Nikka's founder Masataka Taketsuru is considered the father of Japanese whisky. After completing studies in chemistry, he was recruited by the Settsu Shuzo company, who sent him to Scotland in 1918 to complete his apprenticeship. There he developed a passion for whisky and decided to dedicate his life to it. In 1934, he built Yoichi, his first distillery, on the island of Hokkaido. Its growing success enabled him to establish a second distillery in 1969, near Sendai, named Miyagikyo. It is from the single malts of these two distilleries that the Nikka Whisky group produces its entire range of Japanese whiskies.

Nikka 12 Year Old is a blend of whiskies from the group’’s two distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. The latter produces both malt whisky and grain whisky in its 1960s Coffey still. Launched in 2014 to celebrate Nikka’’s 24th anniversary, this blend focuses on malt whisky. To mark the same occasion, Nikka released a highly sought-after 40 year old blend in a similar bottle.