The company is named after the old title for Yilan County – A land of blessings, it was here that entrepreneur Chairman Mr. T.T. Lee and CEO Mr. Y.T. Lee dreamed of a new whisky homeland and a ‘century-old’ distillery that will last for generations.
The Lee father and son’s ambition to create Taiwan’s first whisky took them across the old world to the sacred distilleries of Scotland and Japan. They quickly learned that to compete, Taiwan must be world-class, and this tested every sinew of their resolve.
Kavalan brings together a highly skilled R&D team, which takes on the legacy of renowned whisky specialist, the late Dr. Jim Swan. The company is backed by King Car Group and its more-than 40 years of beverage industry experience and knowledge.
Founded in 2005, the company completed the construction of its distillery in the same year within nine months on a 40-hectare site in Yilan. Today, production sits at around 10m bottles per year with exports to 60 markets.
The water is sourced the mineral-rich meltwaters of Taiwan’s second-highest peak, Snow Mountain, while the spirit is matured in a sub-tropic climate, a unique combination of intense heat and humidity together with sea and mountain breezes. All of this combines to create the quality, smoothness and fruity character for which Kavalan is known.
The debut expression, Kavalan Classic Single Malt Whisky, was released in late 2008, earning Kavalan the moniker of the first Taiwanese whisky. Within a year, Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky was unveiled, joined a few months later by Solist ex-bourbon and Solist Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whiskies. Since then, the portfolio has grown to include, among others, King Car Conductor, Kavalan Podium and Kavalan Distillery Select No. 1 single malts.
Each expression has its own character. Concertmaster, for example, focuses on different cask balancing, while King Car Conductor, the first iteration to be launched under the King Car conglomerate name, symbolises the company’s diversity and multi-faceted business. Solist, meanwhile, represents single cask cask strength, highlighting rarity and distinct cask flavours.
Kavalan has a proud record of awards across its portfolio: Solist ex-Bourbon has been a winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for three consecutive years, earning a platinum medal earlier this year. Kavalan Classic is also a medal winner, having been awarded double gold by the International Spirits Challenge. To date, Kavalan has won almost 840 gold medals in competitions held around the world.
Kavalan’s ambition is to be a 100-year-old distillery and to be home to the most complete Sherry cask, cask strength whiskies in the market.
The company is proud of its ability to leverage its surrounding geological factors and turn disadvantages into advantages.
