Nearly two centuries ago, the town of Campbeltown, located on a narrow peninsula in southwest Scotland, was considered the whisky capital of the world. Passengers arriving by sea at Campbeltown Loch nestled between Macringan's Point and the rocky island of Davaar were greeted with the sails and masts of the herring fishing fleet and the smoking chimneys of nearly thirty different distilleries that called Campbeltown home. Two hundred years later, Campbeltown Loch is considerably quieter and only three chimneys continue to billow smoke each acting as a beacon for an industry that, at one point, dominated the peninsula. In 1828, Springbank Distillery was founded on the site of Archibald Mitchell's illicit still in Campbeltown. (Today, Mitchell's great-great-great-grandson owns the distillery.) Within ten years, its whisky was so well-regarded that a blender by the name of John Walker purchased 118 gallons of whisky from Springbank at 43 pence a gallon. By the turn of the century as worldwide demand for Scotch whisky seemed insatiable distilleries throughout Scotland began cutting corners and outsourcing parts of the distillation process. Springbank Distillery, however, remained true to its Scottish heritage and today, remains one of only two distilleries in Scotland to perform every step of the whisky making process from malting barley to bottling whisky on the same premises. After malting and lightly peating the barley (using locally cut peat), the distillers at Springbank mill and mash it in cast-iron mash tuns that are nearly a century old. The pure spring water used during the mashing process is sourced from Crosshill Loch, which in turn is fed by springs seeping from the northern slopes of 1,100-foot tall Beinn Ghuilean. After mashing the grains, the wash is slowly fermented over the course of 70 hours one of the longest fermentation processes in Scotland before being distilled. Because some of the wash is distilled twice and some is distilled three times, Springbank Whisky is said to be distilled two and a half times. Following distillation, Springbank 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky was matured for 15 years in European oak casks that were previously used to mature sherry. The whisky has an aroma of dark chocolate, Christmas cake, almonds, toffee and oak. Notes of figs, marzipan, brazil nuts, raisins and nutmeg dominate the palate, and give way to a finish accented by touches of chewy leather, tobacco and oak. Springbank 15 Year Old earned a score of 95 points from the Beverage Testing Institute, and a perfect score from Wine Enthusiast.

Pyrat Rum is a brand owned by owned by Patrn Spirits, and was released in 1997. The company is not a distiller, but rather a blender of spirits. Pyrat Rum was previously produced by the Anguilla Rums Company, but is now produced and bottled in Guyana South America, in the Diamond Bottling Plant owned by Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL). Pyrat XO Reserve, is a blend of 9 different Rums, sourced from all over the Carribean, primarily consisting of 2-year-old Demerara rum. Demerara rum is produced by DDL, which produces well over 20 million liters of rum a year. Though they have their own label, El Dorado, their rum is also commonly used in blends like Pyrat XO Reserve. The Diamond Bottling Plant -which is owned by DDL- has its own private bottling line within the plant itself. The rum in Pyrat XO Reserve is partly produced in a traditional pot still, and a portion of the blend is produced using Demerara Distillers High Ester Still, which is a John Dore Still. The oldest rum in the Pyrat Rum XO blend is 15-years-old, and all of the XO rum is aged in a combination of American Oak and French Limousine oak casks. Bottled at 40%, ABV Pyrat XO has a stout corked bottle said to resemble the type of bottles used by Caribbean rum runners, ship captains, and pirates in the 19th century. This XO Reserve has a dark amber color. It is sweet on the nose with notes of molasses, toffee, citrus, and spice. The palate is sugary, with signature bright citrus notes of orange liqueur and lemon, and tobacco. The deep flavors of Demerara rum are also present. It has a long finish with hints of ginger and cinnamon.

Situated in Seattle's Capitol Hill Neighborhood, Oola Distillery was founded by Kirby Kallas-Lewis as "a labor of love, intellectual curiosity and commitment to the neighborhood." Oola Waitsburg Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon is crafted from a mash of approximately 65% corn and 20%-28% rye, with the remaining balance split evenly between malted barley and white winter wheat "All our grains are sourced from two organic farms in Eastern Washington," says Kirby. In addition, the use of wheat in the bourbon's mashbill "allows me to hold back on the corn and add more rye. This results in a more complex, balanced and less overly sweet bourbon." Once the ingredients arrive at the distillery, they are milled and mashed before being distilled through Kirby's copper-pot still. Following distillation, the bourbon is matured in small, American white oak casks that are subjected to large temperature swings of up to 50-70 each day. "The idea is to extract a lot of the influence from the barrel early on in the aging process." After this initial beautyrest, the bourbon is transferred to 53-gallon, American white oak casks that boast an alligator char. The alligator char allows the whiskey to penetrate the wood, which hails from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, up to a inch. There, the bourbon rests for an additional three to four years. Whereas at that point, multiple casks are typically married together to create a blended bourbon whiskey, Oola Waitsburg Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon represents a single barrel bottling from Oola's finest stock of maturing whiskey. This particular batch no. 6, bottled at cask strength exclusively for members, produced only 216 bottles at a robust 114 proof. Doing so allows "the full richness of the nose and flavor profile to stay as intact as possible," says Kirby. Oola Waitsburg Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon has a spicy aroma, with touches of cinnamon, ginger and black peppercorn that give way to notes of caramel, vanilla, cherry and oak on the palate. The finish is warm and balanced, with hints of brown sugar, toffee and maple syrup complementing each other. The bourbon was "highly recommended" by the Beverage Testing Institute, and has a "pleasingly long and mellow finish," according to the Capitol Hill Times. In addition, it earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013 and the Silver Medal at the Beverage Testing Institute Competition in 2012. Pick up a bottle today!

After 10 years of perfecting our Cask Strength, we thought we should take a look back on our previous expressions. This bourbon, our 10th release, has tasting notes of toasted oak, vanilla, and leather. Read more to see how it has evolved over the past decade. 

Situated in the foothills of the Serra do Mar mountains in eastern Brazil, the quaint town of Morretes is home to approximately 15,000 residents, including Agenor Macarri Jr., the master distiller at Agroecolgica Marumbi. Macarri, who received a graduate degree in Cachaa Agronomy from Universidade Federal do Parana in Curitiba, is often referred to as Dr. Cachaa. Macarri has studied every component of cachaa production, from the genetics of sugar cane to the exposure of cachaa to different types of wood. Novo Fogo Organic Gold Cachaa is made from 100% estate-grown, organic sugarcane grown without the use of chemicals or preservatives. While many sugarcane farmers burn their fields prior to harvesting their plants (burning enables faster cultivation), Novo Fogo refuses to use flame-harvesting due to the detrimental effects it has on the sugars residing in the base of the cane stalk. Rather, when the sugarcane reaches its peak of maturity, expert farmers at the Novo Fogo estate tenderly harvest the crops by hand. After the sugarcane is harvested, it is pressed to extract the sugar cane juice. The juice is then mixed with with organic corn, rice and lime juice and is fermented for approximately 24 hours. After fermentation, the wash is distilled in one pass through Macarri's 1,200-liter copper-pot still (the bagasse the dry, fibrous residue remaining after the sugarcane stalks are pressed is used to heat the still). "We use pure sugar cane, grown organically and processed manually, with no chemicals, so why should we distill it twice"asks Macarri. "There are no impurities in it to remove through multiple distillation." After distillation, the heads and tails of the distillate are cut, and the remaining cachaa is matured in steel tanks for over a year a unique process which mellows and adds further character to the spirit. Novo Fogo Organic Silver Cachaa has a nose of lime, banana and coconut, which gives way to notes of sea salt, sweet peppers and more tropical fruits. The finish is smooth, and defined by bold notes of pure sugar cane. The cachaa is brought to proof and each hand-blown bottle is then filled and labeled by hand. Novo Fogo, which means "new fire" in Portuguese, wont burn you, and is now available in a cocktail kit complete with all the tools you need including a wooden muddler and two mason jars to make the perfect Caipirinha, the world's most popular cocktail!

After two Colorado family farms grow our heirloom varietals of wheat, barley and rye, our labor-intensive cooking technique brings each grain’s individual character to life, while open-air sour mash adds soulful complexity. After three years in 53-gallon charred oak barrels, influenced by our high-altitude climate, an entirely novel bourbon unfolds.

AROMAS: Orange blossoms compliment notes of black tea, honey and dusty pepper

FLAVORS:  Pekoe tea, orange peel, cinnamon and vanilla custard. Hints of sweet tobacco and spice lead to a rich, dry finish.

MASH BILL: 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, 10% heirloom malted barley

AGED: 3+ years in new 53 gallon charred oak barrels

Situated along the northern coast of South America, Guyana was colonized by the Netherlands in the early 17th century. Much like other European countries at the time, the Dutch used their settlement's tropical climate Guyana enjoys an average temperature of up to 89.6 F and up to 137.8 inches of rainfall annually as a source of raw, fresh ingredients that were unable to be harvested on the European continent. In 1658, Guyana began exporting sugar back to the Netherlands and within a decade, farmer's along the Demerara River began distilling their excess cane sugar into rum. By the turn of the century, the tiny Caribbean country had over 300 unique distilleries. Today, Demerara Distillers Co. the last remaining rum distillery in the country pays homage to Guyana's rich tradition of distilling fine rum with El Dorado 8 Year Old Rum. El Dorado Rum is made from fresh, raw sugar cane cultivated in Guyana's rich, alluvial soil. After the sugar cane has been harvested by hand, it is transported back to Demerara Distillery by barge. There, the molasses is fermented with a proprietary strain of yeast specifically designed to control the brix of the wash (brix is the measure of dissolved solids in a solution). Following fermentation, the rum is distilled through Demerara Distillers antique wooden and copper stills (the stills, which are up two two centuries old, were used when the country was still a settlement). Following distillation, El Dorado 8 Year Old Rum is matured in bespoke, 45-gallon American oak casks that were previously used to mature whiskey. The hand-coopered barrels are allowed to mature in a custom-built warehouse, where Guyana's intense heat and tropical climate forces the rum and wood to mingle. Once the rum has rested for a minimum of eight years, it is brought to proof and bottled by hand. The rum has a dark aroma, with hints of tobacco, caramel and toffee. Notes of stone fruits, banana, creme brulee and papaya dominate the palate, and lead to a soft and slightly sweet finish with traces of oak and butterscotch. The rum was named the Best Rum of 2014 by F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal, which also named it one of the top ten spirits of the year. In addition, El Dorado 8 Year Old was named the second best rum at the Imbibe Magazine tasting competition in London.

Founded in 1982 by German-born Jrg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, mad scientist and St. George's master distiller. Winters, who is widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, has a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still in addition to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of his counterspace. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskies, vodkas and even an aging balsamic vinegar (it's 14 years old already). Our objective with St. George Raspberry Brandy, explains Winters, was to take an olfactory snapshot to capture exactly what raspberries smell like at their peak of ripeness. We used the whole fruit in its entirety in a deliberate effort to maximize the most elemental and essential flavors and aromas. Once the raspberries have been harvested, they are distilled through copper pot stills without the use of sugar or any other artificial ingredients. The brandy has an extraordinary texture and flavor profile, with rich waves of soft fruit, raspberries, oak and cinnamon that are complemented by a mineral touch. The brandy was named one of the Top 75 Spirits of 2014 by F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal.

Born in southern Burgundy, Alexandre Gabriel spent his youth working on his family's farm in central France. His grandfather, a strict disciplinarian, taught Alexandre how to graft a tree, milk a cow and harvest grapes. "For my grandfather, the only wealth is the one from the land," says Alexandre, fondly. After studying at the Macalester College in Minnesota and earning a degree in Lyon, Gabriel began working with Maison Ferrand, one of the oldest cognac houses in France. During his tenure at Maison Ferrand, Gabriel would dispose of used cognac casks by selling them to distilleries in Scotland and the Caribbean. "Our love affair with true rum began when we sold the prized casks that once held our Cognac to rum producers, and we fell in love with their product," says Alexandre. Centuries ago, Caribbean rum producers would send casks of rum to Europe and the United States, where the rum would mature before it was bottled and sold to the public. This is a practice that was done more commonly in the past but has almost disappeared now. We thought who better than Ferrand, with our know-how and exceptional casks, to resurrect this ancient technique." Plantation Grande Rserve 5 Year Old Rum was initially distilled on the island of Barbados and then matured for five years in ex-bourbon casks that were laid to rest in the Caribbean. Following this maturation process, the rum was transported to France and matured in used French oak casks at the Chteau de Bonbonnet. This secondary maturation adds hints of oaky vanilla, fudge and caramel that complement the rum's intense notes of tropical fruits, bananas, toasted almonds, brown sugar and coconuts. Plantation Grande Rserve 5 Year Old Rum earned a score of 94 points from Wine Enthusiast.

lément VSOP Rhum Vieux is distilled from sugarcane juice as is typical in Martinique and proudly wears the “AOC Martinique” designation signifying an exemplary degree of expertise in every stage of production.

Color: Mahogany

Maturation: 4 years of tropical aging in ex-Bourbon and French oak.

Nose: Aromatic notes of mocha, cocoa, salted toffee and vanilla. P

alate: Very soft and balanced. Overwhelming notes of woody vanilla and toasted coconut.

In 1805, the Mitchell & Sons Wine Merchants Company was established in the heart of Dublin, Ireland. By the turn of the 19th century, the Mitchells sold a range of Irish whiskeys under the name "Spot." This name originated from the company's practice of marking casks of different ages with a spot of colored paint. As a result, Mitchell & Sons sold whiskies named Blue Spot, Green Spot, Red Spot and finally Yellow Spot, which was last seen in the mid-to-late 1960s. Today, Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey continues to be crafted in the heart of Ireland. The whiskey is made from malted and unmalted barley, which are milled and mashed before being triple-distilled through a traditional pot still. Following distillation, the whiskey is matured for 12 years the Yellow Spot brand was always aged for this amount of time in a combination of American Bourbon casks, Spanish sherry butts and Spanish Malaga casks. The inclusion of the single pot still spirit aged in Spanish Malaga casks gives Yellow Spot its famously sweet character. After the various casks have been blended together, Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is bottled at 92 proof, just a bit higher than other traditional Irish whiskies which are bottled at 90 proof. "Pot Still Whiskeys define the traditional flavor character of Irish whiskey and we have seen a renewed interest and growth in the category over the last few years," says Brian Nation, the master distiller at Midleton Distillery, which makes Yellow Spot Whiskey. Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey has an aroma of red bell peppers, nutmeg, green tea and sweet peaches from the Malaga casks. On the palate, there is a honey sweetness accented by cloves, baked apples, milk chocolate, coffee and creme brulee. The finish is dry and complex, with notes of toasted oak, red grapes and barley. Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey was released in the United States in 2015 in extremely limited quantities. The whiskey was named Irish Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate in 2016, in addition to winning Gold in the Wizards of Whiskey competition that same year.

The Featherbone Factory built by E.K. Warren in the 19th century to manufacture women's corsets sits on the banks of Lake Michigan just across the Indiana border in Three Oaks, Michigan. As the factory changed hands in the twentieth century, it became a production site for everything from buggy whips to pickles. Today, it's home to Journeyman Distillery and Bill Welter, Journeyman's master distiller. Welter, who was formerly a banker in Indiana, began his Journey when his family business was sold in 2006. He moved to Scotland, where he began to learn the art of craft distillation from Greg Ramsay (master distiller at Nant Distillery) and Bill Lark (master distiller at Lark Distillery). After returning to the United States, Welter spent time producing and resting whiskey using a prominent organic & kosher distiller's facility in Chicago before opening the doors of his own distillery in Three Oaks with the intention to offer grain-to-glass spirits from day one/drop one. Featherbone Bourbon is made by distilling a mash of 70 percent organic corn, 25 percent organic wheat and 5 perfect organic rye through a 5000-liter, copper pot still imported from Germany. Welter sources the corn and rye from a farmer in Illinois, and the wheat from a local farmer in Michigan. The grains are produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, artificial pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, growth hormones, feed additives, or genetically modified organisms and enable Journeyman Distillery and all of its products to be certified organic by the Midwest Organic Services Association. Following distillation, the bourbon ages to profile in newly charred American oak casks. Using multiple size barrels, each distillation is tailored to the barrel it will age in and bottled once it has reached the desired taste profile. Journeyman Featherbone Bourbon is bold, assertive and youthful, with earthy flavors, nutty notes, spirituous, cereal notes, peanut butter, sweet, caramel, vegetal qualities - warming on the palate.

Aria Portland Dry Gin is distilled by hand in the heart of Northwest Portland, Oregon. Aria is a classic English inspired gin made using traditional British ingredients and distillation techniques and is true to the London Dry style.

Aria was created by a seventeen-year professional bartender, for bartenders, with cocktails in mind. Aria is a versatile gin which works well in any classic gin cocktail, especially a Martini, or it can be the basis for experimentation and creativity. It is also approachable enough to be enjoyed neat or straight over ice.

The recipe for Aria was developed over the course of four years and hundreds of test distillations. Aria is handmade and batch distilled with ten classic gin botanicals that were carefully chosen to create a flavor profile that has depth and complexity, but above all a perfect sense of balance.

TASTING NOTES

Aria is full bodied and boldly aromatic. Juniper is up front—obvious on the first nosing and initially on the palate. Underneath the juniper, layers of bright citrus, earthy undertones, floral highlights and subtle spicy notes reveal themselves, both on the nose and palate, though none are overpowering. All of the layers of flavor are balanced. The pristine Bull Run water use to cut Aria after distillation provides a rich, creamy mouthfeel. The finish is long and soft.

This is a signature label in honor of Nikka's founder Masataka Taketsuru, the first Japanese who mastered whisky-making in Scotland and brought this expertise back to Japan. While being a disciplined craftsman, he was also a person of curiosity and open-mindedness. This is a tribute to Masataka from his successors, highlighting a perfect balance with complexity achieved by precise blending inherited from the founder.

A "pure malt" is a blend of malt whiskies from various distilleries, whereas a "single malt" is a whisky made exclusively from one distillery. A "pure malt" is also known as a "blended malt".

Taketsuru Pure Malt expression launched in 2020, with a refined formula and a new label design to represent the brand. While remaining a smooth and well-balanced blended malt, the formula further showcases an exquisite balance between elegant softness and deep complexity along with rich mouthfeel and smokiness.

The Corti Brothers grocery, which was started by Frank and Gino Corti in Sacramento, CA 1947, has long been at the forefront of the artisan food movement. The store's mission was to do more than just hand people products, but to talk food and wine with them, and this mantra was embodied in Frank's son Darrell, who developed an encyclopedic knowledge of products from around the world. Continuing his father's legacy, Darrell grew Corti Brothers to such acclaim that the LA Times credited the grocery with starting the gourmet-food revolution. In addition to his expertise in food and wine, Darrell Corti has quite a history with whiskey as well. In 1974, he traveled to Kentucky to bottle a special bourbon for Corti Brothers bicentennial, and on two separate occasions in the mid-80s he worked with the Van Winkle family to bottle private selections of Van Winkle Reserve. Now, in the spirit of the burgeoning craft distilling movement, Darrell Corti has partnered with Amador Distillery to create his very own private label whiskey, Corti Brothers Exquisite Whiskey. Corti Brothers Exquisite Whiskey is crafted from just 13 casks of seven year old, Kentucky bourbon whiskey that has been made with a mashbill of 70% corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley. After seven years of maturation in these new, American oak casks, the whisky is then finished in barrels which previously housed Harbor Winery's Mission del Sole. This practice of double-barreling is common for Scotch whiskies, but relatively unusual for a bourbon whiskey. Afterwards, the whiskey is un-chill filtered and bottled at 90.5 proof. Corti Brothers Exquisite Whiskey has a nose of port and caramelized brown sugar, which leads to a palate filled with bright fruits, port, sherry and oak. The finish is rich and sweet, with more oak and a nice earthy character that lingers.

Master Tequilero Germn Gonzalez learned the art of making tequila from his father, Guillermo Gonzalez Diaz Lombardo, whom many credit with bringing the first ultra-premium tequila Chinaco to the United States. Guillermo was formerly the head of Mexico's Department of Agriculture, and indeed if you trace the Gonzalez family's heritage back even further, you will eventually arrive at General Manuel Gonzalez, President of Mexico from 1880-1884. Today, Germn is carrying on the legacy of many Gonzalez generations with his creation of Tears of Llorona No. 3 Extra Aejo Tequila. Originally intended to be German Gonzalez own private stock, Tears of Llorona No. 3 Extra Aejo Tequila is hand-crafted from 100% blue agave grown in the volcanic soil surrounding Atotonilco, in the highlands of Jalisco, where growth is extremely slow. Gonzalez selects these agaves late in the harvest, at their peak ripeness, using his years of experience and special knowledge passed down from his father. Once harvested, Gonzalez brings the agaves to his distillery where they are roasted, then shredded, in the traditional way to extract the sugar-rich juice called the aguamiel. The aguamiel is then fermented with a proprietary strain of yeast before being twice-distilled through copper pot stills. "You lose much of the intrinsic flavor of the agave when you distill tequila more than twice. You end up with something that more closely resembles a vodka," says Germn. After distillation, the Tears of Llorona No. 3 Extra Aejo Tequila is aged for nearly five years in several different types of barrels half ex-Scotch whisky barrels, a quarter Sherry casks and another quarter French Limousin barrels previously used to mature Cognac before being blended together at optimal maturity. Tears of Llorona No. 3 Extra Aejo Tequila has a bouquet of black cherries, vanilla, honeysuckle and apples, and leads to notes of chocolate, toffee and crme brle on the palate. The finish is spicy and elegant, with notes of cinnamon and cloves balanced by sweeter touches of raisins, caramel and oak. Men's Journal called Tears of Llorona, a sipping tequila of the highest order a rich, complex liquor that's more like a high-end scotch or cognac." 

Situated on the banks of Lagavulin Bay on the island of Islay, Lagavulin Distillery is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Distilling took place on the banks of Lagavulin Bay as early as 1742, and by the turn of the century, there were as many as ten illicit stills operating in the area. In 1816, John Johnson founded the first legal distillery on the site, and within a year Archibald Campbell had opened a second. After Johnson's death, Alexander Graham acquired Johnston's distillery for 1,100 and eventually united the two distilleries together under the Lagavulin name. Since that time, the rich, peaty water that runs down the brown burn and through the Solan Lochs into the hills just next to Lagavulin Bay has served as the lifeblood of the distillery. Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky is known as one of the most intense, smoky single malt whiskies ever made the peated barley used to create Lagavulin Single Malt has up to twenty times as much exposure to peat smoke as compared to typical Scotches. Once the grains used to craft Lagavulin Whisky have been harvested and malted, they are dried over a peat and gas fire calibrated specifically to produce Lagavulin's signature, bold flavor profile. Then, the grains are milled and mashed before being fermented for approximately 72 hours. Following fermentation, the whisky is distilled twice first through a wash still for approximately five hours and then again through a spirit distill for approximately nine hours. This is the slowest distillation process of any Islay distillery, and gives Lagavulin its characteristic round flavors and mellow edges. Following distillation, Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is matured for sixteen years in second-fill, American oak casks that were previously used to mature bourbon. As a result of this maturation process, together with the unique barley-drying process used at the distillery, the single malt has an intense aroma of peaty smoke, wood spices and Earl Gray tea. The aroma gives way to notes of peat, rich smoke and salty tang on the palate, which are balanced by subtle notes of vanilla and honeyed oak. The finish is incredible and intense, with complex notes of sweet caramel and fruits belying bolder notes of peat and smoke. Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky has earned six Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and was named the "Best Single Malt Whisky (13-19 Years)"at the 2013 Competition.

The term "Kavalan" refers to some of the earliest inhabitants of Taiwan, who settled the modern-day Yilan County during the 16th century. Legend has it that the Kavalan arrived by sea from the east and upon seeing the stunning beauty of Taiwan, decided to settle the bountiful land. Kavalan Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky is crafted by the King Car Group, which was established in Taiwan in 1956. The whisky is made entirely in Taiwan from malted barley that is imported from Scotland. Once the grains arrive in Taiwan, they are milled and mashed, before being fermented with water drawn from springs situated in the Central and Snowy Mountain ranges. This incredibly pure and quintessentially Taiwanese water source adds slightly mineral, round flavors to the whisky. Following fermentation, the wash is distilled through lantern-shaped copper-pot stills that were previously used at the Glenlivet Distillery. Due to the small size and shape of the stills, the whisky interacts with the copper, resulting in an incredibly pure and fruity flavor profile. After the whisky has been distilled, it is matured in used American oak wine barrels that have been toasted and recharred. These barrels, which have aged both red and white wine, lend notes of fruit, vanilla, and oak to the whisky, as well as caramel, chocolate and spice, leading to an elegant, brown sugar finish. Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky was named the World's Best Single Malt Whisky at Whisky Magazine's 2015 World Whiskies Awards. It also received the Double Gold Medal at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.