As I said last week, it would be 50/50 on where we would eventually land for the final part in this series. It would either be a review of a sample of French whisky – curtesy of Greg’s whisky guide – or a bottle of Taiwanese whisky that was making its way through Europe in various trucks and delivery vans from DHL and the Belgian postal services towards me. Lo and behold: the bottle made it well in time for me to spend some time with it assess it properly, allowing me to share my thoughts and views on it with you today. (And rest assured: Greg’s sample will feature in another review here soon enough.)
As the idea of this series was to cover whiskies from all over the world, I was pretty pleased to bag this particular bottle at auction for a decent price. It allowed me to cover Irish, Dutch, Australian, Indian and, finally, a Taiwanese whisky, which I feel makes for a good mix of whiskies from all over the world, each of which is created using a bag of similarities, but also individualities - different traditions, views, ideas, purposes, styles, climates, backgrounds and pedigrees.
That said, I’m well aware that throughout this series I completely disregarded American whiskies – something I will set straight in another series later this year. As for African whiskies: currently there aren’t that many available and even fewer about which would get us excited, it seems. The only one I did get to try (and enjoy) was the Ondjaba, which I reviewed back in 2022.
But lets put the focus back on today’s whisky. When we’re talking about Taiwanese whisky, obviously the first name that springs to mind is Kavalan. Established in 2006, it took them indeed just 10 or so years to take the world by storm. Overall, in less than 2 decades, Kavalan grew from being an aspiring and ambitious newcomer into becoming one of the largest distilleries in the world. And while perhaps the hype around Kavalan and the eagerness with which many enthusiasts chased their releases may have quietened down a bit, there’s no denying that they put Taiwan on the whisky map, establishing themselves as a world class distillery in the process.
In its shadow, quietly and almost unnoticed, followed Nantou distillery. Oddly enough, Nantou has been around for a great deal longer than Kavalan, as it has been operating since the 1970’s as a state controlled producer and distributor of alcohol. Probably best known for their ‘Omar’ brand of single malt whisky, Nantou has always been far more modest in scale compared to its illustrious and celebrated fellow Taiwanese distillery. Mostly they rely on imported barley from Scotland and European and American oak casks, but they also produce fruit liqueur, brandy and wine, and use some of these casks for finishing their whiskies as well. Currently, and like so many others feeling the wind in their sails, they are looking to expand as it seems their current warehouses and the two sets of (relatively small) stills have a hard time keeping up with demand. Weirdly, apart from a plethora of official core and limited releases, there’s to my knowledge only two indie bottlers who have released whisky coming from Nantou: the SMWS and That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC).
Nantou 4 yo Batch 1 (TBWC), 2020 release. 49% ABV, NC, UCF, 342 bottles (still some available), app. €60-€70 (€60 paid on auction incl. fees and shipping), 50 cl bottle.
Nose
Oh, wow! Off to a very promising start! This is absolutely lovely and very seductive! Honey, vanilla, some stone fruit and yellow fruit (mainly unripe banana, peaches and some papaya) , hints of citrus… Fruit galore, basically. It doesn’t end there, though. Bread and toast notes, with some creamy-lactic accents and something waxy as well. A feast for the senses, married together in near perfect harmony!
Palate
A touch peppery, and those bread and toast notes are now more upfront. The sweetness is still there, but subtle, coming from honey, stone fruit and banana. Something nutty in the mix as well. A waxy and oily mouthfeel, with some sappy wood along with it. Lush!
Finish
Quite long, dough-y and bready. Drying and very, very clinging.
Final thoughts
A delightful dram! Apart from perhaps a slight peppery prickle on the arrival, I would never have put this down as a 4 year old. Obviously the Taiwanese climate comes into play here. Not only could this easily go head to head with some of the better 10 – 15 yo bourbon cask matured Scotch single malts, in some cases it would even take their trousers down! I’m guessing this was primarily matured in first fill bourbon casks, and the result is simply gorgeous. I’m very, very happy to have bagged this one, I can tell you! I’ve tried Omar on a few occasions, and quite liked it. This however is the first full bottle (well I say full, it’s only 50 cl, and my goodness isn’t that a shame in this case) of Nantou I own, and if this is anything to go by, it definitely won’t be my last. An absolute stunner to end this series with! 87/100
Fair Point Drew! Given the climate in Taiwan, after those 4 years, the cask will likely already be about half empty, though. Also, they deserve credit for putting that she statement on the label, rather than releasing it as a NAS with a flashy name. Still doesn't make it cheap of course. But the quality makes up for that. Sorry to hear your Kavalan was a dud. I know they can be quite expensive. Cheers
Well, I think they should be applauded for not sourcing the whiskey and producing their own, and for apparently creating very tasty stuff - but oh my that price 😳. If my calculations are correct, that is like paying 86 Euros for a full sized 4yr old bottle? I think that would be a stumbling block for me TBH. I am also coming from of a nasty Kavalan Concert Master experience, so my opinion may be colored somewhat 😄. Cheers!