Nikka From the Barrel Blended Whisky (50cl) NV

Once insular and cut off from the world, Japanese culture is now famous for taking the best aspects of international culture and applying its own unique character. So in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru – heir to a sake brewery – wanted to distil fine spirits, where else could he head but to Scotland? The first Japanese to become a master blender, he studied chemistry in Glasgow and the art of making whisky at various distilleries. After crafting Japan’s first ever whisky, he set up Nikka Whisky in Yoichi, on the island of Hokkaido, where the climate best matched Speyside in Scotland. Masataka Taketsuru wanted to make his whisky as authentic as he could, and this, his testament to that vision, can hold its own beside Scotland’s finest blends.