Kavalan Classic Single Malt Whisky, 70 cl

Product Information

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) 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. International Whisky Competition Official Results". International Whisky Competition. 17 June 2023 . Retrieved 19 June 2023. For its part, Kavalan will continue to spread the message of Taiwanese whisky around the world. The brand’s biggest market is Europe, but it wants to gain a footprint in North America and Japan – it now has enough liquid to do so. “We have reached a good point in terms of production capacity, so the next stage is to push for sales in more markets,” says Chang. “But we also need to maintain the quality and complexity of our products. These are our two main priorities.”

The distillery has been recognized as one of the highest rated spirits during the World Whiskies Awards. [10]

History

The maturation process is cut down by a third, from four to six years versus the 15 or 25 years of its Scottish counterparts.

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] Swan worked with Kavalan for more than 10 years, helping the distillery establish its “fruity, oily and complex” style. “Where Dr Swan influenced Kavalan the most was in wood policy and what kind of casks would influence the flavour of the whisky best,” says Chang. Swan taught Chang and the Kavalan team that American oak should be the brand’s preferred cask type, since European oak would “result in something that’s quite bitter and astringent” because of the effects of the local climate. Whisky maturing in barrels

You may also like

Taiwan’s leading distiller, Kavalan, has been a pioneer in world whisky. Now, it is planning on scaling up its ambitions and reach. The Best World Whiskies According to the 2021 International Wines & Spirits Competition," Forbes, 29 June 2021, retrieved 16 August 2021

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.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. 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. Buxton, Ian; Hughes, Paul S. (2014). The Science and Commerce of Whisky. Cambridge, UK: The Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 9781849731508.

In January 2010, one of the distillery's products caused a stir by beating three Scotch whiskies and one English whisky in a blind tasting organised in Leith, Scotland, to celebrate Burns Night. [5] [6]

Taste Profile

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.