[Yilan, Taiwan] - Kavalan Whisky 金車噶瑪蘭威士忌

A few years ago on a flight to Taiwan, I saw advertisements all over the place for Kavalan Whiskey. It was my first time hearing this brand. Upon finding out that it was a Taiwanese brand, I was pretty skeptical. I guess that's what the world thought until Kavalan started winning awards for best whiskey. Curious? Don't believe me? There are various articles abound marveling at the emergence of Kavalan as a whiskey powerhouse:

Eater
Time
The Independent
NBC News

It only makes sense, Taiwanese people love whiskey.

I am not a hard liquor fan typically, especially with age. But, when a whiskey is good, it's good. We decide to take the bus to Yilan and spend a day there eating and checking out the distillery. On the way back, we'll just "swing by" Keelung for some more food.

Things to note - the bus to Yilan stops behind the train station, so you'll have to walk around to the front of the station where the bus to the distillery is. If you want to take a cab, catching one from the train station is a good place as they are plentiful. Or by the bus station. Either way works. Just keep the phone number of the cab driver so you have a way back, or check the time of the bus so you don't miss the last one. Or so you aren't standing there for 40 minutes while you wait for the next bus. 

There is a tour you can take of the facility, but we skipped it. We just wandered around at our own pace which took maybe 15 minutes before finding the main hall where you can taste the whiskey and purchase any gifts. There is also a big coffee shop because Kavalan and Mr. Brown are owned by the same company! I think most Asian kids grew up at least seeing Mr. Brown. I didn't realize it was a Taiwanese company. I always assumed all the cool things came from Hong Kong. Feel free to take that free sample taste, wander around and take some pictures with Mr. Brown and the Christmas Tree (not sure if it's up year round, but it was there in March), and buy any gifts you might want. They have the majority of their whiskies, but not Vinho as it sells out frequently. It is my favorite whiskey of theirs. They also sell Mr. Brown products, so if you need to stock up on some instant coffee, this is a good place to do it. There is also ice cream. We were finished with it all within an hour and decided to head back to Yilan (as the distillery is in the outskirts of the county). 

If you'd like to pay for more samples, be sure to do it in the gift shop. They hand you a piece of paper for you to circle the ones you want to try. There's no whiskey to sniff upstairs in the tasting room, so smell the samples in the gift shop. When you're ready, give the golf pencil back to the store clerk and make your way upstairs. 

The view from the bus stop as we walk over to the Kavalan campus.

This place is enormous!

Whiskey colors!

Can you see the whiskey? It's a very small pour to give you just a teensy taste. Each table should have a bottle of water to rinse/drink afterwards.

In the main hall, they offer a half ounce sample of their whiskey. If you are paying for the samples upstairs, don't pick this one! Unless you just really love it that much. In which case, just buy the bottle!

Purchase in the gift shop the tasting option before heading upstairs to the glass room where the tasting happens. They have samples you can sniff in the gift shop to help decide which you want to try. As of March 2017, the taste is 400NT per person. 

My four samples. The Vinho was hands down the best. Of course, it's sold out everywhere. 

Be aware of the bus times if you go this route. The last bus leaves at 6:30pm, and not many taxis come by. If you plan on taking a cab, be sure to get the name/number of one beforehand. 

Address:
No. 326, Section 2, Yuanshan Rd, 
Yuanshan Township, 
Yilan County, Taiwan 264

Website