Hearing about how Kavalan whisky first came about was very interesting so had to visit the the distillery. What intrigued me was the range of whiskies they offered. I do drink whisky but have never had Taiwanese. In the shop you can smell the different ranges of whiskies on offer. The fact that it is an award based whisky label also intrigued me. There is access to the actual distillery where you can view the processes and ultimate storage. There is also a section where tasting can be done (don't make the mistake of drinking the jars in front of you as there are just for smelling the different types - you are handed a glass of whisky to drink). Recommend.
First things first. This is very far from Taipei ~3hrs in the car with a driver on a Saturday morning (despite only being 20miles). Quite the commitment with only 4 days in Taipei but my husband is a whiskey nut and it was his birthday.
The distillery is setup in an 'intersting' fashion buy the King Car company... it has so much potential but is totally under utilised. The cavernous space is largely dedicated to a 'Mr Brown Cafe. It was full of locals, but noone in the whiskey tasting or distilling rooms. Very bizarre. It ended up being almost a private visit for my husband and i but the setup could do with being separated our into dedicated spaces.
Try the three times number one single malt whisky, and their other whisky. And while you are at it, try their coffee as well. There is a brewery visit but we did not join the tour.
Decided to stop by Kavalan as I was staying in the area at a little B&B. The grounds are quite large - if coming by taxi, ask them to drop you inside. The visitors center at the front of the grounds didn’t have much except a small painting gallery and a video to watch (in Chinese only.)
Visited the distillery area on the self guided tour, which is actually very good and informative. The scale of the distillery itself is impressive!
Inside the “Spirit Castle”, there is a free tasting, a sit down tasting area, another video and the shopping area. I found it really loud and crowded here and didn’t really enjoy it. Upstairs in the Mr. Brown cafe and the DIY blending area and an enclosed tasting area. Pay downstairs at the cashier in the shops, then head upstairs.
The DIY blending was fun, and it was far more comfortable in the smaller tasting area upstairs.
Spent just over 2 hours at the distillery. It’s an enjoyable excursion, but don’t think it’s really worth to visit if you’re coming all the way from Taipei.
The shop has a huge selection, with different bottle sizes and shapes, including tiny bottles which would make great gifts.
Always a pleasure to visit famous whisky house of Taiwan. If you want to visit with less people, go there early. Self tour or guided tour also available. I always end up self tour as I missed the guided tour. We wondering around and hit Mr. Brown for some coffee and cake just to enjoy the view and relaxing getaway from the city.
