(Source: House of Suntory)

The House of Suntory has been making whisky since 1923, when founder Shinjiro Torii built Yamazaki, Japan's first malt whisky distillery, convinced he could create a spirit suited to the Japanese palate. A century later, the results speak plainly enough: four ISC Distiller of the Year titles; Yamazaki ranking in the top three of World's Most Admired Whiskies every year since Drinks International began the poll; and Hibiki – with its iconic 24-faceted design – becoming one of the world's most recognisable Japanese whisky bottles, helped in no small part by Bill Murray’s hawking in the cult 2003 film Lost in Translation (Suntory did not have to sponsor the Hibiki's appearance).

Then there was the $16 billion acquisition of Beam Inc, which brought Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Laphroaig, and Bowmore under the same roof, making Suntory one of the world's largest premium spirits companies. Through all of this, the company has remained family-owned.

When Shinji Fukuyo took on the role in 2009, he became the fifth Chief Blender in Suntory’s lineage. Only five people have held the title across a century of whisky-making. Since then, he has been the custodian of Hibiki, Yamazaki, and Hakushu while pushing Suntory into new territory.

(Source: House of Suntory)

Fukuyo first joined the company in 1984 – the same year Suntory released Yamazaki Single Malt for the first time. Since then, he has lived through both the lean years and the boom years: eight years on the distillery floor at Hakushu, working across grain-to-glass production; a transfer to the blending department at Yamazaki in 1992; and then six formative years in Scotland, where he worked across Bowmore, Glen Garioch, and Auchentoshan. By the time global demand for Japanese whisky surged in the late 2000s, Fukuyo had already spent more than two decades honing his craft in a market that was only beginning to show hints of the overwhelming validation we see today.

(Source: House of Suntory)

The results under his stewardship are difficult to argue with. But the work that interests Fukuyo runs deeper than trophies. The much-hyped Yamazaki-and-Hakushu Tsukuriwake Series launched in 2020 took Suntory's internal production philosophy of diversity within a single distillery and turned it outward, releasing limited editions that isolated individual variables such as peat profile, grain variety, and cask wood. He has also steered Suntory into cross-cultural collaborations that would have been unimaginable a generation earlier: Legent, a bourbon developed with Jim Beam's Fred Noe; Ardray, a malt-rich Scotch created by the Suntory blending team alongside Scotch Master Blender Calum Fraser; and even El Tesoro Mundial, an añejo tequila aged in former Yamazaki casks!

Behind the scenes, Fukuyo has overseen the more recent revival of floor malting at both Yamazaki and Hakushu, and in 2024 Suntory completed a world-first trial of direct-fired distillation using 100% hydrogen at Yamazaki's pilot distillery. 

(Source: House of Suntory)

The Toki blended whisky which was recently launched in Singapore was crafted under the direction of Fukuyo, who rethought Suntory’s traditional blending hierarchy to create a highball-friendly whisky that elevates Hakushu's malt and Chita's grain.

The pattern across his tenure is clear: preserve the foundations, then reach for greater heights.

(Source: House of Suntory)

Having met Fukuyo-san at several Suntory tastings over the years, we have come to know him as a person of quiet warmth and composed authority, deliberate in manner and unhurried in presence. He describes each whisky and blend as if it were one of his children.

Thanks to the team at The House of Suntory and Access Communications, we were able to have a special conversation with Fukuyo-san, who reflected on how four decades have shaped his blending philosophy, and what it takes to push quality further.

“One of my mentors once told me, ‘you should think about whisky all the time.’ I have carried that advice throughout my career.”

– Suntory Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo

[88 Bamboo]: How have your whisky blending sensibilities evolved over your 40 years with Suntory? Have your ideals or beliefs of what makes a great whisky changed?

[Shinji Fukuyo]: My blending philosophy has evolved by continually deepening my respect for our founder Shinjiro Torii, whose ambition was to craft a whisky that suits the delicate Japanese palate. Guided by his vision, we have been pioneering highest quality Japanese whiskies with a relentless pursuit of perfection.

A visualisation of Fukuyo-san's approach to blending the Hibiki (Source: House of Suntory)

In recent years, engaging more closely with spirits-making from around the world, such as Scotch, Bourbon, and Tequila, has broadened my perspective as a blender. Exposure to different climates and philosophies has led me to think more deeply about technique and expression, while also sharpening my awareness of what defines a distinctly Japanese sensibility.

What I value most is our commitment to Monozukuri (ものづくり) — the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship that guides every detail of our whisky making. As a blender, I will continue to challenge myself and my team to improve our quality, evolving step by step while staying true to the traditions and vision we inherited.

(Source: Suntory Global Spirits)

[88B]: Where do you draw inspiration from?

[Shinji Fukuyo]: One of my mentors once told me, ‘you should think about whisky all the time.’ I have carried that advice throughout my career. I am constantly experimenting at the distillery, exploring new possibilities and challenging myself to create expressions that are true to our philosophy. I also work with my colleagues on new ideas and concepts based on consumer preferences, while keeping a close eye on market trends.

And ultimately, what lies at the heart of my ideas and decisions as a blender is tasting. Through daily tastings of hundreds of different whiskies, my nose and palate are continually honed, and in the end, I trust them to guide my judgement.

I believe that everything I do each day connects back to whisky making, and I intend to continue putting in the effort to carry Suntory’s whisky into the future.

(Source: House of Suntory.)

[88B]: You’ve previously said that as great as marketing campaigns or collaborations are, the ultimate focus has to be on the quality of whisky. You have thus developed enhanced in-house yeast cultivation systems, invested in water conservation initiatives - even sent whisky samples to space to explore its effects on mellowing - all in the name of better quality!

Could you share with us, what other avenues could you still explore, to see how quality can be further improved at Suntory?

[Shinji Fukuyo]: First and foremost, whisky is a spirit that deepens in character through maturation. That is why we want to be committed to refining every detail and continuing to innovate in pursuit of creating high-quality Suntory Whisky. For example, we have introduced traditional floor malting and yeast cultivation processes to pursue even more delicious whiskies through longer maturation.

At Yamazaki Distillery, we have installed an electric heating pot still at our pilot distillery, and succeeded in a world-first direct-fired distillation trial using 100% hydrogen for whisky production. This is a milestone moment in the company’s journey toward decarbonizing our manufacturing processes while maintaining the quality craftsmanship that defines Suntory Whisky.

We will continue to refine our craftsmanship and embrace new challenges to deliver even higher‑quality products, while ensuring that this spirit of craftsmanship is passed on to the next generation.

A pot still inside Yamazaki's pilot distillery (Source: House of Suntory)

[88B]: What are some trends in consumer preferences that you think we should be paying more attention to? From there, what are some trends in whisky making that have caught your interest?

[Shinji Fukuyo]: In our day-to-day work, we listen closely to what drinkers around the world are looking for. In recent years, we have felt a growing tendency toward spirits with a clear purpose, background, and story. While taking these consumer needs into account, as blenders, we carefully assess each whisky at both the development stage and throughout maturation, and strive to continue proposing to the world whiskies that we ourselves believe represent the “ultimate expression of flavour.”

[88B]: How do you conceptualise new product launches, and decide what gets added to the Suntory portfolio?

[Shinji Fukuyo]: At Suntory, decisions on what is added to the whisky portfolio are made by the Master Blender, who holds final responsibility for quality and product approval.

As blenders, it is our responsibility to taste up to several hundred types of whisky a day, not only when developing new products, and predict when each cask will be at its best and when it should be used.

Over time, this daily practice allows us to share a sense of blending direction almost instinctively, without needing many words. The insights gained through this process become essential in judging the potential of the blending of new products and form the foundation of our future distillation and maturation plans.

(Source: House of Suntory)

[88B]: Thank you once again, Fukuyo-san for doing this interview with us! We’re really privileged to share our conversation with such an experienced leader of the modern whisky industry and inspiration for so many

Kanpai!

@CharsiuCharlie