Ka Va Lan Whisky in Canada – arriving in BC!

Sitting on the east coast, Ka Va Lan is the largest single malt whisky distillery in Taiwan. (See Mark Gillespie’s Whisky Cast on Ka Va Lan: http://youtu.be/WVIHFPFONB0). The Ka Va Lan Distillery is owned by one of the largest food group “King Car” in Taiwan. With the ambition to craft the best whisky from Taiwan, the whisky team spent one month in 2003 in Scotland in search of the perfect distill shape and variation in whisky making.

See Malt Advocate on Ian Buxton’s visit at Ka Va Lan in Taiwan.

Ka Va Lan obtained consultation from Dr. Jim Swan on crafting the whisky flavours fitting for a hot and humid tropical weather in Taiwan. They utilized the bio-chemical lab King Car company owns to produce a special yeast that will yield tropical flavours. To date, there are four single casks variation and four core range malts. In addition, there are mystery casks such as ex-Laphroaig casks, peated malt, etc. aging in the warehouse. Since 2011, single cask purchases are being offered to the public.

The whisky distillery was built in 2005 with a purpose to be a tourism destination. The current visitor center can easily accommodate two thousand people, and a cafeteria serving their award winning coffee, snacks and delicious hot lunches. There is also an in-house shop showcasing the King Car group variety of products. Currently there are 45,000 barrels in the aging process, separately housed in two warehouses.

Some virtual reality 360 view of the distillery
Lobby: http://vr.17high.com.tw/Entertainment/Yilan/Kingcar_Whisky/vr-03.html (this sure looks like a hotel grand lobby)
View of the warehouse and column distills: http://vr.17high.com.tw/Entertainment/Yilan/Kingcar_Whisky/vr-09.html
Outside the distillery: http://vr.17high.com.tw/Entertainment/Yilan/Kingcar_Whisky/vr-06.html