CLIMATE CREATES CHARACTER
But at Kavalan Distillery in northeastern Yilan County, it has become one of the company’s biggest strengths.
“What we thought was a disadvantage turned out to be a blessing,” said Kavalan brand ambassador David Lee.
“When you work with the climate, it actually speeds up the maturation, and it also makes the flavours even more unique and more robust.”
A crucial part of the process is barrel management, he noted.
“We shave the inside to remove unwanted parts, and then we toast the barrel (to release) the woody aromas from the oak,” said Lee.
“Finally, we do the re-charring to give the layer of char inside the barrel and that’s going to provide the colour of our whisky, as well as the caramel, toffee and chocolate aromas.”
What happens after distillation is just as important.
Hundreds of thousands of wooden barrels are stored inside Kavalan’s warehouse, where temperatures can be adjusted to reach up to 40°C.
The heat speeds up the maturation process by drawing flavours and aromas from the wood, including American oak, giving the whisky its distinctive character in a much shorter time.
Whisky expert Steven Lin said Taiwan’s climate allows whisky to mature three to four times faster than in Scotland.
“In other words, a whisky aged three or four years in Taiwan may already have the flavour profile of a 12 to 15-year-old Scotch,” he added.
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