Taiwanese malt named world’s best

Taiwanese whisky Kavalan has beaten off competition from around the world to be named best single malt at the 2015 World Whiskies Awards.

Produced at the King Car distillery in Yilan, Kavalan’s “Solist Vinho Barrique” triumphed against single malts from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, France, South Africa, Australia and France, many of which also won awards in various categories.

With tasting notes including “fruit cake”, “big clove, chilli and dry cinnamon” and even “custard creams” (when water was added), “Whisky Bible” author Jim Murray, commented: “Good whisky is, without question, a work of art; great whisky is a tone poem. And here, I beg to insist, is proof.”

Scotch whiskies did win awards in other areas, “Darkness!” winning the award for best grain whisky and Master of Malt’s “Speyside Whisky Liqueur 40-year-old” being crowned best flavoured whisky.

The award for World’s Best Blended Malt went, for the second consecutive year, to Japan’s Nikka Teketsura Pure Malt.