Many articles on the history of Nikka say that Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky, chose to settle in Yushiro because of the proximity of the climate to Scotland, the home of whisky, but in fact Yushiro is also Hokkaido's fruit kingdom, and to this day is still the number one producer of apples in Hokkaido, and Nikka, which is written in Chinese as Nikka, is the predecessor of Dai Nippon Fruit Juice, a company that sells apple products.
Although Masataka Taketsuru's original intention was to make good whisky, whisky needs to be aged in barrels for many years, so it was impossible to generate income immediately, so Nikka's first product was not wine, but apple juice produced locally in the city of Yu, and the name of the product, which was named ‘Nigiri Ringo Juice’, was banned from using the enemy's exonym, ‘Juice’, because of the strained relations between the United States and Japan at the time (at last, you can understand it without having to pronounce it! (Finally, you can read it without having to pronounce it, isn't that great?)
‘Apple Wine’ was transferred to the Hirosaki Factory in Aomori Prefecture in 1960, and is now a genuine Aomori apple wine.
Although Masataka Taketsuru is a Gemini born on the 20th of June, he is as meticulous as a Virgo, and his perfectionism is not only for wine, but also for apple juice, for which he insists on producing only 100% of the original juice.
Unfortunately, Nippon Fruit Ringo Juice was born at the wrong time, the background of the market was not the present day, which emphasises on organic health, but the chaotic era when the world had just experienced the Great Depression in the United States and the World War II was in full swing, so of course, nobody could afford to drink the high-priced juice which was priced at one cent per cent, which was not selling well, and made the history of Nippon Fruit's history of selling fruit juices little known to the public.
The Dai Nippon Juice Co., Ltd. later obtained a licence to brew whisky and brandy, and the first product it launched was not whisky, but ‘Nikka Apple Wine’, which was made from apples and released in 1938.
Perhaps learning a lesson from apple juice, this fruit wine is not a high-priced 100% apple brandy, but a blend of apple wine and distilled spirits, but not for the sake of cost down, but not for the sake of messing around, the opening of the bottle of rich sweet aroma is overwhelming, and the pure drink is also extremely sweet, which seems to reflect the desire for a sweet peace in wartime.
Nikka Apple Wine has been around for nearly 80 years and is still readily available in supermarkets across Japan. Although it was transferred to the Hirosaki factory in Aomori Prefecture in 1960 and became a true Aomori Apple Wine, the packaging is virtually the same as the original version, and it's practically a piece of living history in a bottle. To awaken the aroma of this brandy barrel-aged Showa, it is best enjoyed in sparkling water, ginger ale, or hot water, and can be found in many pubs as a mixer, and is also great for desserts.
