Taiwanese whisky is whisky made in Taiwan. The most prominent Taiwanese whisky producer is the Kavalan Distillery. In 2015 the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique was named the best single malt whisky in the world at the World Whiskies Awards. [1] [2] A significant whisky market, Taiwan is the third largest consumer of single malts in the world.
From the Japanese colonial period until 2002 the right to produce alcohol was a government monopoly held by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation. After liberalization in 2002 private distilleries began to spring up. [3] Taiwanese whisky first gained prominence in 2011 when a Taiwanese whisky beat three Scotches and an English whisky at Scotland's Burns Night. [4] In 2015 the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique was named the best single malt whisky in the world at the World Whiskies Awards. [2] Seeking to imitate Kavalan's success the government owned Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation who had long ago abandoned whisky production entered the market with the Omar brand. [5]
As it is a young producer there is no standard style for Taiwanese whisky dictated either by law or tradition leaving producers free to experiment and innovate. [4] Due to Taiwan's subtropical climate whisky matures two to three times as fast as it would in Scotland or Ireland. [6] Taiwanese whisky often has notes of subtropical fruit and in general has a creamy character, however, there is quite a bit of variation. [7]
Taiwan has a developed and sophisticated whisky market. Taiwan is the third largest market for single malt whisky after the US and France. [4] Pernod Ricard has described the Taiwanese whisky market as “discerning and advanced” and has produced special edition whiskies for the Taiwanese market. [8]
Taiwan is the only whisky market which drinks more single malt whisky than blended whisky. [9] The Taiwanese scotch market is so large that it has historically shaped Taiwan and the UK's relationship. [10]
In Taiwan whisky is largely served at banquets and is often brought from home. Up until the 1990s cognac was the drink of choice at banquets but it has been replaced by whisky and to a lesser extent grape wine as tastes expand. [11] Whisky collecting has also become popular. [12]
Scotch whisky, often simply called whisky or Scotch, is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a single malt means that the whisky has not been blended elsewhere with whisky from other distilleries. As with any Scotch whisky, a single malt Scotch must be distilled in Scotland and matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years, although most single malts are matured longer.
Speyside single malts are single malt Scotch whiskies, distilled in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland.
Single malt whisky is malt whisky from a single distillery.
The Glenlivet distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since.
Talisker distillery is an island single malt Scotch whisky distillery based in Carbost, Scotland on the Minginish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye.
Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Distilleries owned by Diageo produce 40 percent of all Scotch whisky with over 24 brands, such as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Old Parr.
Pernod Ricard is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis. The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produces several other types of pastis.
William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky distillers remaining in family ownership.
Japanese whisky is a style of whisky developed and produced in Japan. Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1923 upon the opening of the country's first whisky distillery, Yamazaki. Broadly speaking, the style of Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch whisky than other major styles of whisky.
As of 2006 most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a drink would more likely be labelled a rum. According to the Scotch Whisky Association's 2013 annual report, unlike in the European Union (EU), "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured. Very little Indian 'whisky' qualifies as whisky in the EU owing to the use of molasses or neutral alcohol, limited maturation and the use of flavourings. Such spirits are, of course, considerably cheaper to produce than genuine whisky." Such molasses-based blends made up 90 percent of the spirits consumed as "whisky" in India in 2004, although whisky wholly distilled from malt and other grains, was also manufactured and sold. By 2004 shortages of wheat had been overcome and India was one of the largest producers. Amrut, the first single malt whisky produced in India, was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. After expanding in Europe it was launched in India in 2010.
It has been common practice in the whisky industry for more than a century for distilleries to sell barrels of whisky to blenders and independent bottlers as a means of making additional income. In fact, some distilleries exist solely to serve independent bottlers, and do not market any brands themselves.
English whisky (whiskey) is a liquor made from cereal grains, malt and water that is produced in England. This includes malt whisky and grain whisky.
Amrut Distilleries Ltd is an Indian company that produces distilled beverages. It is best known for its eponymous Amrut brand of single malt whisky, which is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. The brand became famous after world famous whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it a rating of 82 out of 100 in 2005 and 2010. In 2010, Murray named Amrut Fusion single malt whisky as the third best in the world. John Hansell, editor of American magazine Whisky Advocate, wrote that "India's Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky - that it was, in the past, just cheap Scotch whisky blended with who knows what and sold as Indian whisky. Amrut is making whisky, and it's very good". In 2019, Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whiskey was awarded the "World Whiskey of the Year Award" and Amrut Distilleries was awarded "Word Whiskey Producer of the Year" at the 2019 Bartender Spirits Awards in San Francisco.
Australian Whisky is whisky produced in Australia. As of December 2021, there were 333 registered distilleries in operation within Australia, of which approximately 50 have a whisky on the market. The industry has shown steady growth since the early 90s especially in the boutique craft distilling scene.
Kavalan Distillery is a Taiwanese whisky distillery. It is owned by the King Car Group and is located at Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan.
The King Car Group is a Taiwanese conglomerate which owns a number of international brands such as the Kavalan Distillery and Mr. Brown Coffee.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:
| Whisky types | ||
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| Other designations | ||
| Whisky by region | ||
| Whisky production | ||
| Whisky tourism | ||
| See also | ||
