Nikka Whisky

There is a whisky distillery in the town of Yoichi, here in Hokkaido. We visited recently. A very interesting back story to this place.

A young Japanese man wanted to learn the art of scotch malt whisky making. He travelled to Scotland, enrolled at Glasgow University to study chemistry, and was given apprenticeships at a couple of distilleries. During his time in Glasgow, he boarded with a family (in Kirkintilloch) where he met and fell in love with the daughter, Rita. They married in Glasgow registry office, and Rita travelled back to Japan with her husband, where they moved to Hokkaido, as they felt it was very like Scotland in scenery and climate. Rita immersed herself in Japanese culture, supporting the family with music and English lessons, while her husband endeavoured to set up his own distillery. The distillery produces some of Japan's best whisky, and is still going strong.

See here for a bbc article on the Mother of Japanese whisky: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-30682239