Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/990824
80 / the tasting panel / june 2018 Nantou's Head of Distillation (he has since retired), to Scotland to learn traditional Scotch whisky distilling techniques. Lin finally returned to Taiwan the year after what Chung refers to as "The Whisky Golden Age," a transition that caused whisky prices to drop dramatically. This made it cheaper for the Taiwanese to continue to import the spirit rather than produce it domesti- cally, until a series of events prompted Nantou to open its own whisky distillery. In 1999, Nantou was gravely dam- aged by an earthquake that destroyed five of the distillery's warehouses, resulting in a significant loss of product. Just three years later, Taiwan officially opened its alcohol market and effectively ended the domestic monopoly that had existed under vari- ous levels of enforcement since 1947. This open international market, coupled with the public shift in taste away from brandy and the devastation from the earthquake, demanded that Nantou make adjustments to survive. However, just as the market in Taiwan embraced whisky, the category once again gained international prominence and skyrocketed in price—prompting Nantou to call upon Lin to use the knowledge he'd garnered 20 years earlier to build a whisky distillery at its facility. Nantou's inaugural year for whisky production arrived in 2008, with the distillery initially operating mainly with secondhand equipment in a repur- posed space that had once housed a restaurant. The area was so constrained that the mashing was performed at a sister distillery and the wash was sent back to Nantou. The following year, once the team had developed more confidence in their production tech- niques, new equipment was purchased and OMAR's first single malt whisky was produced. ADAPTING TO THE ENVIRONMENT OMAR continues to adhere to the tra- ditional whisky-making techniques Lin brought back from Scotland and sources a major ingredient from the U.K., as well: Because Taiwan's staple grain is rice, the Nantou team imports malted barley directly from Scotland. Most OMAR releases are finished in ex-American bourbon casks or Spanish Oloroso Sherry butts, but because Nantou is also a winery, some special editions of the whisky are finished in barrels that have held lychee liqueur, plum liqueur, and local wine. These impart the famed fruit notes of Taiwan's terroir. KANPAI: TOASTING THE TAIWANESE WAY The past century of Taiwanese history explains why the island has earned a reputation as an up-and-coming whisky super-region. Taiwan was colonized by Japan from 1895 until 1945, and this left an enduring mark on the island's drinking culture. According to Nantou Distillery Senior Technician Chung Pei Yuan, these customs are deeply rooted in the idea of "kanpai": a traditional Japanese toast meaning "dry glass." Kanpai also serves as a way to show guests hospitality . . . by knocking back shots. "Taiwan also inherited Japan's business drinking culture where sales and contracts go to those who can drink the most, which is why here a spirit has the advantage if it is strong but smooth and easy-drinking," Chung says. Taiwan experienced vast economic growth in the 1980s, leading to an exploration of foreign cultures and spirits. Brandy was the champion of the era, but in the 2000s, a marked shift toward Scotch, particularly Sherry cask-age single malts, occurred. In addition to pairing well with local dishes, the category fits those aforementioned Taiwanese needs: sweet, strong, and easy-drinking. U.S. DEBUT Nantou's copper pot stills were produced by Forsyths of Rothes, the famed producers from Speyside, Scotland. OMAR's new-make spirit, pictured coming off of the condenser, closely resembles Scotch before it's barreled with a Taiwanese finishing technique.