Japanese whisky emerged in the 1920s when Masataka Taketsuru, after studying Scotch whisky production in Scotland, returned to Japan and co-founded the country's first commercial distillery with Shinjiro Torii, establishing a whisky-making tradition that closely follows Scottish methods while incorporating distinctly Japanese elements like mizunara oak aging, local water sources, and meticulous attention to craftsmanship. The industry gained international recognition in the early 2000s when Japanese whiskies began winning prestigious awards and blind tastings against established Scotch brands, with distilleries like Yamazaki, Hakushu, Nikka, and Hibiki producing whiskies that showcase remarkable balance, complexity, and refinement that reflect Japanese aesthetic principles of harmony and precision. Japanese whisky production emphasizes diversity within individual distilleries—using multiple still shapes, varied fermentation times, and different oak types including American oak, sherry casks, and the prized Japanese mizunara oak that imparts unique incense and sandalwood notes—allowing master blenders to create complex expressions from a single facility's production.