Japanese whisky maker Suntory is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a video tribute from director Sofia Coppola, starring Keanu Reeves.

The filmmaker and actor were selected for their roles as “friends of the House of Suntory” based on their previous work with the brand. Reeves appeared in a Suntory Reserve ad campaign in 1992. Coppola, meanwhile, wrote and directed “Lost in Translation,” the 2003 movie in which Bill Murray starred in an iconic scene making an “It’s Suntory Time” commercial.

“Two years ago, as we started to plan out 100th year anniversary it felt appropriate to work with friends of the house to bring to life a story of an iconic portfolio,” Jon Potter, managing director of the House of Suntory, said in an interview. “Sofia's film is really her view, through her eyes, of a modern-day interpretation of Suntory Time, the phrase that she coined during ‘Lost In Translation.’ It celebrates the place, the people, and the values behind it. Importantly, it talks about the friends we met along the way, the people we worked with.”

Those friends include Murray, Sammy Davis Jr., Ray Charles and Coppola’s father, Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Suntory ads in the 1970s. Clips of all appear in Sofia Coppola's fast-moving collage.

Coppola's production company, The Director's Bureau, was behind the ad. 

Japanese culture

Reeves is also starring in a series of forthcoming documentary shorts from filmmaker Roman Coppola, titled “The Nature and Spirit of Japan.” These films will explore Japanese whisky culture inspired by harmony with nature, elevated by Japanese craftsmanship and enjoyed as an authentic Japanese cultural experience.

Potter said intrigue with Japanese culture was one of the brand’s advantages as it seeks new fans.

“We talk a lot in the House of Suntory about how we’re not just selling a whisky we’re selling Japanese culture. And Japanese culture is very magnetic, very intriguing,” he said. “A big part of our job is to open up that world to consumers through our brands, which are a celebration of Japanese culture. We are looking at cultural explorers, the culturally curious, who want to learn more about places like Japan.”

Keeping the brand new at age 100, Suntory is releasing a series of special edition whiskeys, including special versions of its flagship Yamazaki variety. 

Potter said the business was growing “at an appropriate pace. We’re not here to sell more boxes, we’re here to build a luxury brand.” Japanese whisky exports have accelerated in recent years, reaching $350 million in 2021, according to a report earlier this year from liquor trade publication Shanken News Daily.

Suntory was founded in 1923 with the establishment of its Yamazaki Distillery, what the brand describes as “the first and oldest malt whisky distillery in Japan’s history.” Suntory Holdings in 2014 acquired U.S.-based Beam Inc., creating Beam Suntory.