KAVALAN CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF TAIWAN WHISKY
IN A SILENT, dimly lit inner vault at Kavalan Distillery, gallons of world-class whisky sleeps among American oak casks
The newest addition to the slumbering heavily charred Caribbean rum casks, used before to make the darkest of highgrade rum.
According to Kavalan CEO Mr YT Lee the complexity of the inaugural Kavalan Gran Reserva Rum Cask honours rum’s history and is a nod to the ‘rum revival’ currently sweeping the spirits industry.
Rum has a colourful past. Made from the fermented juice of cane sugar or molasses, it has fueled economies and revolutions. From the 1500s in the Caribbean through to the 1800s in North America, it was traded and fought over by the British, Dutch, French and Spanish as aggressively as gold, sugar or spices ever were.
“Rum Cask soaks up all the delicious spices and aromas of the specially selected rum casks, to make an whisky with notes of melon and papaya, clove, and root ginger,” Mr Lee said.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
THE KAVALAN Second Distillery and Second Maturation Warehouse, twin pieces in Kavalan’s anniversary expansion Kavalan’s birthday this month.
Dr Jim Swan, Kavalan’s chief new make from the Second Distillery, together with Kavalan CEO Mr YT Lee, his father, Mr TT Lee, and Master Blender Ian Chang.
The four performed the same ceremony a decade ago at the commissioning of the nine months’ construction. But back in 2006 things were a little different.
DREAM TO REALITY
MAKING WHISKY in Taiwan had been a up to March 11, 2006, when homemade in Taiwan.
The problem had been how to make world-class whisky in a hot, humid climate with average temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius.
Ten years on, Kavalan can point to the accumulation of more than 211 gold or higher medals, two prestigious World of Whiskies Awards (WWA) for the “Best Single Malt” and “Best Single Cask” whiskies in the world, and the covetous times.
In the words of outgoing International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) managing director Ewan Lacey, Kavalan has contributed to a “broadening of the world of whisky both in terms of creating a new frontier and a new philosophy.”
CHANGING TIMES
YET IT WASN’T until 2010 that Kavalan exited obscurity to make its entrance on the world stage. The occasion was a Times of London 2010 blind tasting in Scotland to commemorate Scottish poet Robbie Burns.
The event ended up being remembered for something a lot more Asian. Kavalan trounced the competition – two Scotches and an English whiskey – to the bewilderment of everyone assembled.
The Times’ Scottish reporter who famously recorded chairman Charles Maclean on the result gasping: “Oh. My God.” traveled to Taiwan for the anniversary this year to report on Kavalan a second time.
EXPANSIONARY DESIGNS
AS MR LEE contemplates the next 10 years, he knows the twin forces of his Second Distillery and the Second Maturation Warehouse completed for the anniversary, hold the key to Kavalan’s next phase. They double Kavalan’s annual production to 10 million bottles.
sets of huge lantern-shaped copper stills from legendary whisky stills maker they are set against.
For those drinkers around the world who have found it hard to acquire a Kavalan, the distillery’s possible elevation to one of the 10 biggest malt whisky distillers in the world will come as welcome news.