Kavalan whisky – made in Taiwan

We’ve been big fans of Kavalan since it first made an appearance on our shores in 2011, so much so that we spent a year to be the first to stock its whiskies in the UK, and it has been winning awards ever since. We welcomed Ian Chang, Kavalan’s master blender to TWE for our latest tasting to find out more about the major player of Taiwanese whisky.

In their own words – Ian Chang

Ian Chang, master blender at Kavalan

‘I’m head of research and development, global brand ambassador and master blender; in Taiwan it’s normal to be paid one salary for three jobs. It’s the best job in the world though; I get paid to drink every day‘

‘It’s free to visit our distillery and taste our whisky. We have a coffee shop above the visitor’s centre, but you have to pay for the drinks – I never go upstairs!’

‘Our distillery receives more visitors per year [one million] than all of Scotland’s combined. So the Taiwanese are more alcoholic than the Scots!‘

‘Dr Jim Swan [freelance distilling consultant] is my mentor, and not just for whisky – if I ever get divorced, he’s the man to blame!‘

‘We used to use bourbon casks from Jim Beam, but we can’t any more since they merged with Suntory – we now use sexier casks from Four Roses, Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey’

‘We built the distillery in nine months – it Scotland it would take five to six years’

‘In the summer we close the windows in the warehouse to keep the heat in [it gets up to 42°C] which speeds up extraction of flavour from the casks, and open them in winter to let the casks breathe again. We have 95% humidity for most of the year, which helps to keep the angels’ share down to 10-12%’

The Kavalan tasting line-up

We tasted

Kavalan Classic – the flagship of the range, this has the distillery’s classic notes of mango, green apple, vanilla and coconut.

Kavalan Concertmaster – finished in ruby-port casks, this has notes of dark chocolate and blackberries.

King Car Conductor – similar recipe to the Classic, but with more use of sherry casks adding extra dried-fruit flavours.

Kavalan Solist Bourbon – luscious and rich with lots of vanilla and coconut notes.

Kavalan Solist Sherry – thick texture with an abundance of treacle and raisins.

Kavalan Solist Vinho – aged in re-charred wine casks; creamy and fruity with a hint of spice – a masterpiece.

Kavalan Solist Moscatel – available later this year; fruity and floral with notes of honey, lychee and rose.

Best #TWETasting Tweet

Boooooom! That palate Blimey Charlie Chocolate orange and cloves on and ooooon Powerhouse @kavalanwhisky #TWEtasting pic.twitter.com/dfsErkw7k5

— WhiskyAlex (@WhiskyAlex) May 9, 2016

Whisky of the night

All of the whiskies are very different, yet maintain the fruity house style, with varying degrees of warmth and complexity. Each has its own time and place for enjoyment, and on the evening it was the original – Kavalan Classic, a great introduction to the distillery and the whisky that highlights the quality of the range.

Nose: Very fruity – predominantly mango and apple, with an abundance of vanilla and coconut, too.

Palate: This displays the classic distillery character with notes of mango, green apple, cherry, vanilla and coconut, held together with a creamy texture.

Finish: Medium in length with coconut, butter and a hint of cinnamon.

Comment: This was released by the distillery on 4 December 2008, the first whisky to be sold. Aged in a mixture of four types of cask (refill, sherry, bourbon, and one secret), of which 99% is American oak. The recipe adds complexity and lots of vanilla and coconut, and the hot and humid climate allows much more extraction of flavour from the wood, so this tastes mature, despite only being around four years old.

It was a pleasure to be led through the range by Ian, who was awarded Master Distiller of the Year and shortlisted for Brand Ambassador of the Year at Whisky Magazine‘s Icons of Whisky awards in 2015. To keep up with growing demand, the distillery is continuing to expand – the original four stills were joined by six more at the start of the year and a further 10 will be operational by August, allowing them to produce nine million litres of alcohol per year (which would put it in Scotland’s top 10). Ian stressed that the new stills will be the same shape as the original pairs, so while volume may be changing, the style and consistency will not. There are a number of new Solist releases due later this year, with the Moscatel joined by Brandy and Amontillado, among others. Solist Vinho won World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the 2015 World Whisky Awards, so if you’ve never tried Taiwanese whisky before, why not pick up a bottle of Kavalan? Gānbēi 幹杯!

A limited release from BenRiachs Wood expressions range. The BenRiach 15 Year Old Dark Rum Finish is first matured in American Bourbon Casks. The Whisky is then finished in Jamaican Rum barrels, where it takes on some of those deep and chocolatey flavours associated with the Rum that was housed before it.

£42.99 incl. VAT

Buy now

A peated Speyside Whisky, not something you’d usually have in the same sentence, but BenRiach have done just that! Their Peated range is a hark back to the classic Speyside whiskies of the 19th century, and the 10 Year Old Curiositas is an excellent place to start.

£31.99 incl. VAT

Buy now

The Septendecim is the latest edition to the BenRiach Peated range. This 17 year old peated whisky has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and is a real robust heavyweight. Septendecim is non chill filtered, and bottled at natural colour with a strength of 46% vol.

£48.00 incl. VAT

Buy now

www.ralfy.com finds great enjoyment and a precious malt-moment with Whisky Review 583 – Isle of Arran 18yo @ 46%

Fantastic prize draws – enter today!

WIN A BOTTLE OF PORT ASKAIG 45 YEAR OLD WORTH £1,200

Port Askaig is the superb range of Islay whiskies from our sister company Speciality Drinks. The 45 Year Old is a vatting of five sherry butts distilled on Islay in 1968 and aged for more than four decades – the result is a delicious combination of ripe fruit, coastal flavours and spicy chocolate. To be in with a chance of winning, you need to buy a bottle of Port Askaig 100° Proof, the newest addition to the Port Askaig range, and a great everyday Islay whisky. To find out more, click here. The draw ends on Friday 27 June.

WIN EIGHT BOTTLES OF TALISKER WORTH MORE THAN £800

Talisker is the much-loved smoky, peppery whisky from the Isle of Skye, and we’re giving away a mammoth eight-bottle collection with all your favourite bottles, including the 25 and 30 Year Olds. We’ve also included the ever-popular 10 Year Old and also the 2003 Distillers Edition, which is the current Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year. If you buy a bottle of Talisker 18 Year Old, we’ll enter you into the draw, which ends on Friday 27 June. To find out more, click here.

WIN A BOTTLE OF BALBLAIR 1969 WORTH £1,295

Located by the Dornoch Firth north of Inverness, Highland distillery Balblair has garnered a great reputation for top-notch single-vintage whiskies. We are offering one lucky person a bottle of the majestic 1969, which displays classic fruity Balblair notes of apples and honey, but with an extra layer of Christmas-cake spices and dried fruit. To enter, buy a bottle of Balblair’s excellent 1999 bottling, and we’ll add your name to the list. This draw also ends on Friday 27 June and you can find out more here.

WIN ALL NINE EDITIONS OF PARKER’S HERITAGE COLLECTION WORTH OVER £2,500

Parker’s Heritage Collection began as a tribute to Parker Beam and his five decades of hard work at Heaven Hill. The first whiskey, launched in 2007, was an 11-year-old cask-strength Kentucky straight bourbon but the style changes each year, from Cognac-finished bourbon to wheat whiskey and even straight malt. To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous nine-strong whiskey collection, simply buy a bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2004, a sweet, fruit and spicy single-vintage bourbon. To find out more, click here.

All of our draws end at 11.59pm BST on the specified date. And if you are lucky enough to be one of our winners, we’re always delighted if you send us a photo of you and your prize – you can get in touch with us via our Facebook page or via Twitter. Good luck!

This week Joe Ellis reviews the Chivalry 18 Year Old Special Reserve Scotch Whisky

https://youtu.be/byoyi5oDI70

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Hello SWA friends,

We will be on Islay during the Feis Ile this year, and due to popular demand we will be returing to the legendary Ballygrant Inn to host not one, but two tastings! We have teamed up with David to provide 6 of the finest quality drams with a fantastic 3 course meal. All this for a mere £40 a ticket!

The tastings will be on Tuesday 24th and Thursday 26th May evening, starting at 7:30pm. We’re limited in the number of spaces available for each tasting so make sure register your interest early by either replying HERE or contacting us at the office. We know that these tickets will sell out quickly so don’t miss out!

Tam and the team will be on Islay all week, look out for the famous SWA van and folks in SWA polo shirts if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

The SWA Team

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #129

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries an independent bottling of Springbank. It is not often that one comes across a single sherry cask matured Springbank. The Lads of Lobland series already consist of a great Clynelish, but now this Belgian club bottled a wonderfully dark Springbank, at cask strength. It turned out to be a Campbeltown sherry monster, where quite a bit of the distillery character is dominated by the cask, but what a dram! 

https://youtu.be/XEanEwDD9Cw

WhistlePig Unveils 15 Year Whiskey Finished in Tight-Ringed, Home-Grown Vermont White Oak

New Custom-Charred Barrels Crafted From Trees Sustainably Logged On the WhistlePig Farm

SHOREHAM, VT – (May 3, 2016) – WhistlePig announced today the launch of its 15 Year rye whiskey, marking the next step in the company’s vision of becoming entirely farm- to-bottle. Aged for 15 years and finished in Vermont White Oak from the WhistlePig Farm and surrounding area, this whiskey combines rye spice with wood sugar, earth, and allspice, delivering a flavor and texture only accessible after long, long years in a barrel.

Kentucky oak trees are fat, Vermont ones are tight. Tight wood rings deliver more flavor and depth into whiskey. To fully accentuate the unique flavor profile of the oak, WhistlePig developed a Custom-Charring Initiative for the 15 Year. The barrels receive a long toast and heavy char designed to draw out a rich sweetness that complements the natural spice of aged rye, and ultimately provides a most exquisite mouthfeel.

“Since day one, our vision was to create a fully farm-to-bottle operation, and with the release of the 15 Year, the public can now enjoy a top-notch whiskey aged in barrels made from wood right here on our farm,” said Raj Peter Bhakta, Founder and CEO of WhistlePig. “Tight is better than fat, and old is better than young. In whiskey at least.”

With the opening of its distillery on the WhistlePig Farm in Shoreham, Vermont in the fall of 2015, WhistlePig became one of the few whiskey companies to house every aspect of the whiskey production process in one place, from harvesting the rye fields to distillation, barreling, aging, and bottling the liquid. The 15 Year is the first WhistlePig release aged in barrels constructed from oak grown on the farm, and rounds out WhistlePig’s portfolio as the most premium offering, accompanied by the 10 Year and 12 Year Old World Series. WhistlePig also plans to release additional innovative products matured in Vermont White Oak moving forward.

The 15 Year comes from a mash of 100% rye and is hand bottled at 92 proof. The whiskey is aged in three separate whiskey barrels: #3 Charred New American Oak, used bourbon barrels, and finished for six months in custom #4 charred Vermont White Oak.

The 15 Year is a highly limited release and is available in select markets.

Flavor Profile of the 15 Year

Nose: Deep and rich, dominated by caramel, vanilla, and oak with hints of allspice and burnt orange.

Taste: Warm, rich, and slightly creamy; loads of butterscotch and baking spice with leather and a hint of tobacco

Finish: Ultra-long and rich, warm, and inviting

About WhistlePig

WhistlePig is the premier aged rye whiskey, featuring the bold and often untapped flavor of rye. Founded by Raj Peter Bhakta with the help of legendary master distiller Dave Pickerell, WhistlePig is leading a surge of innovation in the emerging field of North American whiskey. As the most decorated rye whiskey – having received a record 96 points from Wine Enthusiast – WhistlePig is widely viewed as the world’s finest rye. With the opening of its distillery on its 1,300-acre Vermont farm in the fall of 2015, WhistlePig has become one of the leading farm-to-bottle rye whiskeys in the world.

GLENFARCLAS NAMED “BEST DISTILLERS’ SINGLE MALT” AT SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION

Glenfarclas whiskies win six top medals, including two Double Gold

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky was distinguished as “Best Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch – No Age Statement” at the 16th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition where a record-breaking 1,899 entries were submitted for a blind tasting.

Thirty-nine of the industry’s finest spirits experts reviewed each entry before ultimately awarding Glenfarclas whiskies a total of six top medals, including two Double Gold Medals and the designation of “Best Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch Whisky.”

Medal winners:

Double Gold

• Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 21 Years

Gold

• Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 12 Years
• Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 17 Years

Silver

• Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 10 Years
• Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 25 Years

Director of Sales, George Grant said ““It is a great honor to be recognized among the best of this competition and we feel very proud and could not be any more pleased with these results.”

Ohishi Single Sherry Cask Whisky – A K&L Direct Import Feature

While the quality of Japanese whisky has never been a secret amongst our colleagues and customers, the popularity of the genre has skyrocketed over the past few years thanks to some major awards and accolades from some of the industry’s biggest publications. What was once a niche market has become the obsession of the entire world, which has been great for Japan’s whisky industry, but not so great for fans of the spirit. Not only are the shelves rather bare here at K&L, we’ve heard reports that even Tokyo is sold out of major labels like Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Nikka, leaving even the most dedicated whisky tourists in the lurch. But we know that our customer depend on us to find the latest, greatest, newest, and most exciting spirits in the world, which is why we recently set our sights on finding more Japanese whisky and-the good news is-we think we’ve found the next big thing. We tried an experiment a few months ago, buying a single cask of pot-distilled rice whisky from a distillery named Fukano. It was so soft and mellow, very much like classic, delicately-flavored Japanese whisky and we snagged all that we could immediately. While we thought the whisky was fabulous, we weren’t sure how the market would react to rice whisky, so we sent out a small promotional email to some of our most-rabid whisky customers to test the waters. Many people were skeptical when they first noticed that we were selling malted rice whisky. Some assumed it was nothing more than glorified Shochu. It is indeed made in a very similar process, but the product qualifies as neither Shochu nor whisky in Japan, but it does fit the definition of whisky in the United States, which is why it can only be sold here. The results of that offer were off the charts. Not only did we sell through every single bottle that day, our customers sent us endless emails requesting MORE, MORE, MORE! So we went back to our source to find more and the second time around we found an even more impressive rice whisky specimen from a distillery called Ohishi, located in the foothill Mountains of Kumamoto near the small village of Mizukami-the source of the Kuma River, one of Japan’s fastest flowing. Tragically the island of Kyushu, where both Fukano and Ohishi are positioned, was recently hit by a massive earthquake and the region’s infrastructure was devastated. While thank goodness no one at either distillery was harmed, It will take quite a while for the roadways to be completely repaired, so we’re not sure if and when we’ll ever get another cask like this. It may be that our next great discovery is a one-time affair and that would be unfortunate, but it’s a reminder to enjoy life’s great pleasures while they’re available. We think this latest cask of Ohishi sherry-aged rice whisky definitely qualifies. -David Driscoll & David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyers

Ohishi K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Cask #653 Japanese Whisky (750ml) ($74.99)

The special Ohishi distillery is located on the banks of the Kuma River one Japan’s fastest flowing rivers. The distillery was founded in 1872 and produces some of the most exciting whisky coming out of Japan. Ohishi grows at least 30% of the rice that they distill and thanks to the fertile soils and exceptional growing climate make for some of the finest base ingredients available. The strain of rice is call “gohyakumanishi” (meaning 5 million stones) and utilizes an organic method of cultivation which requires the use of koi carp for weed control. The rest of the grain is procured from local farms in Kumamoto prefecture and is of the short grained Mochi varietal. The grains are partially malted and then distilled on the traditional Japanese stills before being filled into ex-sherry and brandy casks and aged for long periods of time in the high altitude warehouses. This cask brings in a great balanced sherry influence and definitely feels more like Scotch than our single cask from the Fukano Distillery. This cask will likely be the only one we get for a while considering the recent events in Kumamoto prefecture. Our cask of Fukano sold out in a flash, so we can expect this special cask to go very quickly as well.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 07, 2016

Wowee wow. A slam dunk sherry-aged whisky for those who like that pure sherry flavor. Because the Ohishi is distilled from rice you obviously lose the inherent maltiness normally present from a barley-distilled single malt whisky, but what you get instead is a cleaner canvas onto which the sherry itself can paint its masterpiece. This is soft, supple, and rich on the palate with loads of that caramel, fudge, chocolate, and rancio character I associate with whiskies like Glendronach or Glenfarclas, but with more of that Glenmorangie or Macallan finesse. If you like sherry-aged whisky, this is a must buy. If you like Japanese whisky, buy six of these. You’ll be sorry when it’s gone, and seeing as this is a single cask, it will likely be gone very fast.

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 09, 2016

For the many who missed out on our last round of K&L exclusive Japanese whiskey, and those who snagged a bottle and already regret not buying another, here is a new one for you. Richer and more full bodied than the Fukano due to the sherry casks, this whiskey delivers like a beautiful marriage between amazing Highland distilleries. Toasted vanilla and caramel play on the rich toffee notes that are present. Despite the richness, because this is distilled from rice it gives it a more elegant and lighter body. Smooth butterscotch and vanilla notes end it. Super small production so get it while we have it.

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 09, 2016

I had no idea what to expect from this…Rice-based whisky? Will it taste like Sake…nope…Scotch…kind of…top-quality, rich, soft, sherry cask…YEP. This is just one of the most exotic, supple easy-drinking whiskies I’ve come across. Decadent sherry flavors, silky texture, rancio tones that go on forever. Bravo to our Spirits department for tracking something unique like this down…a really intriguing bottle that definitely delivers on the palate.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 06, 2016

This rice whiskey is soft and creamy and very easy to drink. The sherry cask aging added richness and some subtle dried fruit notes. It is very supple and should please any fan of the Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey.

Daniel Maas | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: May 07, 2016

“Now Sherry my love for you is real.” Yeah – that’s a lyric from the IMMORTAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S hit, “Sherry Darling,” but aside from being profound truth, it also sums up exactly how I feel about this exclusive bottling of EXCELLENT Japanese Whiskey. That I loved this was pleasant surprise (as a lover of the PEATY malts of ISLAY), as I found the sherry influence here to be immensely balanced. This is the absolute perfect entry point for a scotch lover into the exciting world of Japanese whiskey!

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