JAPAN NEWS


 

The Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. on Wednesday announced the release of “The Nikka Nine Decades,” a commemorative 700-milliliter bottle of whisky marking the distiller’s 90th anniversary.

Over 150 types of single barrel whisky were used to create the product, and the suggested retail price is ¥330,000, including tax. The product is available with a limited edition of 4,000 bottles in Japan and abroad. It will be sold primarily at hotel bars.

Nikka, a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries, Ltd., has also announced plans to invest about ¥6 billion to boost its whisky production facilities and ease a shortage of single barrel whisky caused by a highball boom and other factors.

The investment will fund the construction of a new whisky barrel storage facility and the purchase of barrels for the company’s Tochigi factory in Sakura, Tochigi Prefecture. The Tochigi factory’s storage facility, which is scheduled to be up and running in September, will increase the distiller’s storage capacity by 10%.

Nikka invested about ¥12 billion from 2015 to 2021 to strengthen its whisky production. Kazuo Matsuyama, president of Asahi Breweries, said at a recent press conference in Tokyo: “There’s no prospect for resolving the shortage of single barrel whisky. We’ll continue to invest in facilities beyond 2025.”