On the Production Methods of Pot Still Whisky

In the winter of 1920, the 25 year-old Masataka Taketsuru, with his new wife Rita in tow, arrived in Campbeltown, a small town on the west coast of Scotland. With the help of Professor Wilson of the Royal Technical College in Glasgow, the young Japanese had been fortunate enough to secure an invitation to undergo practical training in pot still whisky manufacture at the Hazelburn Distillery, then the largest of the Campbeltown distilleries. Under the guidance of chief technician Peter Margach Innes, Taketsuru was able to delve into all aspects of whisky manufacture. Four months later, he had completed this report. Taketsuru would go on to establish his own company – Nikka Whisky. Today Nikka’s whiskies are known the world over, and frequently win awards.

Author Biography

Masataka Taketsuru (1894-1979) was a Japanese chemist and businessman, born into a family who had owned a sake brewery since 1733.
Ruth A Herd is the Co-ordinator of Mandarin Chinese in the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication, Imperial College, London. Ruth Herd is the Co-ordinator of Mandarin Chinese in the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication at Imperial College, London. She is co-author, with Zhaoxia Pang, of ‘Complete Mandarin Chinese’,Teach Yourself, 4th edition, 2021.
Alan G Wolstenholme is Honorary Professor at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.