32 AUGUST 2019 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
THE QUEST
STAY
Grand Hyatt Taipei
Opened in 1990, this
city fixture still
delivers top-notch
service and style,
thanks to a landmark
renovation in 2014
that saw all of the 850
guestrooms and suites
stripped back to their
concrete beginnings,
redesigned and rebuilt.
Opt for one of the
apartment-sized
Grand Executive ViewSuites for panoramic
views across the city.
hyatt.com; rooms from
US$270 per night.DRINK
Kavalan Distillery
Distillery tours are
free of charge. Whisky
tastings cost NT$400
and allow customers
to taste four different
Kavalan “expressions,”
or varieties. You can
also blend and
personalize your ownwhisky by taking a DIY
class, which costs
NT$1,500.
kavalanwhisky.com
L’A r r i e r e C o u r 886-2/
2704-7818; drinks from
NT$350.
MOD Public Bar
886-2/2731-4221;
drinks from NT$315.
Nantou Omar
Distillery omar.ttl.
com.tw; tastings and
tours not yet available.
Ziga Ziga hyatt.com;
drinks from NT$350.THE DETAILS
says manager Steven Lin. “But this country has
long been one of the largest single malt markets
in the world. I think that this knowledge and
appreciation has helped us become excellent
producers—as well as consumers.”
Taiwan now even has a second distillery,
Nantou, towards the center of the island. Its
Omar range of single malts may not yet have
achieved the worldwide fame Kavalan’s
impressions have, but already Taipei whisky
buffs are raving about their earthy, fruity
flavors. “The Omar whiskies are a little more
robust than the ones by Kavalan,” explains
Wu’er Kaixi, a prominent Chinese dissident
who has lived in exile in Taipei since 1996, as
we prop up the bar at long-standing specialist
whisky venue MOD Public Bar. We’re here for a
tasting session of various Taiwanese bottles.
“There’s a little more in the way of punchy fruit
notes in there, whereas Kavalan whiskies—
even the strongest ones—are easier to drink.”
The bar offers a lively atmosphere, friendly
service and an alternative music soundtrack
that goes heavy on Britpop from the 1990s.
There’s a hefty selection of bottles to choose
from and the bartenders—who, like at
L’Arriere Cour, are resplendent in waistcoats
and ties—will mix you a potent cocktail if neat
isn’t your thing.
As I polish off my sixth glass of the evening
before deciding to exit into the cool of the
autumn night, I can’t help thinking that this
“go down easy” adage could be applied to all the
single malts I’ve sampled on my journey
around Taiwan.
Overa l l, I’m sti l l more in t hra l l to my
homeland: it’s hard to top the smoky, spiciness
of a Talisker 18-year-old or the complex, peat
notes of a Lagavulin 16. But even the most
churlish Scotsman would admit that the
Taiwanese segment is maturing quite nicely.
This is definitely an island doing a sterling job
of tapping into the source when it comes to the
water of life.FROM LEFT:
L'Arriere Cour
offers more than
40 single malts;
the refined setting
at Ziga Ziga.FROMTOP:^ COURTESY^
OFL’ARRIERE^COUR;^ COURTESY^OFGRAN
D^HYATT^
TAIPEI