Feis Ile 2016 – Diageo Announces Two Special Bottlings 

Two limited edition bottlings of Lagavulin™ and Caol Ila™ Single Malt Scotch Whiskies will be released for the 2016 Islay Festival, Diageo has announced.

Given the heightened interest in Lagavulin during its bicentennial celebration, it’s anticipated that these bottlings will be much in demand from enthusiasts. Often selling out within hours of going on sale, they will be available to personal shoppers at the distilleries only.

Lagavulin 18 Year Old

The Lagavulin Festival bottling comes from a blend of refill American Oak and ex Bodega European Oak casks. Bottled at cask strength, it will be a limited edition run of 6,000 bottles. RRP £125.

Georgie Crawford’s tasting notes in brief: Rose gold in colour, the Lagavulin 18 Year Old has an initially shy nose which opens up to offer complex rich, spicy notes with a nod to marzipan, dark dried fruits and star anise. Lovely fresh notes from the American oak and some menthol nose tickle. The taste is sharp but sweet, a subtle tannin background with a lovely long lasting finish. Slight saltiness gives way to a gentle roll of smoke across the tongue. Hints of soft fruits and plain chocolate balanced with rich wood character. 

Caol Ila 12 Year Old

The Caol Ila single cask bottling is also a blend of refill American Oak and ex Bodega European Oak casks. Bottled at cask strength, with a limited edition run of 1,500 bottles, this is a unique, more sherried expression than might be expected of a Caol Ila. RRP £99.

The Lagavulin bottling will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the distillery, starting on the distillery’s open day on World Whisky Day, Saturday 21^st May. The Caol Ila bottling will be sold starting from the Caol Ila distillery open day on Monday 23^rd May. During the Festival, a series of special events will be held at both Lagavulin and Caol Ila distilleries, including tastings with the distillery manager and warehouse demonstrations, which are now all sold out.

2016 continues to be a memorable year for Lagavulin as the iconic Islay distillery marks its 200^th anniversary. Georgie Crawford, Lagavulin Distillery Manager, said of the bottling: “This is a really special year for everyone at the distillery, and we’re looking forward to celebrating with our friends at the Feis Ile by raising a dram of these exceptional bottlings together.”

The Lagavulin Distillery team are aiming to bring as many people to Islay and Islay to as many people from around the globe as possible in 2016 to celebrate years of craft and passion. For those who cannot attend the festival, a Lagavulin 200th Anniversary film has been produced and is available to watch in 3D and 360 degrees with any virtual reality device. It has been designed to transport you to the birthplace of Lagavulin, whilst enjoying a dram. Watch the film here: https://www.malts.com/en-gb/lagavulin-360-videos/

Instagram: @LagavulinWhisky

Twitter: @LagavulinWhisky

#LoveScotch #Lagavulin200

For more Malts news please visit: http://www.malts.com/

Festival website: http://www.theislayfestival.co.uk/

Notes

About Diageo:Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

The LAGAVULIN and CAOL ILA words and associated logos are trade marks. © 2016

Visit malts.com for further information.

Access to Caol Ila Distillery for Visitors on Monday 23^rd May: 

Diageo has announced that, as in previous years, due to limited space there is no parking at Caol Ila distillery, except for cars with a registered disabled badge. A regular complimentary shuttle bus service will operate from the village of Keills.

Glengoyne launches World Whisky Day festivities by dining in style on Calton Hill

Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is kicking off Scotland’s World Whisky Day celebrations in style by taking a pop-up restaurant and special whisky cask to the top of one of Edinburgh’s most iconic locations, Calton Hill.

Award-winning chef Tom Lewis is bringing his unique mobile restaurant from the wilds of the Trossachs, to Calton Hill in Edinburgh to co-host a special breakfast and lunch event alongside Glengoyne.

A shipping container from the outside, and a stunning 24-seater restaurant on the inside, Tom is used to taking his mobile restaurant to weird and wonderful places, including Galloway Forest Park and Loch Lomond, but this will mark its first visit to the Scottish capital.

Invited guests will be treated to a personal whisky tasting and bottling with Stuart Hendry, Brand Heritage Manager at Glengoyne Distillery, in addition to a delicious selection of breakfast dishes and a three-course whisky-paired lunch.

Featuring whisky-poached Perthshire strawberries, smoked haddock and Inverawe salmon, the breakfast menu is designed to set guests up for the day. Lunch will consist of such delicacies including Cumbrae oysters, Isle of Mull scallops and Black Face lamb.

Neil Boyd, Commercial Director for Malts at Ian Macleod Distillers, who own Glengoyne, said: “Glengoyne’s seven expressions accompanied by food offer the perfect match to kick-start the Scottish World Whisky Day festivities and we wanted to showcase amazing Scottish produce in a location like no other.

“This is a global celebration of all things relating to whisky. Glengoyne and Tom Lewis have a very special relationship and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate. We’re offering our guests breakfast and lunch in a location like no other – Calton Hill in Edinburgh, which offers some of the most iconic views in the world.”

Tom Lewis said: “Not only is whisky one of the most amazing drinks, it also works so well as an accompaniment to food. As part of the World Whisky Day celebrations, we wanted to help show how well the two go together and treat our guests to a day to remember.

“Our trusty mobile restaurant has travelled down from Perthshire especially for the occasion. Of course she’s used to being taken to lots of amazing locations around Scotland as part of our Taste Tour.”

World Whisky Day founder Blair Bowman said: “World Whisky Day started as a simple idea to encourage others to take as much enjoyment from whisky as I do. In five years, the event has grown to become the biggest celebration of the water of life on the planet, involving thousands of people, attending hundreds of official events, in scores of countries dotted across all seven continents, spreading the whisky word to millions every year through social media.

“Enjoying whisky with food and in cocktails is a great way to introduce new people to this wonderful spirit and that’s why events like this are so important to the future of World Whisky Day and to whisky itself.”

www.glengoyne.com

Notes

Glengoyne Distillery is owned by one of Scotland’s leading independent, family-owned distillers, Ian Macleod Distillers. It is highly regarded as Scotland’s most beautiful distillery.

Glengoyne, uncompromising in its pursuit of excellence, runs its stills slower than any other distillery in order to create the rich, bold flavours for which the brand is known. The Glengoyne Highland Single Malt range is matured in the finest sherry casks from within its warehouses.

A NEAT OPPORTUNITY TO DRAM UP SOME TRADE THIS  WORLD WHISKY DAY™ SIX TOP WHISKY SERVES FROM DIAGEO

World Whisky Day (21 May) is a global event that celebrates all types of whisky with the single aim to encourage everyone to learn a little more about the so-called “water-of-life” and enjoy drinking it responsibly.

To mark the day, events will be taking place all over the globe, from Nashville to Newcastle, so it is the perfect opportunity for outlets to make whisky the star of their cocktail menu and create an atmosphere of celebration around this unique spirit.

To inspire licensees, Diageo has created a downloadable whisky cocktail menu, available via its Bar Academy website at www.diageobaracademy.com/drinkspiration/seasonal_suggestions.

Colin Dunn, Whisky Brand Ambassador at Diageo, comments: “Whisky is an extremely versatile and popular spirit. More and more customers are seeking alternative ways to enjoy the drink so Diageo has created a range of whisky cocktails to inspire the on-trade to experiment with new whisky serves.

“World Whisky Day offers the perfect opportunity for licensees to put these whisky serves on the menu and take advantage of the spirit’s raised profile to increase profits. There has a never been a better time to rally behind whisky and get inspired to serve fantastic whisky cocktails.”

Find out more about World Whisky Day at: http://www.worldwhiskyday.com/ and follow the global buzz on Twitter @WorldWhiskyDay.

WHISKY SERVE TOP TIPS

MIXED DRINKS

Whisky & Ginger
o 50ml Haig Club
o 150ml Ginger Ale
o Cucumber slice to garnish

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass full with ice, stir to mix, garnish with a slice of fresh cucumber and serve.

A Whisky and ginger ale is a tried and tested combination but the use of cucumber as a garnish in this Haig Club and ginger combo instantly cools the spice of the ginger whilst complimenting the ultra-smooth taste of the Haig Club Single Grain Scotch.
2 UK Units

Whisky & Coconut Water
o 50ml Johnnie Walker Black Label
o 150ml Coconut water

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass full with ice, stir to mix, garnish with a slice of shaved coconut and serve.

Not as Traditional as a Whisky and ginger ale or lemonade but just as simple, tasty and refreshing, the sweetness of the coconut water serves as the perfect complement to the intensity of the Johnnie Walker Black.
2.2 UK Units

Johnnie Walker Black Label & Soda
o 50ml JOHNNIE WALKER® BLACK LABEL®
o 200ml Soda

Johnnie Walker Black Label served with soda for a smoky, rich drink with a slightly dry finish. Into a highball glass, pour Johnnie Walker Black Label and fill the glass three-quarters of the way with ice. Top up with soda.
2.2 UK Units

Whisky & Cloudy Lemonade
o 50ml Johnnie Walker Red Label
o 150ml Cloudy lemonade
o Lemon Wedge to garnish

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass full with ice, stir to mix, garnish with a wedge of lemon and serve.

A Whisky and lemonade is a standard serve up and down the country but using traditional style cloudy lemonade takes the combination to a new level, the citrus bite of the lemon combining perfectly with the rich honeyed tones of Johnnie Walker Red Label.
2 UK Units

COCKTAILS

Old-Fashioned
o 50ml Bulleit Bourbon
o 15ml Sugar syrup
o 2 dashes bitters

Add all the ingredients to an Old-fashioned glass full with ice and stir patiently to mix, chill and dilute, add more ice to fill the glass, garnish with a large orange zest and serve.

The Grandfather of Whisky Cocktails the Old-fashioned showcases the flavour of the Whisky used as its base but softens the intensity via dilution, makes it more approachable via sweetening and adds complimentary flavours and aromatics via the addition of bitters and orange peel.
2.2 UK Units

Rocket Cat Is Go!

Ian Macleod Distillers Launch Rocket Cat Spirit Drink 

Ian Macleod Distillers, one of Scotland’s leading independent family-owned distillers, has launched a new, spicy party drink, Rocket Cat Spirit Drink.

Rocket Cat launched this month onboard Scandinavian ferry companies, Viking and Tallink Silja who offer cruises of the Baltic Sea. The spirit drink will also soon be available on major ferry operator, Scandlines and on ferries leaving Puttgarden Harbour in Germany.

The boisterous drink is aimed at 21-25 year olds and can be consumed as a shot, used in cocktails and also enjoyed with food. The 50cl bottling has an ABV of 34.7% and contains the finest Scotch whisky and a strong cinnamon hit.

Andy Lane, Travel Retail Director for Ian Macleod Distillers, said: “We are thrilled to be launching this unique golden sprit on board major ferry lines across the Baltic Sea. Rocket Cat contains an infusion of heat and a slight after burn, so it’s not for the faint hearted. Not only is it made of the right stuff but it’s versatile and most importantly, tasty!

“We think Scandinavia is going to be a big market for this drink so the opportunity to sell and promote Rocket Cat with these leading ferry companies couldn’t be more fitting.”

Promotion and sampling of Rocket Cat will be led with a sense of fun in mind staying true to the brand ethos. Passengers aboard the ferries can enjoy video animations; exclusive gifts, spacesuit-clad promoters and rocket launch pads as well as getting involved in user generated social media.

For more information, please visit www.ianmacleod.com or www.rocketcat.co.uk

Please drink responsibly.

www.drinkaware.co.uk

• Ian Macleod Distillers is one of Scotland’s leading independent family owned distillers, blenders and bottlers.
• Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd was established on 26 October 1933.
• Ian Macleod Distillers currently produce and sell over 15 million bottles of spirit per year.

Our May auction is now live as of Friday (May 20th) at 7pm (UK time).

Whisky Hammer Ltd

PLACE YOUR BIDS AT

www.whiskyhammer.co.uk/

Ellon Business Centre, Broomiesburn Road, Ellon,

Aberdeenshire, AB41 9RD, Scotland

Langatun Swiss whisky – one man’s dream

I’ve never tried Swiss whisky before, and I suspect that quite a few of you reading this are the same. It’s always fascinating to try a whisky from one of the non-traditional whisky countries/regions, so when four bottles from the Langatun distillery arrived at HQ, I was keen to taste them.

The Langatun distillery (above) is housed in a former grain store

Langatun was created in 2007, but the family behind it has a history in brewing and distilling that stretches back more than 100 years. Jakob Baumberger took over a small brewery in the 1860s, acquiring a top-quality spring-water source a decade or so later. After his death, his son Hans carried on the work, setting up a peat-cutting business to provide fuel for the distillery and malting plant. Fast forward to the present day and his grandson Hans Baumberger III has continued the story, producing Langatun whisky, as well as rum, vodka and liqueurs.

The distillery is based in an old grain store in the village of Langatun, situated about 30 miles north-east of the capital, Bern. We currently stock two lines: Old Deer and Old Bear. Old Deer is unpeated, and matured in both ex-sherry and Chardonnay wine casks; Old Bear, which is named as a tribute to the family’s former brewery, which had a bear as its emblem, is peated, and spends time in Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine casks. Let’s give them a try:

LANGATUN OLD DEER 2009, 40% ABV

Nose: Good mix of woody spice and rich fruit – roasted banana, toasted marshmallows, Parma violets and a savoury, almost rubbery note.

Palate: Soft and balanced, alternating between soft fruit and toasty spice. Plenty of creamy fruit on the palate – stewed apples and melon – along with cinnamon and nutmeg, cracked black pepper and a touch of banana skin.

Finish: Fruity and peppery, with the soft spice gently fading.

LANGATUN OLD DEER CASK PROOF 2008, 62.1% ABV

Nose: Creamy aromas, laden with ripe fruits, pink peppercorn, banana skin and wet grass, along with honey-drenched toast and sponge-cake batter.

Palate: Hot and peppery at full strength, with orchard fruit and a soft citrus note. A splash of water calms things down, bringing out fresh lemon, bramble fruit and buttery richness.

Finish: The fruit and toasty spice linger.

LANGATUN OLD BEAR 2010, 40% ABV

Nose: Herbal and pine-cone freshness leaps from the glass, then richer aromas of vanilla custard and stewed red berries.

Palate: More custard notes on the palate, subtle smoke and black pepper, along with stewed fruit, cake spices and toasty oak.

Finish: Burnt sugar and cinnamon, with a hint of red berries.

LANGATUN OLD BEAR Cask proof 2010, 62.8% ABV

Nose: Woody spice at first, with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, followed by stewed red fruits, marshmallow and custard tarts. A faint grassy note, too.

Palate: Rather hot at full strength, but keep going and sweet flavours of sponge cake, stewed fruits and custard. Adding water brings out the fruitiness, with notes of summer berries, fruit cake and brioche. A slight rubbery note, too.

Finish: Rich and sweet, with the red fruits lasting longest.

After trying all four, it’s clear that the flavour profile is a little different to most Scottish and Irish whiskies – what really stood out were the tempting red-fruit and sweet custard notes. I didn’t get much peat from either Old Bear bottling – perhaps the influence of the Châteauneuf casks outweighed the smoke. Either way, if you’re looking for an alternative to your regular go-to bottlings, these are well worth a try.

All four Langatun whiskies are available to buy here.

MAY UPDATE: FAST FLYING DRAMS

With all 12 flavour profiles represented in our May Outturn, here’s your chance to see which winning drams are flying fast out of the door. Peat is always popular and there’s just one bottling left so hurry if you’re a fan! And a surprise second place from an elegant, light and delicate dram; the Sauternes cask finish might have something to do with that… Want even more value? Browse our Sensational Set section below or pop a cheeky Flavoursome Under £50 bottle in your basket tonight; they’re all down to the last handful.

No. 1: Spicy & sweet

123.16 Madagascan white chocolate mice
Age: 10 years
Cask: First fill ex-bourbon barrel
Price: £51.00
BUY >

No. 2: Light & delicate

26.117 Silky smooth sundowner
Age: 14 years
Cask: Second fill ex-Sauternes hogshead
Price: £68.50
BUY >

No. 3: Peated

66.83 A memory of summer
Age: 14 years
Cask: First fill ex-bourbon barrel
Price: £54.00
BUY >

No. 4: Juicy, oak & vanilla

36.102 After the rain
Age: 12 years
Cask: First fill ex-bourbon barrel
Price: £55.30
BUY >

No. 5: Spicy & dry

7.131 Apples in the cellar
Age: 12 years
Cask: First fill ex-bourbon barrel
Price: £55.10
BUY >

Browse Current Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

MALTSTOCK PROGRAM

This is the day, the day you’ve all been waiting for. We are almost done with the Maltstock 2016 program and thought you would be interested in reading what we have to offer you at this year’s Maltstock. We have a couple of very relaxed Masterclasses for you to choose from.

Cadenheads – Mark Watt
ChiChiBu – Yumi
Chieftains, Tamdhu, Glengoyne – Antony
Creative Whisky Company – Paul McKendrick
Douglas Laing – Jan Beckers
Inverhouse – Lukasz
the Macallan – Sietse Offringa
Speciallity drinks – Billy Abbot
Zuidam – Patrick Zuidam / surprise
+ maybe even more

Campfire Tasting by Donald MacLellan (Loch Lomond Group)

Quiz winners Tasting – Hans Offringa Breakfast – Hielander restaurant Alkmaar
>Raffle – with a huge amount of relaxed prizes
Pizza, BBQ, Midnight Cafe and relaxed Pop-up fun

Trust us, you don’t want to miss this edition of Maltstock. We still have some tickets available, but please be fast in a relaxed manner of course, before we sell out.

Get your ticket(s) here: TICKET SHOP

MALTSTOCK RAFFLE PRIZES

Some of the grand raffle prizes are confirmed and we would like you to know about them. There we go:

1. A very relaxed tasting at Douglas Laing in Glasgow
2. A visit to Tomatin Distillery with 10 of your friends.
3. Probably more to come

As always there’s a very good chance to win bottles of whisky and other whisky related prizes. All sponsord by many of our very relaxed sponsors.

TWO WHISKEYS NAMED “CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY FINALISTS”

AT ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE

Ten whiskeys from Buffalo Trace Distillery receive top honors 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 12, 2016) Judges selected Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey as Chairman’s Trophy Finalists at the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, where 10 whiskeys from Buffalo Trace Distillery were awarded top honors.

            Those awarded as “Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation” include:

• Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey

Those awarded the distinction of “Excellent, Highly Recommended” were:

• Sazerac Rye Straight Rye Whiskey
• Benchmark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

• Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Awarded the distinction of “Very Good, Strong Recommendation” were:

• Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Eagle Rare, Sazerac Rye, Stagg Jr. and Benchmark were deemed to be “Great Values.” Receiving a designation as “Tried & True” were Blanton’s, Sazerac Rye and Stagg Jr.

This competition, in its seventh year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

Complete results for the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge can be found at www.ultimate-beverage.com/usc2016results.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named “Brand Innovator of the Year” by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.

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!