Japan has a long history of distilling, having produced spirits such as awamori and shochu since the 15th century. Yet despite those products’ long existence, they’re not the distilled spirits for which Japan is most famous.
That honor goes to whiskey.
While whiskey is relatively new to Japan, in recent years it has become the country’s dominant alcoholic export and the darling of many whiskey aficionados around the world. But few who drink Japanese whisky know much about it—and even fewer know where it truly comes from.
An Origin Story
The history of whiskey in Japan ostensibly starts in 1853, when Commodore Matthew Perry of the American Navy sailed into Edo Bay and forcibly opened Japanese diplomatic relations.
Although there are stories of people importing small amounts of whiskey before that time, Perry had with him a lot of American whiskey as gifts. And it’s from his logs that we have the first confirmed accounts of Japanese citizens consuming the spirit.
In the decades that followed, whiskey became more popular among the Japanese, and there are numerous records of it being consumed and sold throughout the island chain. For the first 70 years or so, the whiskey that Japanese people drank was almost exclusively imported; the country lacked its own producers. However, as its popularity steadily grew, enterprising individuals began to become interested in establishing local production.
The true history of Japanese whiskey production really starts with one man: Masataka Taketsuru. Taketsuru, now known as the father of Japanese whiskey, was born in 1894 in Hiroshima Prefecture to a successful family of sake producers. As a young man, he studied alcohol production at the Osaka Technical High School and was eventually hired by Settsu Shuzo, a successful drinks company controlled by Abe Kihee. Kihee, recognizing the growing popularity of imported Scotch to Japan, sent Taketsuru to Scotland to learn the art of whiskey-making.
Taketsuru arrived in Edinburgh in December 1918 and enrolled in a chemistry course at the University of Glasgow. While studying, he met several important industry players—as well as his future wife, Rita Cowan. Through these contacts, Taketsuru eventually landed an invitation to study the whiskey-making process at Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown, the center of the Scottish whiskey industry. During his internship, Taketsuru took copious notes about the process of making Scotch at Hazelburn. He also visited other distilleries to learn the business.
Taketsuru returned to Japan in late 1920 along with his wife. However, Settsu Shuzo was no longer interested in setting up its own distillery, and Taketsuru soon resigned from the company. After spending some time teaching, Taketsuru was approached by Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Kotobukiya—the company that would eventually become Suntory. Taketsuru agreed to sign a 10-year contract with Torii to design, build, and operate a distillery and in 1924, they officially opened the Yamazaki distillery as Japan’s first malt whiskey distillery.
Although Yamazaki was a success, Taketsuru and Torii often clashed over decision-making. When his contract was up in 1934, Taketsuru left the company to start his own distillery. That distillery, built in Yoichi in Hokkaido—a place said to be reminiscent of Scotland—is today known as Nikka, and it’s one of the largest and most successful distilleries in Japan.
Taketsuru played an important part in the founding of Japanese whiskey—often spelled in English as “whisky,” in the Scottish way—and his legacy is undeniable.
Many of the Japanese distillers who came after him followed his model in setting up their own distilleries, and his mark is on much of the whiskey produced in Japan today. Taketsuru’s notes are also some of the most detailed records of Scottish whisky production at Hazelburn during the 1920s, and they’re often cited by whiskey historians and modern producers.
Taketsuru’s legacy is such that his life and marriage were the subject of a popular morning soap opera on Japanese television. Named Massan, the series ran for a total of 150 episodes from September 2014 to March 2015.
Defining Japanese Whiskey Today
Since Masataka Taketsuru’s passing in 1979, the Japanese whiskey industry has grown considerably.
Suntory and Nikka—the latter now part of the Asahi group—both have opened additional distilleries, while other players such as Kirin and Chichibu have entered the market with their own distilleries and brands.
We can attribute part of that growth to a recent increase in international attention, which started when Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask won best whiskey in the world in Jim Murray’s 2015 Whisky Bible. That accolade, along with several others, helped to catapult Japanese whiskey to the forefront of many collectors’ minds. Between 2013 and 2023, exports of Japanese whiskey grew by more than 10 million liters.
Unfortunately, that newfound popularity didn’t come without problems, the most prominent being the issue of counterfeiters. Exacerbating that concern is the fact that the Japanese government has not established a definition for what defines a whiskey as being produced in Japan. This means that unscrupulous sellers have been able to import whiskey from other countries and then bottle and export it as Japanese whiskey. That’s caused plenty of confusion for people seeking authentic Japanese whiskey.
To combat this growing issue, an industry group—the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association (JSLMA)—recently created voluntary guidelines defining Japanese whiskey. Introduced in 2021, the JSLMA’s new standards for labeling represent a first step in the long process of creating an internationally defined spirit category.
Under the JSLMA standards, to be labeled as “Japanese Whisky” or “Japanese Whiskey,” a product:
- must be produced from malted grains or other cereals and water extracted from Japan
- must contain malted grains
- must be mashed, fermented, and distilled at a distillery in Japan with the distillation content not exceeding 95 percent ABV
- must be aged in wooden casks not exceeding 700 liters for at least three years
- must be bottled in Japan at an alcoholic strength of not less than 40 percent ABV
- may contain plain caramel coloring
Besides the above rules, all members agree to a ban on including Japanese names, cities, or imagery, including the Japanese flag, on any product that doesn’t meet the above requirements. They also agree not to sell bulk spirit to any person or organization that does.
Although the JSMLA standards cover much of the basics of what defines a Japanese whiskey, there are two traditional common practices that it doesn’t mention.
The first of these is the use of coal fire to directly heat stills. Before the spread of steam technology, direct-fired stills were the industry standard in Scotland, and Masataka Taketsuru writes in his notes that the stills at Hazelburn were heated using coal. So, it makes sense then that when he returned to Japan and set up Yamazaki and Nikka, he imitated that design, setting a precedent for other Japanese distillers.
Although there are now cheaper and safer options, almost all the major distilleries in Japan still heat their stills via direct fire. That method is said to be one the keys for producing the uniquely rich flavors that are present in many Japanese whiskeys.
The second practice commonly found in Japanese distilleries—and perhaps the most distinctive—is the use of something known as crystal wort. Sometimes spelled “krystal,” this is a distinct type of wort produced through specialized mashing techniques or the use of secondary mash filters or centrifuges.
As the name implies, crystal wort contains either low or no grain particulate when compared to standard worts. That lack of grain particulate reduces the overall lipid content available to yeast during fermentation, and it decreases grain notes in the final fermented wash. Many believe that practice to be responsible for the pronounced tropical and fruity esters associated with many Japanese whiskeys.
A Maturing Industry
Japanese whiskey continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In 2025, there were an estimated 118 distilleries in Japan producing whiskey, up from just 12 distilleries in 2005.
The JSMLA also boasts 104 active members, and there are growing calls for the Japanese government to formally recognize the organization’s definition of Japanese whiskey. If that happens, it will help formalize the spirit’s status internationally, giving it the same legal standing as products such as Scotch and bourbon.
That has the potential to greatly benefit the industry and propel it to even greater heights.