Situated in Nantou Hsien, Taiwan, Nantou Distillery was founded by the Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation, a Taiwan State-owned manufacturer of tobacco and alcohol, in 1978. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that it produced its first whisky.
Before 2010, the mash, wort and wash were made in a nearby brewery which Nantou stopped using when it installed its own German mash tun and washbacks (with a 15,000 litres capacity) in the distillery. The fermentation run typically lasts around 60 to 72 hours, before the spirit is transferred into the appropriate pot stills. Nantou currently has four stills, manufactured by Forsyths of Rothes in Speyside, and was installed in the distillery with varying capacities. One is able to distil 7,000 litres, two are able to distil 5,000 litres each and the final still is able to distil 2,000 litres.
The on-site racked warehouse is capable of storing 4,500 bourbon casks & sherry casks, which can hold from 180 to 225 litres. The humid and hot climate of Taiwan means that the Angels‘ Share is about 5% per year. A fresh underground water supply is used to reduce the strength of all whisky produced at Nantou.
The Omar brand is distilled at Nantou and currently features both a bourbon and a sherry edition, which form the core of the Omar range.