Japan’s not the only place with award-winning whiskey! Kavalan is one of the two major whiskey distilleries in Taiwan. Many of their whiskies have snagged awards from groups like World Whiskies and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. One of the best things about Kavalan is that since not as many people know about Taiwanese whiskey compared to Japanese whiskey, you can actually get it for semi-affordable prices without a crazy amount of hassle.
It’s located to the east in Yilan, and it’s around 70 minutes by train from Taipei Main Station and then another 20 minutes to taxi.
There are both guided and unguided tours, but I believe the English tours have to be booked. You’re free to just walk around to see the history of Kavalan, the product that they use to create their whiskies (seeing and smelling the different barrels that are used, which I’ll get more into a little later). Thankfully all the reading is translated into different languages so it’s easy to follow along. As you walk along, you get to see how the product is made from start to finish and even get a glimpse into the warehouse where it’s all stored.
There’s a stand for different flavoured gelato if you’re feeling hot and want something sweet.
As you walk around the grounds, you’ll eventually find yourself in a two-storey area. The first floor is where you can buy their different products, as well as get a free sample of their basic product. Here is also where you can buy either a DIY whiskey blending experience or sample any four of their available for purchase whiskies. It costs 400NT$, which is the equivalent of around $17.50 Canadian.
I’m personally into cask-strength whiskey. I like the pleasant heat and the tingle on my tastebuds. Where Kavalan takes it one step further is that the majority of their products are aged in different types of casks — port wine, bourbon, different types of sherry casks, etc.
This helps to impart unique characteristics of those different types of alcohol into the final taste profile of the whiskey itself. Many of them end up with a wonderful note of floral fruit, or in one case something that reminded me of preserved plums and Peking duck sauce (the Port cask).
If you’re into whiskey and have some time, I highly recommend day-tripping to Yilan so you can try some whiskey!
JeffKCW Food & Travel 