Kavalan Distillery

Kavalan Distillery
噶瑪蘭酒廠
LocationNo. 326, Sec. 2, Yuanshan Road, Yuanshan, Yilan County, Taiwan
OwnerKing Car Group
Founded2005 (2005)
FounderLee Tien-Tsai
StatusActive
WebsiteKavalan Whisky

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

Whisky Distillery 1, King Car Kavalan Distillery

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]

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 to 2010, they decided to retire them as the alcohol produced was too processed and it didn’t allow them to work with texture and flavor.[4]

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]

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]

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]

In 2015, Kavalan's Vinho Barrique expression was named the world's best single malt whisky by World Whiskies Awards.[8][9]

Ian Chang, the master blender for Kavalan since the distillery founding in 2005, left in early 2020.[10]

Recognition

The distillery has been recognized as one of the highest rated spirits during the World Whiskies Awards.[11]

In 2016, Kavalan's Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength was named the World's Best Single Cask Single Malt Whisky in that competition.[12]

In 2021, the distillery excelled in the Gold Outstanding category at the International Wines & Spirits Competition, winning all but one of the eight medals that were awarded. A Forbes article at that time commented on 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".[13]

In June 2023, the company was awarded the prize for “Distillery of the Year” in the annual International Whisky Competition. Its Kavalan Solist Port Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky came in second in the “Top 15 Whiskies of 2023” category, and its Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky ranked fourth out of the 92 “Whiskies Scoring Over 90 Points” in the competition.[14]

Whisky variants

Kavalan single malt whisky is currently sold in 19 variants.

Kavalan Series

  • Kavalan Class Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Concertmaster Single Malt Whisky
  • King Car Conductor Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Podium Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Sherry Oak Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Distillery Reserve Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (Peaty Cask)

Solist Series

  • Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Fino Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Brandy Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Manzanilla Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist PX Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Moscatel Sherry Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Port Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
  • Kavalan Solist Peaty Cask Single Malt Whisky

Premium Series

  • Kavalan Premium Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (Amontillado & Manzanilla Sherry Cask)
  • Kavalan Premium Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (PX Sherry Cask)

Gin

In 2019, Kavalan introduced a gin. Kavalan’s gin sets itself apart from other gin offering by using Taiwanese herbs, spices, and botanicals like kumquat, red guava, and dried star fruit. The gin is produced using the set of German stills Kavalan bought in its early days.[4]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Buxton & Hughes 2014, pp. 256–257.
  2. ^ Tan 2014.
  3. ^ a b Niinimaa 2012.
  4. ^ a b Quartly, Jules (9 January 2019). "Kavalan Finds Further "Ginspiration"". topics.amcham.com.tw. Taiwan Topics. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  5. ^ Wade 2010.
  6. ^ Rosenblatt 2010.
  7. ^ Stout, David (23 March 2015). "You Won't Believe Where the World's Best Whiskey Is Made". Time. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Sorry, Scotland! Taiwan's Kavalan named world's best single malt whisky". NY Daily News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  9. ^ "You Won't Believe Where the World's Best Whiskey Comes From". Time. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  10. ^ Koutsakis, George (25 February 2020). "Famed Pioneer Of Kavalan Whisky Moves On After 15 Years". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  11. ^ Stout, David (23 March 2015). "You Won't Believe Where the World's Best Whiskey Is Made". Time. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  12. ^ "World Whiskies Awards 2016: Winners". The World Drinks Awards. 2016.
  13. ^ "The Best World Whiskies According to the 2021 International Wines & Spirits Competition," Forbes, 29 June 2021, retrieved 16 August 2021
  14. ^ "2023 International Whisky Competition Official Results". International Whisky Competition. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.

Bibliography

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This article is based upon a translation of the French language version as of May 2014.

24°42′49″N 121°41′31″E / 24.7137°N 121.6919°E / 24.7137; 121.6919