The Perfect Blend
By Olive Checkland
December, 1918. The First World War had Just ended. The Japanese businessman Masataka Taketsuru travelled to Elgin, Scotland. A trained chemist, Taketsuru planned to learn the art of Scottish whisky, practice the craft, and bring the secret back to the Japanese market. But he had not planned on falling in love.
In a small ceremony on the outside of Glasgow, Taketsuru found his perfect match in Rita Cowan. Returning to Japan with his new wife, Taketsuru embarked on creating the first traditional Japanese whisky company. But both his marriage and his business would face challenges. How would Rita settle into a society notably resistant to foreigners? In a culture of arranged marriages, her arrival Osaka would be met with opposition. And for Taketsuru, how would Shiro Fuda Suntory survive the economic repercussions of a second war?