Cask & Maturation

In Yilan, whisky ages at a pace that surprises Scottish distillers. In Scotland, an average of around two percent of a cask's contents evaporates each year, the so-called angel's share. At Kavalan, it's ten to fifteen percent. In particularly hot summers, it has reached as much as eighteen percent.

The reason lies in the three warehouses on the grounds in Yuanshan, right in the middle of the Lanyang Plain. In summer, temperatures there regularly climb above thirty degrees Celsius. On the upper floors, they can reach as high as forty-three degrees. In such heat, the whisky expands within the wood and penetrates deep into the cask wall, drawing out flavors that would take decades to develop in Scotland.

What takes twelve to eighteen years in a Scottish warehouse is often achieved in Yilan after just four to six years. This is one reason why many Kavalan bottlings carry no age statement at all. Here, the year alone says little about the whisky's actual maturity.

Maturation takes place in used casks of various origins: former bourbon barrels, Oloroso sherry casks, port pipes, and European wine casks. For the latter, Kavalan developed the so-called STR casks together with Jim Swan. Old wine casks are shaved down on the inside, re-toasted, and charred. This removes the musty wine character from the wood and restores its power.

These STR casks later became a hallmark of Kavalan. In the subtropical heat, they impart especially quick, rich, spicy flavors. Even so, the whisky doesn't end up tasting of wine.