Spirit Type: Single Malt Whisky

Country: Taiwan

ABV: 54%

Bottle Size: 700ml

Description:

Despite the label I gave it, this is a review of a Taiwanese whisky that was aged in barrels that had previously housed lychee liqueur. Even Scotch distillers now tend to age their whisky in whatever they can get their hands on for novelty value and rapid web buzz, despite the fact that it is manufactured by the government-owned Nantou distillery. By the way, nothing appears when you search for "barrel-aged lychee liqueur" on Google, so I'm not sure if this is a real thing or if they simply did what most distilleries do these days and ordered casks with specially formulated seasoning. Let's begin and learn more about this, then.

Interestingly, this doesn't seem at all strange! Like whiskey! In contrast to many "finishings," this one doesn't come off as false or overbearing. The whisky is young, yet this is not a defect. We got vanilla, almond bloom, peaches, apricots, your typical "Chinese" mixed canned fruit salad (yes, it also has lychees), a tinge of orange, sweet grape juice, and a very slight undercurrent of fragrant wood. So far, everything is well.

It was wonderfully sweet and juicy when it initially came! Demerara sugar and juice are combined in these Chinese mixed fruit tins, but naturally with alcohol tingle! Fruits in cans, dried apricots, ripe peaches, and sultanas are all extremely fruity. There is also a faint hint of vanilla and oak.

The aftertaste soon changes from an initial alcohol explosion to a delightful blend of canned fruits, some vanilla, and a very slight note of wood. That was really quite lovely. Earth-shattering? No. Although nice. Because it has a strong fruity sweetness, similar to lychee liqueur, this would be a fantastic drink to use as a digestive after a meal, but it also tastes good on its own.

Are there any other remarks? I should say a few things about the availability. Don't worry if you haven't heard of these bottles or anything else from the Nantou distillery. Outside of Taiwan, it's difficult to find.

If you can believe it, some of Taiwan's other whiskies compete with Kavalan as the preferred beverage among drinkers. I'll elaborate on that later, though. I have a couple more samples lying around if you're interested in reading about their other items.