It’s hard to remember just how different the world of whisky was in 1985 compared to today. On a global scale, whisky was in the midst of a decades-long slump, eclipsed by the vodka boom that had started in the ’60s. In Japan, younger drinkers were gravitating away from whisky toward shochu and, ironically, imported whiskies from Scotland and America that weren’t being consumed in the countries that made them. It was into this challenging climate that Nikka—one of the premier Japanese distilleries, in operation since 1934—launched Nikka From The Barrel.

Four decades later, whisky has regained its dominance in the spirits universe. Japan, once considered an afterthought among serious whisky drinkers, creates some of the most acclaimed and sought-after bottlings around the globe. And Nikka

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