A foreign media report published that whiskey distilled in Taiwan beat Scotch whiskey to take first place in a blind tasting. 2010.1.25 /The Times
“It’s a tropical fruit. “It’s tropical fruit jam.”
Charles MacLean, a world-renowned whiskey critic, evaluated the taste of the whiskey by exclaiming ‘Oh my God.’ The judges on site reacted in disbelief and even questioned whether it was an April Fool’s Day prank. At a blind tasting event held in Leith, Scotland in 2010, a product from Kavalan Distillery, whose name was unfamiliar, beat Scotch whiskeys and took first place.
If Korea has Kim So-wol, Scotland has its national poet, Robert Burns. No history of Scottish literature would be complete without him. An event called ‘Burns Night’ is held around January 25th, the birthday of Robert Burns. As part of the event, a whiskey blind tasting was held. A total of 5 types of alcohol were prepared for the tasting, including 3 types of Scottish whiskey, English whiskey, and Taiwanese whiskey. The organizers’ intention in hiding the whiskey brand was to show off the overwhelming superiority of Scotch whiskey. It was as if English and Taiwanese whiskeys were added to their banquet.
But the results were disastrous. Charles McLean left a harsh review of the Scotch whiskey that came in last place on the day, saying, “It tasted like machine oil, not cooking oil or diesel.” Scotch whiskey, which was considered the best in the world, lost face overnight. On the other hand, Kavalan, a Taiwanese whiskey, gains wings and soars after this day.
In 2010, Taiwanese whiskey was listed in the World Whiskey Yearbook, and in 2015, ‘Vinobarique’ from the Kavalan Soloist series was selected as the best single malt at the World Whiskey Awards, attracting attention from around the world. Even now, among many whiskey lovers, it is considered one of the best cost-effective whiskeys with an overseas duty-free price of 100,000 won. But what kind of place is Kavalan Distillery that was able to achieve such results?
◇The history of Kavalan started as a mosquito repellent
Kavalan Distillery located in Yilan County, Taiwan, established in 2005. The five-story building on the right is the aging warehouse. /Golden Blue International
Kavalan’s history begins with Taiwan’s King Car Group, which started out as a mosquito repellent and cockroach bait in 1956 and rose to the rank of a major conglomerate with canned coffee (Mr. Brown). Chairman Lee Tianchai, who loved whiskey, established a distillery in 2002 when Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Kavalan, the first whiskey distillery, was born in Taiwan in 2005, where private whiskey production was impossible because the government had the exclusive right to produce alcohol. Kavalan Distillery is located in Yilan County, northwest Taiwan, and is said to have been named after the indigenous people who lived there.
The maximum temperature in Kavalan’s five-story maturation warehouse is over 42 degrees. The oak barrels are maturing in an environment that is difficult to breathe. /Golden Blue International
Taiwan has a humid and hot subtropical climate, which is not an ideal climate for whiskey production. As whiskey matures in oak barrels, the liquid evaporates little by little. The Scots call it the angel’s share. In Scotland, where it is cool all year round, an average of 2% goes to the angels every year, but in Taiwan it is said that 10-15% evaporates every year. When aged for more than 12 years in Taiwan, a significant portion of the spirit will evaporate and there will be little alcohol remaining in the oak barrels.
Whiskey experts invited for consulting when the distillery was established unanimously said that whiskey could not be made in Taiwan. This was due to excessive evaporation. But one of them had a slightly different opinion. Dr. Jim Swan, known as the Einstein of whiskey, presents new guidelines to produce whiskey optimized for subtropical climates. In addition, Jim Swan’s disciple Ian Chang served as Kavalan’s master blender, and the distillery began its business in earnest.
An employee burns the inside of an oak barrel at Kavalan Distillery in Yilan County, Taiwan. /Getty Images Korea
He develops the STR (Shave, Toast, Rechar) technique that can produce the same flavor as Scotch whiskey aged for 12 years even with a short maturation period of 3 years. This is a technique that removes bad tastes by shaving the inside of a wine oak barrel, then toasts and rechars the inside of the barrel to bring out flavors such as tropical fruit aromas, vanilla, and chocolate. The product born from STR oak barrels is Cavalan’s masterpiece, Vinobarique. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature in Kavalan’s five-story maturation warehouse is over 42 degrees. The oak barrels are maturing in an environment where it is difficult to breathe. In the summer, the window is closed to raise the temperature of the ripening room as much as possible, and in the winter, the window is opened to ripen at a lower temperature. This means that we have adopted a ripening method that takes extreme advantage of Taiwan’s unique temperature changes.
◇Vinho Barrique, a whiskey soloist loved by people all over the world
Kabalan Soloist Series. Director Park Chan-wook’s favorite drink is Oloroso Sherry (left) and Vinobarique aged in STR oak barrels. /Reporter Kim Ji-ho
Among Kavalan whiskeys, there are products with Soloist at the beginning. There are many different types, including bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and pinot. Among them, Vinobarique was so popular overseas that people told people to buy it without hesitation if it appeared to be under 200,000 won. BTS’s RM and director Park Chan-wook are also known to enjoy the Soloist series.
Soloist refers to Cavalan’s Single Cask Strength series (the undiluted liquor from one oak barrel is bottled without being diluted with water). Most of Kavalan’s products are released with NAS (None Age Statement) without any age indication. In the case of Vinobarique, it appears to have been aged for about 5 to 6 years. Vinho means wine in Portuguese and Barriqe (approximately 220L) refers to oak barrels.
Vinobarique is intuitively impressive with its rich grape jam, tropical fruit, and chocolate flavors. Since the alcohol content is mostly bottled in the low 50s, the taste may be strong for those who are not used to high alcohol content. If you decide that the alcohol content is too high, it is okay to mix it with some water. Rather, it opens up the concentrated aroma of whiskey and enriches its taste. However, in the case of Vinobarique, all alcohol comes from a single cask, so there may be differences in taste if the product is not bottled from the same oak cask. It takes some luck to draw.
For the young distillery Kavalan, its short history of less than 20 years was not an obstacle. Given its short history, we have constantly strived to improve quality and turned the disadvantages of the tropical climate into advantages. As a result, it has proven its skills by winning numerous international competitions and changed the perception of whiskey maturation period. Why not try a glass of sweet whiskey created by the tropical climate?
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2024-01-03 15:10:00
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