A RANGE of whiskies produced at China’s Goalong distillery is now available in the UK, in what is claimed to be a first-of-its-kind export deal.
Located in the mountainous Hunan province of south-central China, Goalong produces a ‘softly smoky’ blended whiskey and a duo of five-year-old single malts – one matured solely in ex-bourbon casks and the other in ex-bourbon and ex-brandy casks.
Head of Buying at The Whisky Exchange, Dawn Davies MW, said: “We have recently seen a growing interest in whiskies that come from all over the world, not just those from traditional whisky producing countries, so to add the first Chinese whisky to our range and introduce it to the UK is very exciting.
“There are many new distilleries opening up in China, both local producers as well as the bigger more established companies like Pernod Ricard and Diageo, and it will be fascinating to see those come to the market over the next few years.
“Could China be the next Japan? We will have to wait and see.”
There is also a Goalong Botanical Gin, produced from corn and distilled with 20 Chinese herbs and spices including green tea, coriander seeds, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper.
That gin and the company’s three whiskeys are also available for trade orders via trade spirits supplier, Speciality Drinks.
