[/floatr]Nikka: The Father of Japanese Whisky
In 1918, Masataka Taketsuru embarked alone on a long voyage to Scotland. In this distant land the secrets of whisky-making would be imparted to this young Japanese man, and here he would meet the woman who would become his bride...Masataka enrolled at the University of Glasgow and became the first Japanese ever to study the art of whisky making. In 1920 Masataka returned to Japan with Jessie Roberta (Rita) Cowen, whom he had married earlier that year. The young Scotswoman who, in 1920, embarked with her Japanese husband on a long voyage to Japan, adopted the ways of the distant land. She steadfastly supported her husband throughout their marriage, as he built Nikka and made it flourish, until her passing in 1961. Rita and Masataka Taketsuru are buried together, in Yoichi...more...
There's a bar named after her in Otaru, Hokkaido. See this thread for Kirin Beer's FG connection.
