Scotland at Expo Osaka 2025: Evaluation Report

Section 11: Case Studies and Testimonies

Case Study - Unlocking Growth in Japan through Expo Osaka 2025

Brave New Spirits, an innovative and award-winning independent bottler and blender of Scotch whisky based in Glasgow, has established a reputation for its diverse portfolio, offering a wide range of single malts and blended whiskies, catering to both specialist retailers and high-volume supermarkets across more than 30 countries. Despite international recognition, including multiple gold and master awards from the IWSC, Whisky Magazine, Scottish Whisky Awards, Tokyo Whisky Awards, and Spirits Business Magazine, the Japanese market – the 7th largest market for Scotch whisky by value and the 4th largest market by volume in 2024 - required a strategic approach to unlock significant growth. This presented significant opportunities for Brave New Spirits, Whisky Heroes collection and the Cask Masters range of Single Malts, with a label design inspired by the Japanese paper-cutting art of Kirigami.

Brave New Spirits have been nurturing relationships in Japan for several years, building a network of retail partners with the support of Scottish Development International (SDI). Their participation in SDI’s Japan roadshow and Scotland’s Osaka Expo programme in April 2025 provided direct access to key decision-makers in the Japanese retail sector. Minister Lochhead accompanying the mission provided access to more senior leadership and added credibility to engagements - instrumental in converting long-standing discussions into tangible sales.

Export Director Tomek Weselik, says:

“The Osaka Expo mission came at just the right time for us as we had been in discussions with various partners and starting to do some good business. Participating in SDI’s mission and being accompanied by Minister Lochhead helped to add credibility to these discussions. For one retail partner who we had been engaging with for over two years, after meeting their senior leadership during the Mission and visiting their store, we landed a significant new order, just weeks after coming back to Scotland.

“We are now supplying major Japanese supermarkets including Donki, Aeon as well as Department Store Isetan with our volume products. We also distribute our premium whiskies to specialist shops and bars. Plus we are not far away from finalizing sales to major supplier of bulk whisky for Japanese distilleries.

“The global environment for whisky – like many premium and luxury products – is difficult at the moment but the Japan market has been a success for us. The support from SDI – through introductions to buyers and opportunities to network – has played a big part in that success.”

The company forecasts an additional £4 million in export sales in Japan over the next three years as a result of participating in the Mission and the support delivered by SDI in the run up to it. The company also picked up two awards at Whisky Magazine’s “Icons of Whisky” 2026 awards in December 2025 – Independent Bottler Of The Year & Sales Team of The Year – in part, as a result of the success they had achieved in the Japanese market.

Brave New Spirits’ experience demonstrates the value of targeted trade missions and strategic partnerships. The support from SDI, combined with a compelling product portfolio and persistent relationship-building, enabled the company to overcome market challenges and achieve substantial growth in Japan.

June Activation – Company Case Studies:

Konpanion, a pre-revenue SME developing companion robots, reported that the Expo was highly beneficial in connecting with healthtech opportunities in Japan and strengthening ties within the Scottish healthcare ecosystem. Since the visit, Konpanion has established a working relationship with TOA Corporation, a Japanese sound equipment manufacturer, and secured a place on the Shibuya Startups accelerator in Tokyo. Additionally, the company has forged close links with the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling and NHS Scotland’s Regional Innovation Hubs, highlighting the advantage of combining companies and clinical leads in overseas missions.

iGii, a larger SME specialising in carbon nano materials, has converted Expo connections into tangible commercial progress. The company recently received a £25,000 purchase order from Immunosens Ltd, an Osaka-based innovation lab, to undertake electrode customisation and proof-of-concept work. This engagement is expected to lead to a licence and supply chain agreement in 2026. Immunosens will visit iGii in Scotland next year, and iGii is planning two further trips to Japan to advance discussions with major industry players including Kainos, Sysmex, Shimadzu, Sekisui and MetaWater.

Touchlab, a scale-ready company manufacturing touch sensors for robotics, also leveraged the Expo to accelerate its international ambitions. Following a successful pitch to join a Japanese accelerator, Touchlab has committed to return to Japan in January 2026 as part of Innovate UK’s Robotics & Automation Manufacturing Global Business Innovation Programme. This opportunity positions the company to explore manufacturing partnerships and expand its global footprint.

September Activation – Company Case Study – OEG

OEG, a leading global energy solutions business, has been active in the Asia Pacific region for more than 20 years. We first entered the offshore wind sector in Taiwan in 2017 and have since grown our local presence with an in-country team, a broad range of topside and subsea equipment, and 4 Crew Transfer Vessels. Our track record in Taiwan spans wind turbine and blade maintenance, high-voltage operations, temporary power services, subsea work using Remotely Operated Vehicles and Electric Controlled Flow Excavator, cable support, offshore substation maintenance, and marine coordination and Crew Transfer Vessel operations. This experience forms the foundation of our capability in the region.

Building on this, OEG has expanded into Japan and Korea in recent years, establishing a Korean entity in April 2024 and our Japanese entity earlier in 2025. In Japan, OEG has successfully delivered Remotely Operated Vehicle services for the Akita Noshiro project, and this year, we also provided blade maintenance for the Ishikari project, as well as temporary power and turbine campaign services for the Hibikinada project. These early achievements demonstrate our ability to support Japanese offshore wind developers with specialised engineering and offshore operations services.

In Korea, OEG has supported the Jeonnam 1 project by delivering temporary power and marine coordination services.

Leveraging strong execution experience in Taiwan and a proven technical track record in the UK and Europe, OEG is well positioned to continue supporting offshore wind development across the Asia Pacific region, including Japan and Korea, as markets progress toward construction and O&M (Operations and Maintenance) phases.

Company Testimonies

Selected feedback from participating companies across the Programme:

“Our experience on the Techscaler Japan programme broadened our horizons, both connecting us with the Tokyo startup ecosystem, and opening doors for us in building relationships with Japanese game studios. We came away with a much better understanding of how to do business in Japan, many new connections, and clear roadmap for expanding Buildstash into this exciting market.”

“That it's important to be in Japan, to be making personal connections and to keep those connections active. There are a lot of opportunities if you pursue them, but not if you don't! They won't come to you, but they're open to business and collaboration.”

“We now have a solid understanding of this market potential and the relevant market entry levels, market dynamics and pricing. Key takeaways – that Japan is open for business from Scotland, high level of perfectionism and significant opportunity.” (A new-to market spirits company)

"The trade mission helped making new customers to sign the contract, pushing existing customers to increase the purchasing volume, and getting contacts to the new prospective customers."

"We gained a deeper understanding of Japanese consumer preferences. This insight will help us tailor our product positioning and messaging for the Japanese market. Secondly, we saw first -hand the importance of long -term relationship building in doing business in Japan”

“The meetings we had and contacts made were of a relevance and seniority that will assist us in continuing to build on the very strong relations between Scotland and Japan.”

“Participation in the Osaka Expo and the wider trade mission programme has been highly beneficial for our company. It provided a unique platform to showcase our capabilities to a diverse international audience and allowed us to gain visibility within the Japanese market.”

“Overall, the experience has strengthened our strategic positioning in the region and laid a strong foundation for future growth and partnerships.”