Taiwanese Whisky Distilleries

Taiwanese whisky has no long history behind it, yet it already stands next to Scotch and Japanese whisky on the world stage. This short guide explains why the climate matters so much, where it started and which bottles to try first.

What makes Taiwanese whisky different

The defining ingredient is the weather. Taiwan is subtropical, so warehouses are hot and humid all year, and the spirit and the cask interact far faster than in Scotland. The angel’s share, the whisky that evaporates from the cask, can reach 10 to 15 percent a year in the early years, against about 2 percent in a Scottish warehouse. A five-year-old Taiwanese whisky can taste as deep and as rounded as a much older Scotch, with ripe tropical fruit, dark chocolate and a lot of oak. The trade-off is that the whisky cannot sit for decades, so older bottles are rare. For why the cask itself matters so much, see our note on sherry cask versus bourbon cask.

Where it started

Modern Taiwanese whisky begins with Kavalan. The distillery was built by the King Car Group in Yilan County in the mid-2000s, with the late Dr Jim Swan, the well-known whisky consultant, advising on the stills and the casks. The first bottles reached shelves in 2008, and within a few years Kavalan was winning blind tastings against much older names. The distillery takes its name from the Kavalan, the indigenous people of the Yilan plain. Our profile of Kavalan Distillery covers the story in full.

The two distilleries

Kavalan is the one the world knows. It makes a large range, from the easy Classic to single-cask Solist bottlings finished in wine, sherry and port casks. Nantou Distillery in Puli is run by Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor, a state-owned company, and sells its single malt under the Omar name. It is a quieter, more gentle style, and well worth tasting next to Kavalan. See the Nantou Distillery profile for the details.

Which bottles to try first

Begin with the Kavalan Classic review, the easiest way into the style. Step up to the Kavalan Concertmaster, finished in port casks, and the King Car Conductor. The Solist Vinho Barrique is a richer, wine-cask single-cask style, and the Omar Bourbon Cask shows what Nantou does. All five reviews on Caskable score between 75 and 79.

Price and availability

Entry-level Kavalan is easy to find in specialist shops across Europe, the United States and Asia. The Solist range and older limited releases cost far more and sell out quickly. Omar is harder to find outside Taiwan and Asia. If you are travelling, duty-free and local shops often have a wider choice than shops at home. To see how Taiwan fits beside its neighbours, read our guide to Japanese whisky distilleries.