930s.
Whisky pioneer Masataka Taketsuru chose Yoichi — a small coastal town surrounded by dense forests and steep mountains — as the location of his distillery in 1934, partly because the natural environment of Yoichi rather resembles that of Scotland: a cool, windy climate punctuated by rigorous winters, a high level of humidity, and the presence of many rivers and peat bogs. The nearby port was also a factor, enabling Taketsuru to market his production. The distillery has been painstakingly preserved across the decades, and stands today as a living showcase of Masataka Taketsuru’s earliest experiments in whisky.
◊ Looking like a mediaeval village, the distillery’s décor instantaneously transports the visitor to a different era. Barley was peated on-site until the 1970s, as evidenced by the old kiln that stands near the entrance, preserved as part of the distillery’s heritage. Among the stone buildings with their ashlar masonry and lacquered tile roofs, two traditional wood structures stand out: Masataka Taketsuru’s old office, and the house he shared with his wife, Rita Cowan. This house was moved into the compound from the suburban town of Yamada in 2002, and still contains the couple’s furniture and personal effects.
◊ The coal-fired stills are a stark reminder of Yoichi’s singular nature: it is the only major distillery where this traditional technique is still in use, despite the incredible difficulty of maintaining a stable temperature using this heat source. Nikka Whisky has invested heavily into a modern filtration system to deal with the emissions of burning coal. Like in many Japanese distilleries, the stills are adorned with ‘shide.’ These zigzag-shaped streamers, fastened to the tops of the lyne arms with woven strings, invoke the protection of the gods according to Shinto tradition. A small cup of new make spirit is also placed on a small altar as an offering.
◊ The Nikka Whisky Museum, which opened in 2021, retraces the history of the brand and its founder through archival documents, including facsimiles of the diaries Masataka Taketsuru famously wrote during his 1919 stay in Scotland. The museum houses authentic relics of the company’s pre-whisky era in the 1930s, when it produced apple juice under the name Dai Nippon Kaju (‘The Great Japanese Juice Manufacture’) while working on its first single malts.
◊ Located within the distillery’s compound, Rita’s Kitchen serves both local specialities and, notably, Scottish fare: haggis, Scotch pie, Cullen skink, and fish & chips are guaranteed to provide visitors with a rather surprising change of scenery.
◊ Bar Hatta, a true embassy of Nikka Whisky located in the nearby town of Otaru, offers an exhaustive selection of all the brand’s releases. It is, for reasons that should be obvious, nicknamed ‘Nikka’s 29th cellar’!
◊ An hour’s train ride away, Sapporo is home to The Nikka Bar, which took on the name of Nikka Whisky, offering a savvily-curated selection of single casks. Bow Bar, famous for its impressive collection of rare whiskies and Italian grappas, is another can’t-miss pilgrimage for enthusiasts. It even has some pre-war bottles of Calvados… but not a single Japanese whisky!
◊ The port town of Otaru is only 30 minutes away by train. Known for its picturesque canals, historic buildings, old temples, and its ultra-fresh seafood restaurants (it is nicknamed the capital of sushi), Otaru is deeply intertwined with the history of Yoichi. Indeed, the demolition of several of the town’s old edifices provided the stones that make up the distillery’s walls.
◊ Sapporo’s lively Susukino district is famous for its monumental Nikka Whisky neon sign, one of the city’s most emblematic landmarks. It depicts the famous King of Blenders, a moustachioed character in Scottish attire: an icon of the brand, this fictional character also adorns the bottles of Nikka Black Special, which are blends of malt and grain whiskies.
Yoichi, Single Malt
Yoichi, Single Malt
