The right methods
Sold in a bottle meant to suggest Taipei 101, the single malt Kavalan Classic is aged at least four years in oak bourbon and sherry casks and has a fruity flavor with notes of mango, green apple and cherry. The whisky won 29 gold medals in competitions from 2014 to 2020 and has truly become Kavalan’s “classic” single malt.
Zerose Yang, who is also the chair of King Car’s Spirits Research Institute and its chief chemist, says that Kavalan whiskies’ strong fruity aromas and sufficient maturation have made them regular winners in blind testing in the “no age statement” category of international whisky competitions. Taiwan’s subtropical climate causes its whiskies to mature three times as fast as those aged in other regions, giving them their own unique “made in Taiwan” flavor profile.
Kavalan has 30 whiskies on the market, including cask strength and tempered bottles, that target both drinkers and collectors.
“If you like it, you’ll really like it,” says Yang, recommending an unadulterated cask-strength ex-bourbon whisky. Though the spirit clocks in at a potent 58.6% ABV, it has a smooth and round mouthfeel and intense sweetness. Yang says he likes to enjoy a few glasses at home or with a few friends.
He also reveals that when he visited his fiancée’s parents to discuss the wedding arrangements, he brought along a bottle of Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Single Cask Strength. “Taiwanese really enjoy the extravagant flavors of a sherry cask, and our subtropical climate really highlights the toffee and dried fruit flavors of this kind of cask. This whisky makes a great gift. It’s stylish, looks good, and is even red!”
In Taiwan’s subtropical climate, whiskies mature quickly and acquire layers of distinctive flavors.
Oak barrels, which are infused with the aromas of the sherry they once held, are refreshed by a process of shaving, toasting and re-charring, in preparation for maturing a new batch of whisky.