Mercian Corporation was once a major force in Japan’s wine and whisky industry. Established in the 1930s, it gained recognition for producing quality wines and spirits. In the post-war years, Mercian stood alongside Suntory and Nikka as one of the “big three,” even establishing a whisky-dedicated art gallery. The company owned both the Karuizawa distillery, known for its rich malt whiskies, and the lesser-known Kawasaki distillery, which focused on grain whisky production.

Kawasaki was set up in 1935 in Kawasaki prefecture on the outskirts of Tokyo. At the time, It was one of Japan’s smallest distilleries, and lesser-known than its sister, Karuizawa. That said, Kawasaki had a proud reputation for making excellent grain whisky.

By the late 1990s, Kawasaki’s parent company, Mercian, had been taken over by Kirin. Along with Karuizawa, Kawasaki was closed down. With all remaining stock left hidden away.

This might have been the end of the story if not for Ichiro Akuto, founder of Venture Whisky and owner of the Chichibu distillery. Ichiro bought the majority of the remaining Karuizawa and Kawasaki stock, which he then marketed under the now infamous label Ichiro’s Choice.