Distilleries
J Haider
Published 13/08/2025
As the first whisky distillery in Austria, the Haider family has stood for innovation par excellence since the beginning of 1995. Several tens of thousands of visitors per year visit the world of experience in Roggenreith, which is connected to the distillery. There, the guests can expect not only the production and storage facility on three levels, but also a film screening, smelling, tasting and understanding malt and of course the tasting in the whisky cellar.
Kavalan
Published 13/08/2025
The Kavalan distillery in Taiwan is located approx. 30 km southeast of the capital Taipei. Their name is a reference to the indigenous people who used to live in the plain. Production of Kavalan whisky The temperatures in Taiwan are on average 15 ° C higher than in Scotland, which also results in a higher percentage of angels share. While in Scotland you lose about 2% alcohol per year in Taiwan it is up to 15%!
Keckeis
Published 13/08/2025
Rarely is whisky tasted as comprehensibly as in Rankweil with Harald Keckeis. On the one hand, this is due to the close proximity of the tasting tables to the shimmering copper Holstein distillery that dominates the elegant room. But a visit to Keckeis also makes it possible to taste the metamorphosis from unaged grain brandy – here it is called “Moonshiner XXX” – to whisky enriched with cask aromas. Another special feature is the “Still Man’s”, a beer that combines the first stage of grain fermentation with hops.
Kilchoman
Published 13/08/2025
Kilchoman is the westernmost distillery in Islay and the only distillery on Islay that is not directly on the sea. Its name comes from an old church whose ruins lie on the picturesque Machir Bay. Production of Kilchoman whisky Kilchoman is one of the few whisky distilleries that still undertake part of the malting process. About 30% of the production is made on site with a phenol content of 20ppm. The rest is also produced on Islay near Port Ellen at around 50ppm.
Kinclaith
Published 13/08/2025
Another long lost malt ‘distillery’ inside a grain distillery, in this case Glasgow’s Strathclyde grain plant. Established in 1957 Kinclaith to supply blending malt, the majority of the spirit was destined for the ‘Long John’ blend. No official bottles exist, and the few independent releases I’ve seen clock in at north of £1,000 these days putting it outwith the reach of the average drinker. Sadly Kinclaith was a short lived distillery, in 1975 Strathclyde was sold to Whitbread and less than 18 years after production began the site was dismantled to provide more space for grain and neutral spirits production.