Right after leaving his post in Yamazaki distillery, Taketsuru formed a new company that would later be called Nikka and built his first distillery, Yoichi.

He carefully selected the location, as although remote, near the sea and surrounded by mountains, offered a climate and natural environment that was more than suitable for whisky distillation.

For Taketsuru the climate was similar to the Highlands in Scotland where he mastered his techniques in whisky production. Distilling methods remain the traditional way as today in Yoichi, which is considered to be one of Japan’s leading distilleries.