Suntory Whisky

Suntory Holdings Limited is a Japanese brewing and distilling company. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. With its 2014 acquisition of Beam, Inc., it has diversified internationally and become one of the largest makers of distilled beverages in the world boasting a portfolio of brands such as Yamazaki, Hibiki, Hakushu, Bookers, Knob Creek, Makers Mark, Laphroaig, Bowmore and many more world-famous liquor brands.
Suntory was started by Shinjirō Tori who first opened his store Torii Shōten in Osaka on February 1899, to sell imported wines. The store became the Kotobukiya company in 1921 to further expand its business and in 1923, Torii built Japan’s first malt whisky distillery, the iconic Yamazaki Distillery. Production began in December 1924 and five years later Suntory Whisky Shirofuda (White Label), the first single malt whisky made in Japan, was sold.