Suntory-Japanese Whisky

Yamazaki Distillery is a Japanese whiskey distillery located in Shimamoto, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Opened in 1923, it was Japan's first commercial whiskey distillery owned by Suntory.

The Yamazaki Distillery opened in 1923 as the first malt whiskey distillery in Japan. The founder and chairman of Kotobukiya (Suntory's predecessor) wanted to make a serious whiskey, so he hired Taketsuru Masataka, whom he appointed factory director of the Yamazaki Distillery in 1924.

This descendant of a 17th century sake brewing family was in Scotland in 1918. He traveled to study at Glasgow University and learned how to make Scotch Whiskey on the spot. He married a Scotswoman, Jessie Roberta "Rita" Cowan, who went to Japan with him in 1920. Under Taketsuru, production of the first whiskey sold as Shirofuda (white label) was completed in 1929.

Due to differences with Torii, Taketsuru left the company in 1934 and founded the company Daju-Nippon Kaju KK in Hokkaidō in the same year, which was later called Nikka Whiskey Distilling.