Shinji Fukuyo

Suntory Spirits Limited, Chief Blender

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1961, after graduating Nagoya University Department of Agriculture, majoring in Agricultural Chemistry, Shinji joined Suntory as a distillery staff member at Hakushu Distillery. In 1992 he was appointed to the Blender team, and since then he has been the key figure in Suntory whisky creation.
From 1996 until 2002, Shinji worked in Scotland. For the first two years, he was at Heriot-Watt Univ. in Edinburgh studying and researching whisky making. He then worked at Morrison Bowmore Distillers as a member of the board of directors.
After his return, Shinji continued to lead the Blender team and in 2009, he was appointed as the fifth chief blender of Suntory.
His production and blending responsibilities include the multiple San Francisco World Spirits Competition award-winning Yamazaki 12 Year Old, Yamazaki 18 Year Old, and Hakushu 12 Year Old. He led the team that created the prestigious limited edition of Yamazaki 50 Years Old and Yamazaki 1984.
He has been an innovator of Japanese Whisky with his proactive approach to extending the possibilities of Japanese Whisky.
He currently lives in Kobe, Japan with his wife and two sons.