Nikka Museum Renewal

Since opening as a whisky museum in 1998, the number of visitors has exceeded 600,000, partly due to the airing of a TV drama and the arrival of the highball boom. However, due to the aging of the facilities and the fact that the way displays are presented is no longer in line with the times, a review of the entire Yoichi Distillery visitor facilities has been conducted, and as the first phase of the plan, the old whisky hall at the facility will be renovated.

The Yoichi Distillery is an important point of contact where visitors can experience Nikka, and it can be considered a sacred place for whisky fans. However, the previous visitor facilities were not at a level commensurate with its importance, and the fact that they had not kept up with the changes and advancements of the world was a major challenge in this renovation.
The main theme of the renovation is to tell a story about the ideal whisky making envisioned by founder Masataka Taketsuru, or Yoichi as the origin of Nikka, and how it began here and continues into the future, thereby fostering understanding and empathy for the Nikka brand.


[Social Issues / Customer Issues / Requests]
① The purpose of the renovation is to further improve visitors' understanding and satisfaction, increase the number of Nikka fans, and strengthen the brand.
② In line with the growing popularity of whiskey, displays will be renovated to accommodate the expanding user base and diversifying visitor needs.
③ Reorganization of multilingual support to accommodate the increase in foreign visitors.
④ The main target audience is customers who are interested in whiskey and are coming to the event.
⑤ displays will cover everything from the basics of the manufacturing process to details and trivia, but it will not be comprehensive; the goal is to allow visitors to intuitively understand the key points.
The above requests were received.


[Solution]
In designing this project, we made a major shift in thinking from the conventional and comprehensive whiskey information dissemination of previous whiskey museums, and attempted a completely new displays approach.
Based on the concept of "Discovering the essence of Nikka Whisky through the brand stories of four Nikka products," we focused on four of Nikka's representative brands and transformed their respective brand stories into displays. Our aim was to create an experience where visitors could learn about the essence of Nikka Whisky and gain fundamental knowledge about whisky while following the brand stories.
displays includes, for the first time, video interviews with various people working at the distillery and a presentation of the important role of blenders, incorporating displays that have never been seen before and are sure to delight whisky fans. displays explanations include trivia information aimed at the main target audience, as well as numerous displays that delve into the secrets of the manufacturing process that shape the individuality of the products.
Regarding multilingual support, displays explanations are primarily in Japanese and English, and to accommodate the large number of visitors from China, we have introduced digital technology that allows them to read translated explanations on their personal mobile phones.


<Our project members>
[Sales/Project Management] Tadayuki Matsubara
[Creative Direction] Keiyu Tamura
[concept design Direction] Fujie Suzuki
[concept design and Planning] Akika Yamada, Kensaku Shiroto
[Planning] Tomoko Yanagihara, Atsuro Iizuka
[Production] Tsukasa Iwasaki, Ikumo Umemoto