On February 2th (Friday), we held a tasting event for ``Japanese Whiskey, 9 Years of Masataka Taketsuru'' at FCCJ. Japanese whiskey has been popular in recent years. Due to lack of stock, we are unable to actively promote Japanese whiskey, but we asked our friend Taketsuru to organize a tasting event. As soon as the announcement was made on the FCCJ website, applications flooded in. It was so popular that it quickly exceeded its capacity.
The speakers were Mr. Kotaro Taketsuru, the grandson of Mr. Masataka Taketsuru, known for the famous Nikka whiskey "Taketsuru" and known as the father of Japanese whisky, who became famous in the NHK drama "Massan"; Whiskey Ambassador Taro Kaneko.
Presentation by Taketsuru. There were many foreign members in attendance, and the presentations were bilingual.
Masataka Taketsuru and his wife Rita when they were young
Masataka Taketsuru and Rita
Japanese whiskey has become increasingly popular and premium in recent years. Whiskey is said to have been born in England in the 15th century, but domestically produced whiskey only started being produced in Japan 100 years ago. It all began when Masataka Taketsuru studied abroad in Scotland and learned about whiskey production.
The NHK TV drama series "Massan" aired from 2014 to 2015 and was a huge hit. The main character is modeled after Masataka Taketsuru, known as the "father of Japanese whisky" and the founder of Nikka whisky. His life is the history of Japanese whisky. This time, we have invited Mr. Kotaro Taketsuru, the grandson of Masataka Taketsuru, to unravel the history of Japanese whisky, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Using valuable materials such as home videos taken when Mr. Taketsuru was a child, he explains how Japanese whiskey was born, factories such as Yoichi and Miyagi-Han, and what policy Massan used to make whisky. He carefully explained things that I wouldn't normally know.
Also, in 2021, the Japan Western Liquor Brewery Association has established a ``Definition of Japanese Whiskey.'' If it does not meet the following criteria, it cannot be called "Japanese whisky", and I believe that these standards are necessary to protect the "Japanese whisky" brand.
1. Raw materials must be limited to malt, grains, and water collected within Japan. Be sure to use malt.
2. Saccharification, fermentation, and distillation must be performed in Japan.
700. Stored in Japan for more than 3 years in wooden barrels of approximately XNUMX liters.
4. Packed in containers in Japan.
Masataka Taketsuru in his later years. He apparently enjoyed a glass of whiskey every night.
After Mr. Taketsuru, Nikka Whiskey's whiskey ambassador Taro Kaneko gave an explanation about Nikka's distillery and whisky-making. I was able to understand the process of making whisky, which I had not understood well before, and I learned a lot.
Along with the presentation, we held a tasting of three types of whisky. First up is ``Single Malt Yoichi'', followed by ``Single Malt Miyagi Hashi'' and then ``Nikka Session''. Including the welcome drink with water, we received a total of 2 glasses of whiskey, and everyone in the audience was feeling quite tipsy, but at the end, a surprise drink of ``Nikka Single Cask Yoichi XNUMX Year Old'' appeared.
Single Cask Whiskey is made by bottling the malt whiskey from one specially selected cask.Single Cask Yoichi 10 Years Old was awarded the Best of the Best 2001 in a contest held by the world's only whiskey magazine. ” was also honored. Since the number of bottles that can be made from one barrel is very small, it is said that it is rare to find a barrel number that matches the number written on the label, and each bottle is said to be a rare one. The fruitiness, sweetness of the barrel, and light bitterness give it a rich feel, and you can enjoy the gentle peat aftertaste.
Next time we will be holding an event sponsored by Premium Japan, so please come and see us.
Whiskey served on the day
There were 4 types of whiskey tasted. We were all impressed by the difference.
Kotaro Taketsuru
Born in Yoichi, Hokkaido in 1953. Born in Yoichi, Hokkaido in 1953. Born as the eldest son of Takeshi Utako, he spent his childhood in Yoichi with his grandparents, Masataka Taketsuru and Rita. After graduating from university, he joined Nikka Whiskey and worked for about 20 years before leaving the company. In 1998, he founded the brand consulting company Brand Identity Network (bin). In 2005, he joined up with Amana, a major visual production company, which he consults with. He is active in projects such as Yamasa Soy Sauce's ``A Drop of Freshness,'' CI for Nippon Radio Tower's ``Tokyo Tower,'' and the production use of new technology branding. He currently serves as an advisor to several companies, including the representative of Taketsuru Product Research Institute, advisor to Nikka Whiskey, and outside director of FIXER Co., Ltd.
Taro Kaneko
Joined Nikka Whiskey in 1983. After being in charge of sales at the Sendai and Tokyo sales departments, he worked in the marketing and sales departments, mainly in charge of advertising and planning for Western liquors. He is also involved in disseminating information about the distillery and events. Current position since 2018. Whiskey Culture Institute Certified Whiskey Professional/Whiskey Seminar Lecturer Japan Sommelier Association Certified Senior Sommelier
Mio Shimamura
Since 2017, as the representative and editor-in-chief of Premium Japan,
Lounge
Premium Salon
Editorial Department & PJ Friends Blog
Premium Salon
