Kavalan is Crowned the World Whisky Superior Gold Single Malt
Kavalan is crowned the World Whisky “Superior Gold” Single Malt - Claiming 3 of the 12 prestigious awards at this years TWSC show in Japan.
Author - Larry Schoen
When people think of Asian whisky, the first thing that comes to mind for most is Japanese whisky, and rightfully so as the Japanese have been producing some incredible whiskies and have been gaining worldwide recognition. So when the 2020 TWSC results were announced just a couple days ago, some were surprised as Taiwan’s Kavalan Single Malt Whisky took home all 3 of the World Whisky “Superior Gold”” awards in Tokyo, Japan.
Taiwan’s Kavalan Single Malt Whisky has been making a name for itself since its Solist Vinho Barrique was awarded World’s Best Single Malt Whisky in 2015, and this year proved that they are continuing to produce incredible Single Malt Whisky that can go head to head with whisky from anywhere around the globe.
2020 marked the second year of The Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition, also known as Japan’s “original” whisky & spirits competition. This year there were a total of 427 entries from around the world and 37 judges had the daunting task of tasting and scoring each expression blindly. They were instructed on which order to taste the samples as well as the glass type to use ensuring a fair and even playing field from all. Judges were then to award scores from 1 to 100 and the average scores would decide the winners, due to the Covid-19 virus this year all judging was held remotely.
After the rigorous judging was completed there were only 12 Superior Gold Winners awarded, of which 3 were from the Kavalan Distillery in Taiwan.
The Superior Gold was awarded to entries that scored above the extremely high standard set forth from the TWSC, and were divided into the following categories; whisky, brandy, rum, gin, vodka and tequila as well as by country/region, main ingredients and maturation length.
Here are the 12 winners of the Superior Gold out of the 427 entries:
Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon (World Whisky/Single Malt)
Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry (World Whisky/Single Malt)
Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique (World Whisky/Single Malt)
Glenfarclas 1997 22 Years Old ‘The Family Reserve’ (Scotch Whisky/Single Malt)
Tomatin 30 Years Old (Scotch Whisky/Single Malt)
The Essence of Suntory Whisky Yamazaki Distillery Refill Sherry Cask (Japanese Whisky/Single Malt)
Komagatake 1991 28 Years Old Single Cask No. 160 (Japanese Whisky/Single Malt)
Rittenhouse Rye Bottled In Bond (American Whiskey/Rye)
Jean Fillioux Christophe Fillioux No.1 (Cognac)
Cane Island Nicaragua 12 Years Old Single Estate (Rum)
Ron Abuelo Finish Collection XV Oloroso (Rum)
Don Julio Anejo (Tequila)
The competition also awarded 79 Gold Winners, 9 of which were awarded to Kavalan, 154 Silver Winners and 83 Bronze Winners.
The Chair of the TWSC Executive Committee, Mamoro Tsuchiya, who is well known as one of Japan’s leading whisky experts, commented that “This year’s results once again represent a strong showing from Taiwan, such as Kavalan. Taiwan has demonstrated their whisky-making prowess while simultaneously attracting international attention for their containment of the coronavirus.”
Looking closely at the results throughout the competition the Single Malts dominated the blended whiskies and a new trend may be starting with Rye Whiskies earning higher scores than Bourbons.
Here is a list of which Kavalan expressions took home the awards at this year’s 2020 TWSC in Tokyo, Japan:
Superior Gold – Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon
Superior Gold – Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry
Superior Gold – Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique
Gold - Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish
Gold - Kavalan Concertmaster Sherry Cask Finish
Gold - Kavalan Distillery Reserve Peaty Cask
Gold - Kavalan Distillery Reserve Rum Cask
Gold - Kavalan King Car Conductor
Gold - Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak
Gold - Kavalan Solist Fino Sherry
Gold - Kavalan Solist Port
Gold - Kavalan Solist Rum Cask (Yamaichi Original)