Kavalan Tasting @ Lock & Key

Back again for another tasting! This time around, Kavalan was the highlight of the night. Kavalan is a Taiwanese distillery owned by King Car Group, and they have won numerous awards for their whisky. Tonight, we got to try the Concertmaster Port Cask Finish, the King Car Conductor Single Malt Whisky, the Ex-Bourbon Oak Single Malt Whisky, and the Sherry Oak Single Malt Whisky.

Since it was a Taiwanese Whiskey, Chef Cyndi Tran decided to pair the whisky with Taiwanese fusion food! For the first bites, we got homemade scallion pancake with braised beef, cucumber, hoisin, pickled carrot, and garlic oil to go with our Kavalan Concertmaster. 

Our first course consisted of a Sprouted Mung Bean Salad with shrimp, pickled eggplant, watermelon radish, tomatoes, spinach, baby celery, crispy shallots, and chili passion fruit vinaigrette. To pair with, we had the King Car Conductor. In my opinion, it is hard to pair a light appetizer such as a salad with a whisky, but I enjoyed both the dish and the whisky! 

For our entree, we had the roasted beef tenderloin with stir fried long beans, baby bok choy, carrots, bean sprouts, sesame, black bean, hoisin sauce, and citrus coriander glaze. This was my favorite course of the meal- the meat was so juicy and flavorful! This was paired with the Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak, which basically means that this whisky was put into old bourbon barrels. Loved the pairing of these two! 

Last but not least, we had a Taiwanese Sponge Cake with lemon mango curd, papaya mousse, lychee and plut, and spiced peanut brittle. This was my friend's favorite course, and it was delicious with the Kavalan Sherry Oak. We both enjoyed the Sherry Oak the best as it had a nice light fruity taste! 

Another fantastic dinner and tasting hosted by Lock & Key! I love how they are able to appropriate the event to the specific types of whiskey they offer. I did not expect Lock & Key to host a Taiwanese dinner, and I love their versatility! Thanks again Lock & Key for hosting, and hopefully I will be back soon! :)

Menu for reference