DISTILLERY · NANTOU, TAIWAN
Nantou Distillery
A state winery in the central foothills quietly became Taiwan's other great whisky house.
Nantou is the whisky distillery of the Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation (TTL) — the state-run producer — making it the government-owned counterpart to privately held Kavalan. The site began life as a winery; whisky distillation started around 2008 on Forsyths copper pot stills from Scotland, and the first Omar single malts appeared in 2013. The house style is honest and cask-led — ex-bourbon brightness, ex-sherry depth, bottled at 46% non-chill-filtered — plus a signature nobody else can copy: finishes in Nantou's own lychee and plum fruit-wine casks, including the world's first lychee-liqueur-cask single malt (2015). Subtropical heat matures the spirit roughly three times faster than Scotland, at an 8–15% annual angel's share — so fierce that the stills pause each June–August.
THE OMAR RANGE
Cask-led, state-made.
From the 46% non-chill-filtered core pair to cask-strength single casks and fruit-wine finishes no one else can copy.
Omar Sherry Cask
FLAGSHIPcore · 46% NCF
Chocolate-coated raisin and clove — the medal-winning core.
Omar Bourbon Cask
core · 46% NCF
Vanilla, mandarin and mango — the bright calling card.
Omar Cask Strength Series
single casks · CS
Undiluted sherry and bourbon casks — SFWSC Double Gold hardware.
COMING SOON
Omar Lychee Liqueur Cask
fruit-wine finish · limited
The world's first lychee-liqueur-cask single malt (2015).
COMING SOON
Omar Plum Liqueur Cask
fruit-wine finish · limited
Plum wine from the winery era, finishing Omar malt.
COMING SOON
Yushan Blended Malt
premium sibling line
TTL's premium Yushan line — the house beyond Omar.
COMING SOON
OMAR BOTTLES · REVIEWED & RANKED
The bottles.
SCORED / 100 · CASK-STRENGTH RELEASES VARY BY BATCH · US PRICES JULY 2026
| Rank | Bottle | Note | Score | Price | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Omar Cask Strength Sherrysingle malt · cask strength | SFWSC Double Gold hardware; batches vary. | 90SCORE | US: TBC | COMING SOON |
| 02 | Omar Sherry Casktaiwan / nantou / single-malt / omar-sherry-cask | Chocolate-raisin depth at 46% — the range's best value. | 89SCORE | $75 | READ REVIEW → |
| 03 | Omar Cask Strength Bourbonsingle malt · cask strength | Undiluted vanilla-and-mango intensity. | 88SCORE | US: TBC | COMING SOON |
| 04 | Omar Bourbon Casktaiwan / nantou / single-malt / omar-bourbon-cask | Bright mandarin-and-vanilla core at 46%. | 86SCORE | $65 | READ REVIEW → |
| 05 | Omar Triple Casksingle malt · export bottling | Three-cask marriage; Monde Selection Grand Gold 2025. | 85SCORE | US: TBC | COMING SOON |
| 06 | Omar Lychee Liqueur Casksingle malt · limited finish | The world's first lychee-cask malt — floral and exotic. | 84SCORE | US: TBC | COMING SOON |
| 07 | Omar Plum Liqueur Casksingle malt · limited finish | The winery past in a glass — tart, spiced, limited. | 83SCORE | US: TBC | COMING SOON |
| 08 | Yushan Blended Maltblended malt · sibling line | TTL's premium line beyond the Omar single malts. | 82SCORE | US: TBC | COMING SOON |
NANTOU — THE STORY
The distillery the winery built.
Nantou began as a winery of the Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation — the state producer whose roots reach back to the island's monopoly era. When Kavalan proved Taiwanese malt could beat the world, TTL answered with what it already had: fruit-wine cellars, oak experience and a site in the central foothills. Forsyths stills arrived from Scotland, whisky ran from around 2008, and the first Omar single malts landed in 2013.
The climate is the same superpower Kavalan enjoys — maturation roughly three times faster than Scotland, paid for with an 8–15% annual angel's share and summers so hot the stills go quiet from June to August. But the winery past is the difference: Nantou finishes malt in its own lychee and plum fruit-wine casks, a cask type that exists nowhere else in whisky.
One myth, corrected: 'state-owned means industrial.' Nantou runs small, seasonal and cask-obsessed — and its cask-strength sherry releases carry SFWSC Double Gold hardware.
Answered by Mae Sinclair · The Pacific Seat
Who owns Omar?
Omar is made at Nantou Distillery, owned by the Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation (TTL) — Taiwan's state-run drinks producer. As of July 2026 it remains government-owned; no privatization or sale has been announced.
Is Omar as good as Kavalan?
Different, and closer than the prices suggest. Kavalan is louder — wine-cask decadence and cask-strength Solists; Omar is quieter — 46%, non-chill-filtered, honest sherry and bourbon casks. We score Omar Sherry Cask 89; Kavalan's Solist single casks still hold the island's crown at 91.
Which Omar should I buy first?
The Sherry Cask (~$75 at its best US price, our 89) — chocolate-raisin depth and the range's best value. Prefer bright over dark? The Bourbon Cask (~$65, our 86). Both are 46% and non-chill-filtered.
What is a lychee-cask whisky?
Nantou ages fruit wines and liqueurs on site, then finishes whisky in the emptied casks. Its lychee-liqueur-cask single malt — the world's first, released in 2015 — is floral, exotic and collectible; plum-wine finishes follow the same idea. Limited runs, so grab one when you see it.
Can we send you our whiskey?
Yes — and it's the only way to earn a Superior Rating. Distilleries are welcome to send bottles for the full panel: two per expression, one decanted into blind samples for the three of us, one sealed on file. All three seats taste it blind and the scores are averaged. Sending buys three honest opinions and nothing else — nobody sees a score before publication.