This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) However, with growth comes the need for greater regulation, he says, and a definition for Taiwanese whisky. Chang highlights the example of Japanese whisky, which, despite its rapid growth, has no law preventing distillers from importing, blending and bottling bulk whisky from abroad. “As a producer you want to protect your reputation and the reputation of your whisky,” he says.

a b Quartly, Jules (9 January 2019). "Kavalan Finds Further "Ginspiration" ". topics.amcham.com.tw. Taiwan Topics . Retrieved 9 January 2021. Lee, who runs King Car with his son, Yu‐Ting Lee, gathered a team of engineers and food technologists to research how whisky is made around the world. According to Ian Chang, Kavalan’s master blender, Lee Sr was heavily inspired by the “traditional Scotch style and traditional producing methods”. Single malt was the inevitable direction for Kavalan. Lee and his team sought the ideal location in which to build the distillery, settling on County Yilan because of its plentiful water supply and subtropical climate, ideal for whisky maturation. The distillery, which had a capacity of 2.5 million litres of pure alcohol a year, with four copper pot stills, was built in just nine months. “It took just 45 days to do the installation and commissioning of all the production equipment, so we were up and running in less than one year,” says Chang. The Best World Whiskies According to the 2021 International Wines & Spirits Competition," Forbes, 29 June 2021, retrieved 16 August 2021 The distillery is based in Yilan County, south of Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. The area’s high temperatures (averaging 33 degrees Celsius in the summer) and sweltering humidity accelerate the interaction of the liquor with the wood barrels. June 2021). "The Distillery That Put Taiwan On The World Map – Kavalan Distillery". 88 Bamboo . Retrieved 15 May 2023. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)

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Taiwan is one of the world’s largest single malt markets – tied with France behind the US – and is thus a very developed and sophisticated market,” says Keeling. In 2021, the Distillery did very well in the Gold Outstanding category at the International Wines & Spirits Competition, winning all but one of the eight medals that were awarded. A news article at that time added this information about the distillery's success: It "came to prominence in January 2012, when one of its expressions beat out three Scotch whisky expressions in a blind tasting [and has since won] dozens of awards for its whisky bottlings". [12] Buxton, Ian; Hughes, Paul S. (2014). The Science and Commerce of Whisky. Cambridge, UK: The Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 9781849731508. Tan, Rebecca Lynne (24 June 2014). "Taiwan whisky comes out tops". The Straits Times . Retrieved 24 May 2014.

Sorry, Scotland! Taiwan's Kavalan named world's best single malt whisky". NY Daily News. 23 March 2015 . Retrieved 25 March 2015. Nestled in the lush green surroundings of northeast Taiwan is a distillery that has been making major inroads into the global whisky scene. Since it opened 15 years ago, Kavalan has become the darling of international tasting competitions, shaping the nascent Asian whisky and broader world whisky movements in the process.

Single Malt Taiwanese Whisky

Following in Kavalan’s footsteps, more Taiwanese distilleries will enter the fray. The island is home to one other whisky producer, the government‐run Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation. Chang says another will open this year and he has heard that one more is in the planning stages. He says this is good news for the Taiwanese whisky industry, which has been almost single‐ handedly sustained by Kavalan. “Hopefully, similar to Scotland, we can have many whisky distilleries in Taiwan,” he enthuses. The distillery was named by Whisky Magazine as the World Icons of Whisky "Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year" for 2011, and its products have won several other awards. [3] The distillery even moved into an entirely new spirit category in 2019 with Kavalan Gin, which is made from the same malted barley spirit as Kavalan’s whiskies and contains locally sourced kumquat, star fruit and red guava. The line will expand this year with the addition of a cask‐aged variety, while 2021 will see the launch of a colourful, flavoured iteration.

This means the brand will be able to offer more products. Kavalan’s most popular single malt is Kavalan Distillery Select, an entry‐level whisky launched in 2018. The brand plans to launch “more easy‐drinking, daily‐dram single malt whiskies”, says Chang, who adds he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of making grain or blended whisky at some point. Kavalan Distillery ( Chinese: 噶瑪蘭酒廠; pinyin: Gámǎlán jiǔchǎng) is a Taiwanese whisky distillery. It is owned by the King Car Group and is located at Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. [1] History [ edit ] Whisky Distillery 1, King Car Kavalan DistilleryTaiwan’s leading distiller, Kavalan, has been a pioneer in world whisky. Now, it is planning on scaling up its ambitions and reach. Rosenblatt, Susannah (14 June 2010). "In Taiwan, a Bit of Scotland Matures". The New York Times . Retrieved 24 May 2014. June 2022). "Let's Talk Kavalan with Kaitlyn Tsai - Global PR Officer & Brand Ambassador for Kavalan". 88 Bamboo . Retrieved 15 May 2023. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link) In 2016, Kavalan's Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength was named the World's Best Single Cask Single Malt Whisky in that competition. [11] The distillery is named after the old name of Yilan County. The distillery was completed in December 2005, produced its first spirit in March 2006, and released its first bottling in December 2008. [2] [3]

In 2012, Kavalan's Solist Fino Sherry Cask malt whisky was named "new whisky of the year" by Jim Murray in his guide, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. [7] Reflecting Kavalan’s deep roots in Taiwan, the early bottles were shaped like Taiwan’s tallest building, Taipei 101. It’s name is taken from an aborigine group that used to live in the area. After its first few runs Kavalan bought a new set of much larger German stills to expand production. After experimenting with these stills from 2008-2010 they decided to retire them as they produced an alcohol which was too processed and didn’t allow them to work with texture and flavor. [4]You Won't Believe Where the World's Best Whiskey Comes From". Time. 23 March 2015 . Retrieved 25 March 2015. The maturation process is cut down by a third, from four to six years versus the 15 or 25 years of its Scottish counterparts. International Whisky Competition Official Results". International Whisky Competition. 17 June 2023 . Retrieved 19 June 2023.