Tokyo, Jan 13 (IANS): A Japanese distillery will stop selling three of its aged whiskey brands after a surging demand at home and abroad has drained its stocks.

Nikka Whisky Distilling's 'Taketsuru' branded drinks that have been aged for 17, 21 or 25 years will start disappearing from shelves after March, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said in a report on Tuesday.

The company said that consumers in Japan and other countries places such as the UK and France have developed a taste for its premium whiskies, pressuring supply.

The firm will spend about $60 million in the next two years to expand its production facilities in Hokkaido and Miyagi prefectures by around 20 per cent.

Shipments of Japanese whiskies have doubled in the past decade.

Two other brewers, Suntory and Kirin, have also stopped sales of some of their products as they failed to keep up with demand.

They have been trying to boost their capacity to produce so-called base whiskies.