- [Producer] Today you're to do Taiwanese whiskey.
- (gasps) How exciting! - (exclaims) We love whiskey!
Taiwanese.
I know absolutely nothing about Taiwan.
Not a thing.
- This is gonna be one of those shoots
where I'm gonna have a great time.
(upbeat music)
- I'm excited! (tapping)
And underdressed.
- Yeah. - But, you know...
- Look, you'll learn. - Yeah.
- Excitement will get us through.
- Yeah. - I love doing whisky shoots,
because it makes me sneeze like a little panda
and I get a lot of people saying,
"Hey, you sneeze weird."
- I think you sneeze cute.
- Thank you! (Gráinne chuckles)
- I've never tried Taiwanese whisky,
but their relationship with making it is so interesting.
As I would imagine, if it's similar to Japanese,
they've only been doing it quite recently,
but they do it very well.
- I'm so excited about this- - I know.
- because I'm a bit boring when it comes to whisky,
I'm like, "Irish or nothing."
- Now, this looks incredibly snazzy,
I must say. - Yes. Yeah.
- Holy crap! - Are we the first to drink?
- Oh! Oh! Oh my God!
- Is it burning? - It smells pungent!
- It says, "Yushan".
I've no idea if I'm going to pronounce that right,
but there's some beautiful writing here
that I definitely can't read.
- I'm glad you're holding the bottle,
because you with the suit, it works, it fits.
- This is a good image, isn't it?
- I just get the box. Man in T-shirt gets box.
(Martin laughs)
- Ugh, it smells like the blood of Christ! Oh!
- Oh, are we gonna meet Jesus?
- It is 46%, so it's gonna pack a serious punch.
Imported and distributed by France, which makes sense
that it's distributed by a European company,
but it is Taiwanese, which is so cool.
- I really like the cultural history
that it's put on the label there.
Now let's get hammered! (Seán cheers)
(people sipping)
- That's good. - That's good. That's good.
- Ooh! - It's lovely!
- Ah, that's so...
- That's gorgeous! (Dónal sneezes)
- Almost easy? - Yeah.
- There's not the big kick. (Martin chuckles)
- You said that like you like a bit more of a challenge.
- Oh, I do, yeah. (both chuckling)
- It's got that real malty finish to it.
- Yeah. It's lovely. It is really, really nice.
- Ah, I'm warm. - Oh my God.
- It's sweet! - No, I'm warm.
- Oh! (laughs) - It's really good. It's nice.
It doesn't taste particularly Taiwanese,
but I don't know what Taiwanese whisky tastes like.
- I'd like something a bit maybe more ambitious.
Like an animal on the label. - Oh. Okay.
I thought you meant the shape of the bottle.
Like, "Give me a raven!" (Martin chuckles)
"Or give me nothing!"
- Just on the sticker, you know?
- Is Martin in this? Can I steal his 10 outta 10?
'Cause that is a 10 outta 10 in my book.
- I'm gonna give it like a 7,
because I'm not blown away by the taste.
If you gave me and told me it was Jameson,
I'd be like, "Yeah, no bother."
- You've got a point.
- Do you get any flavour from it?
- Nah, just whisky.
So maybe by the fourth, I'll be like,
"I can taste everything!"
- I've used that trick on whisky tastings as well.
"I can taste it better if I have loads of whisky."
- Yeah, give me a bottle- - Give me a barrel. (chuckles)
- and come back to me in an hour.
- I'll just lie under a barrel.
(both chuckling)
(upbeat music)
- Kavalan!
Kavalan.
- Kavalan. - Is that a picture of Taiwan?
Or is that a picture of a bean or a potato?
It looks like a kidney. (Gráinne chuckles)
Is Taiwan in the shape of a kidney?
I tell you, my kidneys are gonna be (vocalizes).
Oh, is that liver?
- The cap has a little car.
It looks like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
- Now we did have vanilla before,
but now we're getting flowers and exotic fruits.
- Okay. I'm dying to go to Taiwan now.
- Located in the northiest of Taiwan.
- Do you mean the northeast?
- No, northiest. (chuckles)
Now I'm sticking with northiest.
(Seán laughs) - Is this one not as smelly?
- No, it's not as smelly, actually.
No, no, no, no, no. - It's 40%, so it is weaker.
- Although, the last one knocked every single sense
out the window, so everything's gone.
(people sipping)
- Oh, that's very smooth. - It's very smooth.
- That's dangerously smooth. - Yeah.
- This is beautiful! It is really floral!
(Éadaoin exclaims)
(Donal sneezing)
- It's so cute when he does it! I love it!
- A little bit like liquid honey, I'm not gonna lie.
(chuckling) It's real nice.
- If I was guessing that, in Taiwan,
that this is more popular.
Because she's a little bit smoother.
- That's quite weak, I think.
- Yeah, yeah, real weak.
- I had a low bar for this, to be honest.
It's knocked it out of the park.
- She's a bit sweeter.
If I was doing a business deal, I'd be like,
"Give 'em this", and then you can haggle them down.
- Is it just me or this kinda
has a Flubber vibe off of it?
Like, its very thick. (Gráinne slaps table)
- Much prefer this to the first one.
- Yeah, if I had too many of these, I'd be too confident.
- And we can't have that, we can't have a confident Martin.
- No. - Too, too powerful.
- [Producer] Out of 10, what's this one getting?
- I would give it a 17, Seán.
- C'mon, catch up. (taps) C'mon. (taps)
Hurry up now. (taps) (Dónal sneezes)
- 10 outta 10?
- Could you give a whisky a 10 outta 10?
- I mean, I wouldn't normally.
- And I gave the last one a 7,
which would maybe make me maybe give this one a 6.
- I would give it a 6!
- But I actually really enjoyed it, so I'm not sure
if a 6 is accurate. - A 6 for me! It's a 6.
- Maybe I'd give this one a 7 and the last one an 8.
- Wait, what are you-
- Yeah, I'm done. - Aw, c'mon now, no.
- I just don't really like this one.
- It's drinkable. - Yeah it's (growls).
- His words exactly.
(upbeat music)
- So, very similar to the last bottle.
- It smells the exact same.
- We've got another single malt whisky from Yushan.
Back up to the 46% we go, Martin.
- Yeah. - It's the same one again!
- Oh, it's sherry! - Ah, sherry.
- I don't know what the difference is, but all right!
- It smells stronger. Did you say it was sherry?
- It's a sherry cask. - It is a sherry cask.
- I don't know how I feel about sherry.
- Do you know what sherry is? Did you ever have sherry?
- Yeah, you have it at Christmas.
- Yeah, it's a real Christmas drink.
If you're on death's door,
you'd like a glass of sherry. - I'll have an aul' sherry.
- I'm a big fan of these bottles,
like really simple packaging.
(Gráinne chuckles)
It just looks like you're cradling a child.
(glasses clink) - Sláinte.
(Gráinne humming)
- It's so tasty! C'mon, drink up! C'mon! (taps)
- I like the sweetness of sherry,
so I'm here for the sherry cask.
- There's an interesting aftertaste, on the under tongue.
- You're drinking it wrong. (both laugh)
- This is horrible. (Gráinne laughs)
(exclaims) It got the worst parts of the last one
and combined it with the worst parts of the first one.
- It kind of doesn't taste like much going down,
it's not a lot of work.
- I'm not too familiar with sherry,
but I do kinda get that.
Ya know? That.
- The twist in the testicles? - The twisted testicles, yeah.
- I was so brave at the start. Little naive Dónal.
This is what Russian spies use to kill people.
- And I think that's amazing,
to think you're getting your flavour
from a barrel, like from the wood.
- You're like, "You sit in there now
"for a good fucking 50 years
"and you think about what you've done,
"and you'll come out and you'll fucking taste like sherry."
- [Producer] What would you rate it out of 10?
- Do we usually rate things out of 10 on this channel?
- We usually do, but you normally abstain from it.
- Yeah. - You're against it on like,
religious grounds, I think, aren't you?
- Yeah, yeah. - You don't believe in 10.
- I don't believe in the number 10.
- No. - For this one,
I give it an ol' solid 6. - I mean, an 11?
(Éadaoin slaps table) Is that bad?
- I'm gonna give it a 10, Martin.
- Wow. That's very high. - That might seem weird, okay.
That might seem a bit fucking weird-
- It's a bit high. - but I'm gonna do it.
- (humming) 8, I'm gonna say.
- That's very high, oh my goodness.
- Well 6 is pretty high and- - 6 was pretty high.
- I prefer it to you, clearly.
- A 7.5. - 7.5! Is what I'd give it.
- Because it is slightly better than the former.
- Ethically, I don't think the number 1
should be next to the number 0.
- Yeah. (chuckles) 11! Not 10.
(both chuckling) As the saying goes.
(upbeat music)
- Kavalan Irish edition?
- It's port cask finish. - No? No?
- Gorgeous packaging here. - Oh my god, it's stunning.
- Really like the green bottle.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day,
whenever you're watching this video.
- In ancient times,
the land around Yilan was called Kavalan,
a mysterious land that was solely inhabited
by the indigenous people of the Kavalan Clan!
- I love that it says, "concert master".
- Aw, so cute! - That's you!
- 'Cause you're a DJ!
- Using Portuguese ruby port wine casks
as the main flavour. - Ooh!
- What's that word?
- Northiest.
- (laughs) Yes, the northiest of ports.
- Oh, fuck, it tastes strong!
- I'm getting honey on the nose.
- Okay. - I'm getting sweetness.
- I'm getting something, Éadaoin,
and I don't know what it is, but I'm getting it
and I'm ready for it to be within me!
(people sipping)
- Oh, Jesus, that one is, oh, sorry.
You'll see how you get on.
Yeah, that one's quite intense. (chuckles)
- Very smooth. - Yeah.
(Éadaoin exhales) - Oh my god, that's beautiful.
- That is a sharp ass whisky, oh my God.
Ooh, that makes the hairs in my nose stand on edge!
- Is it as sticky?
- No, not as syrupy!
The Yushans were very stiruppy. Stiruppy!
- Stiruppy? - They're like cowboys!
- This is the hug I've been lacking for nine months.
- The last Kavalan, you know,
he's having a great time, he's there,
he's here, he's just trying to participate.
- But you'd probably swipe left?
- Ow! - This is my least favourite,
I think. - Yeah, no, yeah.
- 'Cause it's the sharpest.
I feel like your reaction is more normal, though,
like I'm quite duh when it comes to drinks.
- Honestly, I think Kavalan might be
one of my favorite whisky brands now.
- Far be it from me to try to decipher how it tastes.
It's a beautiful whisky.
It's very strong. It's very straight up.
- Ugh, it's like something Jack Bauer would drink.
- Hoo, that is a, oh! Maybe don't take it in one go.
- Its a game changer, it really is.
And I know I compliment whiskys a lot.
This is actually something I will take
outside of this showbiz world we live in.
- Yeah. Here's our rectangle. - When I'm at home
and I'm not wearing a blazer,
I'm still wearing a tie, but I'll enjoy-
- At all times. - At all times.
- I'll enjoy a Kavalan whisky.
- I feel like I enjoyed the first one the most,
and then the 2nd last one the 2nd.
It is also my duty to say, it was all a blur,
and I'd like to see them all again.
- The worst one, I think the one before this.
The one that tastes like a urinal cake.
I think that one. I think that one!
- 10 out of 10. - 10 out of 10.
10 out of 10? - 10 outta 10.
- 10 outta 10!
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Martin, what do you think?
- I wanna see us drink more whisky.
- Yeah, let's do it! Subscribe!
- Where's the whisky?