The Fascination of Japanese Whisky: Raphaël Cristini about Nikka

More than 90 years ago, Masataka Taketsuru laid the foundation for one of Japan’s most renowned whiskey brands when he founded Nikka Whisky. Today, the company is recognized worldwide for its artisanal precision, exceptional blends, and a philosophy that blends tradition and innovation. Raphaël Cristini, Brand Ambassador for Nikka Whisky at La Maison du Whisky for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, brings this story to the international bar scene and to whiskey enthusiasts around the world.

In this interview, Cristini discusses Nikka Whisky’s philosophy, the international success of Japanese whiskies, and the unique characteristics that set Nikka apart from other whisky brands. He also explains the role that craftsmanship, blending, and terroir play in the quality of the whiskies and why, for him, the brand embodies far more than just excellent spirits.

Raphaël, first tell us about yourself: How long have you been in the spirits industry? Where have you worked before?

Raphaël Cristini:
I’ve been working in the drinks industry for around ten years now. My older brother worked in the wine and champagne industry, and I always admired that world growing up. When I started university in France and later in the Netherlands, I began working in cocktail bars and quickly fell in love with hospitality and all things drinks. What started as a student job quickly turned into a real passion. I became fascinated by spirits, how they’re produced, the history behind them, and the culture surrounding them.

After finishing my studies, I joined Rémy Cointreau in South Africa, working with brands such as Bruichladdich, The Botanist Gin and Mount Gay Rum. Later I moved into hospitality consulting, working on projects around the world, from developing premium spirits brands to helping open high-end cocktail bars. In 2023 the opportunity to join Nikka Whisky came along, and for me it was a dream. Nikka has such an incredible heritage and philosophy, so it felt like the perfect next chapter.

Since February 2023, you have been working at LA MAISON DU WHISKY as Brand Ambassador for Nikka Whisky in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. What do you personally associate with Nikka? Why is the brand a perfect fit for you?

Raphaël Cristini: For me, Nikka represents quality, passion, craftsmanship, history and diversity. One of the things I love most about the brand is the incredible range of spirits we produce. Of course, Nikka is famous for its whiskies, but we also produce Coffey Grain, Coffey Malt, vodka and gin. That diversity means we can connect with very different audiences from whisky collectors to bartenders and chefs.

Personally, I’m fascinated by production techniques and the history behind spirits, and Nikka has an extraordinary story to tell. The journey of Masataka Taketsuru, studying whisky in Scotland and bringing that knowledge back to Japan and creating his own Nikka approach to whisky making is one of the most inspiring stories I know. At the same time, Nikka is deeply connected to the food and beverage scene. Our whiskies and spirits are used everywhere from neighbourhood and world’s best cocktail bars to Michelin-starred restaurants. That creative environment is something I absolutely love being part of.

Let’s talk about Nikka: how long has the brand been around? Tell us about its history and development!

Raphaël Cristini:
The story of Nikka begins with Masataka Taketsuru, widely considered the father of Japanese whisky. In 1918 he travelled to Scotland to study whisky production, becoming the first Japanese person to learn the craft directly at its source. He studied organic chemistry at the University of Glasgow and completed apprenticeships at several Scottish distilleries. When he returned to Japan, he helped establish the first Japanese whisky distillery before eventually founding Nikka in 1934.

His first distillery, Yoichi, was built in Hokkaido because the climate reminded him of Scotland. Yoichi still produces whisky using traditional coal-fired pot stills, a very rare technique today that gives the whisky its distinctive character. Later, in 1969, Nikka opened the Miyagikyo distillery, located in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains and rivers. Miyagikyo produces a softer, more elegant style of whisky.

For many decades, Japanese whisky was produced almost exclusively for the domestic market. From the early days of the industry in the 1920s until around the late 1990s, most Japanese whiskies – including Nikka – were rarely exported and were largely unknown outside Japan. In the early 2000s, curiosity about Japanese whisky began to grow internationally and several bottles were submitted to the international whisky competitions where they were tasted blind by expert judging panels.

In 2001, Nikka Yoichi 10 Year Old was awarded “Best of the Best” whisky at the Whisky Magazine Awards after a blind tasting in London. This moment was a turning point. It introduced Japanese whisky to the global whisky community and sparked a new fascination among enthusiasts and collectors. From that point on, interest in Japanese whisky grew rapidly, helping establish Nikka and Japanese whisky as some of the most respected spirits in the world today.

Japanese whisky is very popular at the moment. Why?

Raphaël Cristini:
Japanese whisky has gained worldwide recognition because of its balance, elegance and attention to detail. Japanese producers place enormous importance on craftsmanship and precision. There is also a strong philosophy of harmony creating whiskies where every element works together seamlessly. Another important factor is blending. Japanese whisky houses, including Nikka, have extraordinary blending expertise. The goal is often not just power or intensity, but balance and complexity. Over the past two decades international awards and growing curiosity from consumers have helped Japanese whisky reach a global audience. Today many people see it as one of the most refined styles of whisky in the world.

What sets Nikka apart from other whisky brands?

Raphaël Cristini: What I believe that truly defines Nikka is the philosophy of its founder, Masataka Taketsuru. He came from a family of traditional sake producers, the Taketsuru Shuzo brewery. In Sake brewing, the earliest stages of production are extremely important because that is where many of the aromas and flavours develop. Taketsuru brought this mindset into whisky making. For him, great whisky was never only about aging or the type of cask used, but about paying attention to every single step of the process. At Nikka, every stage of production is considered equally important.

For example, we work with multiple yeast strains, different fermentation times, varying peat levels in the barley, different still types and shapes, and a wide range of cask types. On top of that, our casks mature in different environments across Japan, creating unique micro-aging conditions. It’s also important to say that this doesn’t mean one philosophy is better than another, it’s more the question of a different approach and goal. I can’t speak for every distillery, but generally many distilleries work with a relatively consistent house style or recipe, and you will often find that same DNA running through all their expressions.

At Nikka, the approach is different. If you didn’t know the whiskies, it would sometimes be difficult to immediately recognise them as coming from the same producer, because the production methods behind each expression are very different. However, what you will always find is a shared philosophy and certain common characteristics: in Nikka whiskies that are balanced, elegant and complex, never aggressive, and always designed with harmony in mind.

This philosophy allows Nikka to create whiskies that are incredibly diverse in style. It’s a brand that appeals to whisky experts and enthusiasts who love complexity, but also to curious bartenders and chefs who enjoy experimenting and creating new flavour experiences with our spirits.

Which brands and products make up the core range? What makes them special?

Raphaël Cristini: Let’s break it down quite simply. The Nikka core range is built around three main categories: single malts, grain whiskies and blends. First, we have our two single malts, which represent the two Nikka distilleries. Yoichi, produced in Hokkaido, is known for a more powerful style with subtle smoke and structure. Miyagikyo, produced in the Miyagi prefecture, is softer, more delicate and often fruitier and more floral. Then we have our two grain whiskies distilled in our traditional Coffey stills.

Nikka Coffey Grain is known for its creamy texture and sweet, vanillaforward character. Nikka Coffey Malt is quite unique because it is made entirely from malted barley but distilled in a Coffey still, which gives it a rich, topical, strong banana and round profile. Finally, we have our blended whiskies: Nikka From the Barrel, Nikka Days, Nikka Tailored, Super Nikka – and our latest addition, Nikka Frontier. Unique with Nikka is that our blends can be understood through their building blocks.

For example, Nikka From the Barrel is primarily built around Yoichi single malt and Coffey Grain. From Yoichi it gets power and a subtle smokiness, while Coffey Grain brings smoothness and sweetness. Another example is Nikka Days, which has a lighter and more approachable style. It draws its delicate elegance from Miyagikyo and its fruitiness from Coffey Malt. At the heart of Nikka Frontier lies a peated single malt from Yoichi. It is well balanced between peat and sweetness, but lighter than something like From the Barrel.

What really gets me excited though is the mixology potential — it has real character but comes in at a price point that makes cocktail costs genuinely manageable for the on-trade. Bartenders can finally build premium Japanese whisky serves without blowing their margins, and that’s a game changer for us.

To briefly summarise the core range:

• Yoichi Single Malt – structured, toasted, lightly peated and maritime.
• Miyagikyo Single Malt – delicate and floral.
• Coffey Grain – creamy, sweet and approachable.
• Coffey Malt – rich, fruity and unique.
• Nikka From the Barrel – powerful, intense and complex.
• Nikka Days – fresh, delicate and easy to enjoy.
• Nikka Tailored – refined and balanced.
• Super Nikka – smooth, round and harmonious.
• Nikka Frontier – peated, sweet and balanced.

This year, your From the Barrel series is celebrating its 40th anniversary. What exactly is it?

Raphaël Cristini:
Nikka From the Barrel is a recipe and bottle design that goes back to the time when Masataka Taketsuru was still alive. He imagined a whisky that would capture the intensity and richness of whisky straight from the cask. The iconic square bottle reflects this idea of concentration, a small compact bottle representing a whisky packed with flavour. Masataka never saw this vision come to life, and it was only in 1985 that Nikka From the Barrel was released.

It is a blend of corn and barley whiskies, mainly Yoichi single malt and Coffey Grain, creating a profile that is both sweet and gently smoky. The whiskies are married together for three months before bottling. To celebrate the 40th anniversary this year, Nikka created a new expression called From the Barrel Extra Marriage. A small rye component was added to the blend and the marriage period was extended by another three months, making six months in total. It’s delicious!

In Germany, you work with Kirsch Import for distribution. Why is this the perfect partner? Through which channels is Nikka marketed in this country?

Raphaël Cristini: Kirsch Import is a fantastic partner because they have incredibly strong connections across the entire whisky market in Germany. Not only with whisky clubs, retail and specialist whisky shops, but also within the bar and restaurant scene, which is something we love developing with Nikka as well. Germany has a very knowledgeable whisky audience, so working with a partner like Kirsch who understands this market so well is extremely valuable for us. And whenever I visit the market, it’s always amazing to see the passion and support people have for Nikka through Kirsch.

With the Nikka Perfect Serve Competition, you brought the spirit of Japan to Europe. How did the competition go? Is a new edition planned? What else is in the pipeline for 2026?

Raphaël Cristini: The Nikka Perfect Serve Competition is always a great success. It brings bartenders from around the world together in a competition that is quite unique, as it focuses on the Japanese concepts of Omakase and Ichigo Ichie. It’s really about the guest experience first, and the brand naturally becomes part of that moment. Germany always brings some incredible talent, and it’s always exciting to see what the bartenders create.

This year, we are asking for an original cocktail recipe, inspired by a real-life encounter with a guest. The idea is not only to tell us what happened, but to show whether that moment changed something in you as a bartender. Those who impress at the German regional final will represent Germany at the Global Final in Japan at the end of November 2026.

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+++ We’d like to thank Raphaël Cristini for the open and very interesting interview! If you have an interesting brand, we should talk. Just send us an email with the subject line “about-drinks Interview” to redaktion@about-drinks.com – we look forward to hearing from you! +++