Taiwan's Kavalan Crowned the Best Whiskey

choi

Kavalan Whisky From Taiwan Named Best in the World. London: The Independent, Mar 22, 2015
www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... world-10125563.html
(named the best single malt at the 2015 World Whiskies Awards; is produced by the King Car distillery, founded in 2005 [but started selling in 2008], in the Yilan County 宜蘭縣 area of the island where it is matured in American oak barrels that previously held white and red wines)

Note:
(a) whisky
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky
(section 1.1 Names and spellings)
(b) The King Car Group  金車關係事業 (1979- ; based in City of Taipei)
(c) Kavalan  噶瑪蘭族
zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/噶瑪蘭族
(section 1 宜蘭地名的由來)

(d) The World's Best Whiskies 2015. World Whiskies Awards 2015, Mar 20, 2015.
www.worldwhiskiesawards.com/2015/
(i) list:
* World's Best Single Malt Whisky: Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength
* World's Best American Whiskey: Thomas H Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
* World's Best Blended Malt: Taketsuru 17 Years Old
* World's Best Blended Whisky: That Boutique-y Whisky Company Blended Whisky #1 – Batch 1
* World's Best Canadian Whisky: Forty Creek Confederation Oak
* World's Best Flavoured Whisky: Master of Malt Speyside Whisky Liqueur 40 Years Old
* World's Best Grain Whisky: Darkness! North British 18 Year Old Oloroso Cask Finish
* World's Best Pot Still Whisky: Redbreast Redbreast 15 YO
(ii) The "take" and "tsuru" are, respectively, Japanese pronunciations for kanji 竹 and 鶴. 竹鶴
(A) 竹鶴 ウイスキー (the katakana is pronounced "wu-i-su-ki [long vowel for ki]") is produced by Nikka Whisky Co, Ltd  大日本果汁株式会社 (日果). The whisky is named after Nikka's founder 竹鶴 政孝Masataka TAKETSURU (1894-1979; Established Nikka in 1934 in Hokkaido (but Nikka's headquarters is now in Tokyo))
(B) 竹鶴 政孝's wife was a Scot, 竹鶴リタ (the katakana is pronounced "rita;" maiden name: Jessie Roberta “Rita” Cowan).
(iii) pot still
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_still
(for batch distillation (as opposed to a continuous distillation))

choi

(continued)

(e) 噶瑪蘭經典獨奏 VINHO 葡萄酒桶威士忌原酒  Kavalan Solist VINHO Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky. 金車噶瑪蘭酒廠  King Car Kavalan Distillery, undated
www.kavalanwhisky.com/examine/10.asp
("嚴選挑選世界各地橡木桶，熟成最符合亞洲風味的噶瑪蘭威士忌。噶瑪蘭VINHO葡萄酒桶原酒威士忌，採用世界最佳葡萄酒桶，以白橡木桶自然風乾兩年，引進燒烤木桶技術，首批自行手工烘烤，展現VINHO獨一無二的特殊風味")

(f) What does the name mean?
(i) Other whiskey products of King Car:
* King Car Conductor Single Malt Whisky  金車 頂極 指揮 威士忌  
www.kavalanwhisky.com/examine/04.asp
("金車威士忌酒廠以酒廠同名之姿，展現成熟威士忌酒廠之技術，代表之作為金車頂級指揮威士忌，命名取自交響樂概念，希望呈現樂團領導者之大氣與最精髓的角色")

It's indeed "King Car," not "kavalan."
* Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Cask  噶瑪蘭 經典 獨奏 波本桶 威士忌
* Kavalan Concertmaster - Port Cask Finish  噶瑪蘭 山川 首席 波特桶
* Kavalan Solist Fino Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky 經典獨奏Fino雪莉桶原酒
(ii) They all all single malt, whose literal translation is 單一麥芽 and figurative translation, 原酒 (not blended, that is).
(iii) The difference between Soloist and Concertmaster (trademarks) is: the former is "single cask;" but the latter goes through two casks (for the same whiskey).  
(A) 金車噶瑪蘭以山川造酒 演奏首席風範
www.kavalanwhisky.com/news/news.aspx?ID=12
("單桶演出獨一無二的獨奏(Solist)，多桶表現完美協奏更具首席造詣(Concertmaster)。 * * * Single Cask Strength 單一桶裝 * * * 噶瑪蘭山川 首席精選頂級葡萄牙波特酒桶二次熟成")
(B) Kavalan Concertmaster Single Malt Whisky
www.kavalanwhisky.com/en/examine/01.asp
("Using Portuguese ruby, tawny and vintage Port wine casks as the main flavour * * * Kavalan Concertmaster single malt whisky is first matured in specially selected American oak casks and then finished in port barriques. Port, a fortified wine, is traditionally made in Douro valley in Portugal. The marrying in the barriques mellows the flavours and adds indefinable smoothness to the whisky")

(A) and (B) are the Chinese- and English-language web pages, respectively, for the same whiskey: Concertmaster.
(iv) It is unclear whether Conductor is single cask or not.

(g) barrels
(i) From (f)(i), one can guess, correctly, Bourbon, Port and Fino Sherry (together with Vinho) are the wines that had been aged in the cask, before King Car puts its own whiskey in.
(A) Fino
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fino
(section 1 Flor)
(B) Portuguese English dictionary
vinho (noun masculine; Latin [noun neuter] vīnum; cognates: Italian and Spanish vino, English wine): "wine"
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vinho
(ii) oak (wine)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_(wine)

section 4 Wine barrel:

“The size of the barrel plays a large role in determining the effects of oak on the wine by dictating the ratio of surface area to volume of wine with smaller containers having a larger impact. The most common barrels are the Bordeaux barriques style which hold 225 litres (59 US gal) followed by the Burgundy style barrel which hold 228 litres (60 US gal). Some New World wine makers are now also using the larger hogshead 300-litre (79 US gal) barrel. Larger barrels are also traditionally used in parts of Italy such as Barolo, as well as the south of France.

“New barrels impart more flavors than do previously used barrels. Over time many of the oak properties get ‘leached’ out of the barrel with layers of natural deposits left from the wine building up on the wood to where after 3 to 5 vintages there may be little or no oak flavors imparted on the wine. In addition, oxygen transport through the oak and into the wine, which is required for maturation, becomes severely limited after 3–5 years.

(A) Mary Gorman-McAdams, Wine Words: Barrique. the kitchen, undated.
www.thekitchn.com/wine-words-barrique-188585
(B) French English dictionary
barrique (noun feminine): “barrel, cask”
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/barrique
(iii) 姚和成, Kingfisher, 有關kavalan-vinho的一些釋疑!-(更新增加品飲心得). 痞客邦, Dec 29, 2010.
kingfishertw.pixnet.net/blog/post/27999692-有關kavalan-vinho的一些釋疑!-(更新增加品飲心