Situated at the cross boundary of Yi-Lan mountains, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the King Car distillery has been creating something that many thought would never happen: Taiwanese whisky. Naming their brand after the indigenous people that originally inhabited that area, the Kavalan, was a way to show how genuine King Car Group wanted to be with their new project. They wanted to make whisky truly inspired by Taiwan for the people living there, and to introduce the world to the unique ideas and directions their expressions can take.

King Car Group are not a new company, although no one would blame you if you’ve not heard of them before. They have been producing food and beverages for over 30 years, but only produced their first bottle of whisky in 2008. Honouring the tradition of Scottish whisky production, King Car imported two copper stills from Scotland to distill their whisky, along with a master distiller to oversee the processes. While their equipment is conventional, their Kavalan is unusual as it matures in the cask quicker than most whiskies, due to Taiwan’s vastly different climate.

Since then, the Kavalan range has been winning awards left and right, for their single malts and Solist selection, which are all casked in different, imported barrels – including the World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards 2015. It even made the national press in 2010 when, in a blind taste test for The Times, Kavalan beat out three Scottish whiskies, shocking the judges. The whisky was unavailable in countries other than Taiwan and parts of China until mid-2013, when it was finally released for worldwide enjoyment.

59.00

Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish Gift Pack (70cl, 40%)

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Taiwanese whisky has been a ‘thing’ for a while now, since 2008 in fact, but the highly-regarded Kavalan whiskies are now finally available in Europe! This single malt whisky utilises Ruby Port, Tawny Port and Vintage Port casks from Portugal to finish whiskies that were initially matured in American oak. Kavalan Concertmaster was named Best in Class at the 2011 International Wine & Spirit Competition.

85.00

Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Oak (70cl, 46%)

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Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak Single Malt Taiwanese Whisky 700ml

In ancient times, the land around I-Lan in Taiwan was called Kavalan, a mysterious land that was solely inhabited by the indigenous people of the Kavalan clan. The name was officially recognized by the Emperor of the Chin dynasty in the year of 1809 when the original city was also built under the same name.

For the Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak, the distillery dilutes the Solist Oloroso Sherry with Kavalan spring water to 46% alcoholic strength. The resulting drop is easy to drink and is the perfect single malt whisky to share with friends and family.

This whisky has a deep mahogany colour. A clean and complex flavour profile with multiple layers of nuttiness, dried fruit, and spices with some hints of vanilla and marzipan. A smooth, well-balanced palate with a natural sweetness full of pleasant dried fruits and spices. An elegantly long finish.

105.00

Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Cask (70cl, 57.8%)

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Single Oloroso Sherry cask matured whisky from Taiwan, bottled at 57.1% with neither chill filtration nor artificial colouring. Top stuff.

95.00

Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Cask (70cl, 53.2%)

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Solist is German for ‘Soloist’, which in this case refers to the fact that this expression is from Kavalan’s single cask range (they really, really like musical metaphors). Given this whisky is of course Taiwanese, I can’t really tell you why this range has an apparently German name but I can tell you that their ex-Bourbon cask releases won a Gold Medal at both the ISC 2010 and the IWSC 2011. Impressive.

Distillery Kavalan

Bottler Distillery Bottling

Bottling serie ex-Bourbon Cask

Cask type Ex-Bourbon Cask

Strength 53.2%

Vol.Size 70cl

105.00

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique (70cl, 55.6%)

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Winner of the 2015 World Whisky Awards – Whisky of The Year

In ancient times, the land around I-Lan in Taiwan was called Kavalan, a mysterious land that was solely inhabited by the indigenous people of the Kavalan clan. The name was officially recognized by the Emperor of the Chin dynasty in the year of 1809 when the original city was also built under the same name.

Kavalan had always been kept primitive and protected from the outside world by the Syue-shan mountain range which is abundant in high quality natural water that comes from deep within the mountain range. The mists of Kavalan and the spirits of the past have been created for you in this exquisite whisky.

Vinho is fully matured in used American oak wine barrels that have been toasted and re-charred in a way that brings out fruity vanilla notes from the whisky and wood overlaid on a delicate background of complex fruitiness.

The oak casks are made from American oak that has been seasoned in the open air for at least 24 months. The oak is slow grown that results in a greater release of flavours into the whisky. This reduces the astringent effect of tannins and releases more vanilla spiciness and hints of herbs such as dill and lemon grass. The result is softness and added complexity.

The casks have (deliberately) been used to mature both red and white wines which eventually will contribute the background complex fruitiness to Kavalan Solist Vinho.

After their use for wine maturation the casks are carefully shaved inside then gently toasted over an oak chip fire for a strictly controlled period of time and temperature. This converts wine residues into a complex mixture of fruit flavours including lime, berry fruits and peaches. Then the casks are charred for a short period of time to release lashings of flavours such as vanilla, ice cream and caramelised sugars.

The result is a more complex whisky than is possible than with whisky casks alone!

73.50

Kavalan Classic Gift Set (70cl, 40% + 5cl, 46%)

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Established in 2005, Kavalan is Taiwan’s first whiskymaker, with their Kavalan Concertmaster named Best in Class at the 2011 International Wine & Spirit Competition. This single malt whisky showcases Ruby Port, Tawny Port and Vintage Port casks from Portugal to finish whiskies that were initially matured in American oak.

52.00

Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish (70cl, 40%)

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Taiwanese whisky has been a ‘thing’ for a while now, since 2008 in fact, but the highly-regarded Kavalan whiskies are now finally available in Europe! This single malt whisky utilises Ruby Port, Tawny Port and Vintage Port casks from Portugal to finish whiskies that were initially matured in American oak. Kavalan Concertmaster was named Best in Class at the 2011 International Wine & Spirit Competition.

65.00

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky (70cl, 40%)

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King Car distillery is located in Yilan County, Taiwan, and the single malt whisky produced there is named after the indigenous people who originally inhabited this northeastern corner of the island: the Kavalan.

Although the distillery was only brought on stream in 2005, the warm sub-tropical climate means that the whisky effectively matures more quickly and an impressive range of whiskies are available (now finally in the UK too!). This Kavalan Single Malt Whisky, for example was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2011 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

53.00

Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask 70cl, 40%

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A rich, sweet Taiwanese single malt from Kavalan Distillery that has been matured in a combination of oloroso, Pedro Ximenex and Moscatel sherry casks, adding layers of dried fruit and nuts to Kavalan’s classic tropical character. Aromas of summer berries, dried fruit, grapes, orange, chocolate brownies and toffee fill the nose, complemented by notes of caramel, honey, candied mango, cinnamon, raisins and dates throughout the palate.

175.00

Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Cask 1L, 57.1%

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The pictures are from the actual bottle frond and back,  if you’d like more detailed photos just get in touch!

Solist is German for ‘Soloist’, which in this case refers to the fact that this expression is from Kavalan’s single cask range (they really, really like musical metaphors). Given this whisky is of course Taiwanese, I can’t really tell you why this range has an apparently German name but I can tell you that their ex-Bourbon cask releases won a Gold Medal at both the ISC 2010 and the IWSC 2011. Impressive.

Distillery Kavalan

Bottler Distillery Bottling

Bottling serie ex-Bourbon Cask

Bottled 12/05/2021

Cask type Ex-Bourbon Cask

Cask number B141231116A

Number bottles 064 – 128

Strength 57.1 %

Vol.Size 1L

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