Hibiki Harmony

Shinjiro Torii was the founder of Suntory in 1899. At that time his first contact with alcoholic beverages was through his first store, named Torii Shoten that sold imported wines.

In 1907 the store would launch “Akadama Port Wine” while in 1921 with plans for the construction of the first Whisky distillery in Japan, the store changed its name to Kotobukiya company.

In 1923 the first whisky distillery in Japan was founded, named Yamazaki and around 1929 the first Japanese single malt whisky, named Suntory Whisky Shirofuda, was sold.

In 1963, the company would release its first beer bottling, while the company’s name would change from “Kotobukiya” to “Suntory” which was the name on their first whisky and comes from the words “Sun” – or Akadama in Japanese which translates as “red ball” and Tory which is Torii’s name in its English version.

Under the management of the second president of Suntory, Keizo Saji, two more whisky distilleries were built: Chita in 1972, and Hakushu in 1973.

Nowadays the company has expanded in several fields besides whisky, like spirits, beers, soft drinks, food and health products.