Japanese Whisky

Surprisingly, Japan and other Asian countries have also developed a strong desire for whiskies. In fact, Japan is the largest producer in the world outside of North America and the UK. Here, too, the connection to the Celtic distilling process can be found. The "father of Japanese whisky," Masataka Taketuru, was actually the first Japanese to study the art of whisky making at the University of Glasgow from 1918 to 1920. Masataka's talent did not occur by chance. His family had owned a sake brewery that had been producing quality rice wine since 1733. Not only was his experience in the Highlands a profound awakening for Masataka, but his choice of location for his distillery, in Yoichi, Hokkaido, mirrored in geography the Scottish town in which he had lived.

Masataka was later hired by Shinjiro Torrii to setup a whisky company (now known as Suntory). At the time, few Japanese people drank whisky at the time, but Torrii sought to create a whisky that would reflect the customs and traditions of the Japanese. The most important factor was that the whisky would not interfere with the flavor of Japanese cuisine. Torrii eventually succeeded, and his whisky is now the most popular whisky in Japan.

While Scotch whisky is ideal when drunk alone, Japanese whisky is ideal as a complement to food. Surprisingly enough, the world's largest whisky distillery is not in Scotland or Ireland, but in Japan.