Five years after claiming the World Whiskies Award's "World's Best Single Malt," the iconic Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique will at last have a sequel.
Kavalan has announced that its second Shave, Toast, Rechar (STR) whisky will be launched in October in Taiwan as part of an exclusive 4-bottle set for Christmas.
In 2006, the hand-crafted rechar STR technique was developed by the late Dr Jim Swan and Kavalan in Taiwan. In their search for extraordinary flavour, they developed an exacting recipe for toasting and recharring wine barrels to remove the acidity associated with wine cask maturation and to enhance the depth of flavour possible in Taiwan's subtropical climate.
Kavalan's second Shave, Toast, Rechar expression is also the distillery's very first peated whisky, whose new make is distilled from peated barley.
Kavalan CEO Mr Lee said Kavalan's STR technique awakened the dormant flavours locked within the barrels, resulting in bigger, bolder, fruitier flavours, made possible in Yilan County's phenomenal subtropical climate. These layers are underlaid with the alluring, smokey malt aromas from the peated spirit.
"I've been asked many times since the WWA win when we would release another Made-in-Taiwan STR whisky. Now after years of experimenting, we sincerely hope the second STR whisky will pass on the excellent performance of Vinho, becoming the spotlight for whisky fans around the world," said Mr Lee.
Since 2015, Vinho Barrique has continued to impress judges with its craftsmanship, this year collecting a string of top tributes. At the World Whisky Masters 2020 contest organised by the Spirits Business, it was named "Taste Master," the ultimate global prize in the contest. At the recent Tokyo Whisky and Spirits Competition it was also named the contest's "Best of the Best."
World Whisky Masters Results
Taste Masters Medal
Masters Medal
Gold Medal