Taiwanese Kavalan, which is listed in Ian Buxton’s best-selling book 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die, is looking for Philippine partners to distribute the award-winning whiskey in the country. Kavalan distillery, a subsidiary of King Car Group of Companies in Yuanshan, Taiwan, is “looking for a reputable importer/distributor that is also interested in quality single-malt whiskey, and brand-building and awareness in the country.”
The firm’s Global Development Manager Nicole Huang, in an exclusive interview with the BusinessMirror, describes Kavalan whiskey as rich, complex and multidimentional.
Its flagship Kavalan Classic has a bright yellow-gold color, with citrus hints and ripe fruits (such as peach, and mango), with sweet, mouth-coating wood and licorice notes, no wonder the whiskey makes up to 9-million-odd bottles.
“My responsibility is to look for potential markets where people are willing to taste and drink good-quality whiskey and also promote our good-quality whiskey around the world,” Huang said.
Kavalan whiskey is now being exported to more than 25 countries, including the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and China, to name a few. The distillery is eyeing to bring the whiskey to the Philippines as soon as possible.
With world-class whiskey connoisseur and specialist Dr. Jim Swan, master blender Ian Chang and a group of professional research-and-development team at the distillery helm, the 2011 International Wine and Spirits Competition winner Kavalan proudly uses Taiwan’s agricultural resources, such as endemic tropical fruits, natural reservoir of spring water and clean air of Yi-Lan, which are both essential and suitable for the maturation of the single-malt whiskey.
“The combination of the master blender’s craftsmanship and great cask selection contributes to the unique flavor of Kavalan’s single-malt whiskey. It is incredibly smooth, mellow and creamy,” Huang said when asked what makes Kavalan whiskey special.
“Above all, the distillery harnesses the heat of the Taiwanese summer to extract the wood and create the magical effect, a natural rich color and complex flavor. The interactions of the new make and oak in high temperature makes Kavalan single-malt whiskey extraordinary. At Kavalan, we like to think that it is ‘maturation redefined,’” Huang added.
Filipinos are alcohol lovers and this is one of the reasons for Kavalan’s interest in sharing its products to the country.
“We have received more and more inquiries from your good country that showed interest in our single-malt whiskey,” Huang said. “Our aspiration is to export to as many markets as possible, so that whiskey lovers around the world could try and taste this quality whiskey from Taiwan.”
“We believe the Filipino consumers are sophisticated and are willing to taste and drink good-quality whiskey,” Huang added.
Special and exclusive to the BusinessMirror