NIKKA Japan
DISTILLER OF THE YEAR - Icons of Whisky, 2016
The founder of Nikka and the father of Japanese whisky, Masataka Taketsuru came from a long line of sake brewers dating back to 1733. Taketsuru went to Scotland in 1918 and became the first Japanese to study the art of making whisky. He used what he had learned in Scotland to create a Japanese style of whisky, even adopting the Scottish convention of spelling of whiskey without the “e.” After working for Kotobukiya Dillery for 10 years, Taketsuru went off on his own and built Japan’s northernmost distillery, Yoichi, on the island of Hokkaido, and Nikka was born in 1934. In 1936, Taketsuru began distilling his own whisky at Nikka, and released the first
bottle in 1940 despite the onset of war. Yoichi never ceased production, and to this day still crafts whisky in the traditional manner with pot stills heated by direct coal fire-a practice that is rare and no longer used in Scotland. Taketsuru’s early successes prompted the development of a second distillery in 1969, this time built on the island of Honshu in the foothills of the Miyagi prefecture, two hours north of Tokyo. This area is known for its water and is famed for hot springs and waterfalls. The distillery is surrounded by mountains and sandwiched between two freshwater rivers, providing fantastic humidity and air quality conditions for its soft and mild malt.
KAVALAN Taiwan
WHISKY DISTILLERY MANAGER / MASTER DISTILLER OF THE YEAR - Icons of Whisky, 2015
The King Car Group, founded by Mr. TT Lee in 1956, has decades of experience in food and beverage, but producing whisky has always been the founder’s dream. Construction on the distillery began in early 2005 and was completed in only nine months. The vision for the whisky was overseen by Master Blender Ian Chang in collaboration with world-renowned whisky consultant Dr. Jim Swan. The distillery is comprised of Scottish style copper pot stills from Scotland as well as Holstein stills. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to protect it from the sub-tropical climate of Taiwan. To combat the high heat and humidity of Taiwan, the spirit vapors are cooled using both tube condensers and sub-coolers. The five-story warehouse houses 30,000 casks tied together because of the high risk of earthquakes in the region. The top floors of this warehouse can reach up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit, causing an angel’s share of no less than 15% annually. Kavalan, which means “flatland people,” is named after the Taiwanese aboriginal ethnic group that originally inhabited modern-day Yilan County, where the distillery is located. Yilan was chosen for its proximity to the cold spring water of Snow Mountain and the salty Pacific Ocean air. The subtropical heat and high humidity of Yilan cause an accelerated maturation, ensuring a rich, complex whisky in just a few years. Since its release in 2008,
Kavalan has received dozens of international whisky awards and titles, beating out traditional Scottish, American and Japanese brands, and causing a seismic shift in the world of whisky and conversation about aging.