Kavalan - Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky

Kavalan Distillery is a Taiwanese whiskey distillery owned by King Car Group and located in Yuanshan Township, Yilan District, Taiwan, China.

The distillery is named after the native Kavalan people who originally lived in the Kabalan Plains of present-day Yilan County. The distillery was completed in December 2005, produced its first spirit in March 2006 and released its first bottling in December 2008.

After the first production runs, Kavalan bought a number of new, much larger German stills to expand production. After experimenting with these stills from 2008 to 2010, they decided to retire them as they produced an alcohol that was overly processed and didn't allow them to work with texture and flavor.

In January 2010, one of the distillery's products caused quite a stir when it beat three Scots whiskeys and one English whiskey at a blind tasting in Leith, Scotland, to mark Burns Night.

The distillery was named Whiskey Visitor Attraction of the Year in 2011 by Whiskey Magazine and its products have won several other awards.

Kavalan is extracted from the mineral rich meltwater of Snow Mountain and matures in a unique combination of intense heat and humidity, as well as sea and mountain breezes. All of this ensures the quality, smoothness and fruity character that Kavalan is known for.

In 2012, Soloist Fino Sherry Cask Malt Whiskey by Kavalan was named "New Whiskey of the Year" by Jim Murray in his guide Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible.

In 2015, Kavalan's Vinho Barrique was named the best single malt whiskey in the world at the World Whiskeys Awards.

In 2016, Kavalan's Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength was named World's Best Single Cask Single Malt Whiskey at the World Whiskeys Awards.