Discover the essence of ‘LAN’, an exceptional whisky crafted as a tribute to Yilan, the birthplace of Kavalan distillery. Its name, also symbolizing the Chinese character for ‘orchid’, beautifully reflects the island’s revered standing as the Kingdom of Orchids. Refreshing vanilla notes from bourbon barrels combine with the fusion of nutty, floral aromas from port casks. Further enriched by Kavalan’s STR technique, infusing the whisky with a caramelized fruity sweetness achieved through shaving, toasting, and recharring Vinho wine casks. Accentuated by dessert and nutty woody tones, it exudes an overall lightness and elegance, with a pure and constantly surprising aroma. Achieving a subtle balance among rich layers, Kavalan proudly presents the masterpiece -‘LAN’.

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.

The pinnacle of Kavalan’s early production – a whisky matured in Fino sherry casks, rather than the more usual darker sherry styles. Rich with more fresh fruit than you might expect from a sherried whisky.

Bottler Distillery Bottling

Bottling serie Fino Sherry Cask

Bottled 17.06.2023

Cask Type Fino sherry casks

Cask number FI140102048A

Number of bottles 029 / 458

Strength 57.8%

Single Oloroso Sherry cask matured whisky from Taiwan, bottled at 58.6% with neither chill filtration nor artificial colouring. Top stuff.

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!