Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia – August 2019

28 AUGUST 2019 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM

THE QUEST

“RAINING AGAIN,” my driver mutters. He’s

steering over a summit and down towards

Yilan County in the notoriously damp

northeast of Taiwan. The refrain is all too

familiar—to me and to every other Scot with a

penchant for the occasional whisky odyssey.

I’ve heard the same words grumbled in similar

circumstances while battling through the

drizzle in single-malt heartlands such as Islay

and Speyside.

And as the citadel-like hulk of the Kavalan

Distillery emerges through the mist, I half

expect to see some Highland cows chowing

down on the sodden lawn and a lone bagpiper

striking up a mournful air. But while the dreich

conditions and world-beating drops falling

here may call back to the land of my forefathers,

I’m soon to discover that Kavalan is a very

Asian success story.

When a whisky from Taiwan was named the

globe’s top single malt in 2015 it came as a shock

to many. For years, it was practically a given

that the best single malts were from Scotland:

An Angel’s Share

Taiwan might not be the first locale that comes to mind when

speaking of whisky. But Duncan Forgan seeks out the water of life

here, and finds its single-malt expressions maturing mighty finely.

the birthplace and spiritual home of the

so-called “water of life.” Competition from

upstarts in Japan, the U.S. and elsewhere has

leveled the playing field of late.

Even so, the triumph of Kavalan Solist Vinho

Barrique—a smooth number hailed by judges

for its “sweet, pruney” flavors—was a bolt from

the blue. With whisky being one of my proud,

but fundamentally underachieving, nation’s

claims to fame, I considered this encroachment

as an affront before visiting Taiwan.

How, after all, could a brand that was

established after the turn of the millennium be

turning out bottles to rival venerable Scottish

stalwarts such as Laphroig and Glenfiddich?

But as I sample a series of silky-smooth

malts with fruity floral tones in the distillery

tasting room, I find my skepticism evaporating

like Kavalan’s hefty “angel’s share”—the

volume of liquid lost dur ing t he accelerated

maturation process.

“The subtropical climate in Yilan is a huge

factor in deciding the character of our single

L’Arriere Cour, one

of Taipei’s oldest

whisky bars.

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