Kavalan Distillery — Attraction in Yuanshan

i visited distillery on 13th as planned & booked but administration rejected my request of professional visit by a way very unprofessional and unpolite also. Fortunately staff from shop did their best to make my visit less bitter and granting a welcoming with their own means. Honestly i’m very unhappy how managers consider foreign professionals. My visited been motivated after a whiskey’s tasting in Marseille (France) where i been prayed to visit factory by Mr Chang (Ambassador) which by the way stayed unreachable. In a full carrier in wines and spirits i never knew a such affront and unkindness very far from the image brand wants to give abroad. Which wine company in the world receive the visit of a foreigner from a far country coming especially without even not suggesting a tasting ! Believe me one or several people don’t do their work in that company and they are true shame for Kavalan & Taïwan. I blame the ones in charge of that duty and especially a lady with who i talked on the phone from the boutique. I don’t consider myself as a very important person but at least she could leave her seat from office to assume compagny’s failure because failure it was and not only once as i tried to connect along 3 months before. By other way I want to thank a seller named Lynn. It seems company became a popular factory but i noticed business only and any service granted to visitors.. it exactly the same than going to a wine shop for buying the brand’s products. That’s all i would like to share for the moment.. i don’t know who is responsible of such malfunction sld listen their ears blowing ! It’s very very unprofessional to care guests like that and any excuse will be enough to calm down my dissatisfaction. I’ll never forgot i came from France to Taïwan for listening they have any plan for me on that day. Kavalan became famous and have good products quite expensive but it’s never done and if you treat your own promotors and lovers as u did with me, i don’t give you long to return to your beginning... Noone is essential on that market but clients made you who you became...

Kavalan Distillery.

Arrived just in time to catch the 11am free English tour. Though it was a little difficult to understand the lady, maybe because of her wearing a mask. We might have been better off attending the tour in Mandarin.

The tour started just outside the small museum where one can find info on the origin of whisky, to the process of making it. In a brief summary, Flavour from Barley, Whisky's Life is Water and the Catalyst Yeast.

The origin of whisky is traced back to Alchemy in the Middle Ages, where it was named Aqua-vitae, The Water of Life. We were then walked thru the process from Malting to Milling to Mashing to Fermentation, to Distillation to Maturation in Casks to Blending and Bottling. This plant was built in 2005 and completed in 9 months. Each Still here produces 1 million bottles, so with 5 Stills in each of their 2 plants, they produce 10 million per year.

The colour depends on the cask and maturity time but once it reaches maturity the colour stabilises and doesn't change anymore. The 30 mins tour ended at their Spirit Castle, where the gelato kiosk, cafe and gift shop is. Here's also where they offer tasting at a fee. We first tried their Classic Whisky and Beer Gelato, I prefer the whisky to beer, and the ones here are more sincere than the Maotai one I had in Chongqing.

We then went for tasting on L2. There are 2 areas for tasting, the one on L1 offers only the basic ones, and you get a voucher that can be offset at the gift shop. At L2, they offer the premium blends and no voucher. We tried their World Champion Trio, 3 x 20ml blends that were 5 times world champions. Of the 3, I liked the last the best, the Sherry cask that left a sweet after-taste.

They also have a Whisky Lab on L2 where you can create your...

VINCENT EASON, COMPLEAT EDISON TOUR TOURIST BUS DRIVER FOR THE “FIVE DAY BEST OF TAIWAN TOUR”: Thank God In His Name of Jesus, Amen! It had always been the prayer of my family (my wife, Judge Angelina, and our daughter, Atty. Luisa) whenever we embark on a group or private tour that God provides for us an honest, careful, and skilful driver. We realise that our very lives totally depend on the competence and experience of the driver as we go through the tour. We thank God in His Name Of Jesus that He always answers our prayers along this line every time He allows us to travel. For the “Five Day Best of Taiwan Tour” (23 September 2024 to 27 September 2024) God allowed us to join, we were again blessed by a good driver, in the person of Vincent Eason, of Edison Tours 宏祥旅行社, shown here in these pictures I took during one of the tour stops. Vincent, or Eason, demonstrated exceptional driving skills, navigating the long trips from Taipei to the southernmost and eastern coasts of Taiwan alongside the Pacific Ocean with ease. Perhaps it was because he had taken these routes many times before as driver serving Edison Tours, but he definitely knew when to accelerate the speed, when to go slow, and when to apply the brakes and when not to. I experienced no sudden braking, no careless overtaking, and no maniacal speed driving. In all, everyone in our group, composed mostly of senior citizens from across the globe, felt safe and comfortable with him. Congratulations Vincent Eason, and Esison Tours. Keep up the good work....