When we first landed in Taiwan I told my wife (All But Drams’ financier / hand model) that I was only going to drink Taiwanese whisky. That plan lasted a solid week and fell apart when we found Bar Rich in Tainan.

Nestled in a city centre cultural park that used to be a dormitory for prison employees, Bar Rich isn’t part of the globally known whisky trail in Taiwan. It doesn’t have anywhere near the social following of some Taipei bars either, and yet it deserves it. The outside is plastered with a mural of two cats in hoodies sharing pizza and drinks, not something that screams whisky bar. The inside by contrast is a love letter to 19th century French or English pubs with rich dark woods and plenty of Art Nouveau touches. This is a familiar setting for whisky, it’s cosy and inviting, but blessedly still air conditioned against the heat of Tainan.

We arrived before 6PM which meant that there was a minimum order of one drink or pizza per person (later on the bar changes to a $350 NTD / £8.75 minimum spend per person). We had our pick of seats and were invited to look around the bar and check out the bottles. Each one had the price of a single or double pour on the base.

The selection is mostly single malt Scotch with a smattering of other regions. This is typical for enthusiast whisky bars in Taiwan as single malt dominates the market. You’ll find in a lot of bars here a range of Scotch to rival specialist bars in the UK, but only a smattering of other regions and only a single bottle of Bourbon or Rye.

I set myself up with some Taiwanese whisky to start, two expressions from Omar’s Harvest Series. These limited releases use a mix of casks from ones you’d expect like Bourbon and ex-peated, but also the wilder oolong tea and lychee liqueur casks you generally don’t see outside Taiwan. Both were good pours with a lot of of subtle tropical notes that blend together well, rather than any one cask type standing out. Overall this is less to my taste versus the heavy cask finishes I’d come to love. I recommend trying these to get a contrast with the rest of their range.

After these I started browsing the Scottish Single Malt and decided I had to change the trip’s approach entirely. Due to a lower cost of living and lower taxes on alcohol, whisky drinking in Taiwan is cheap. I was standing in a lovely specialist bar staring at bottles I would likely never pick in London as they’d drain my wallet in an instant. There’s no price list to share with you but I grabbed a random sample of bottles and will list their price for a 25ml pour here:

• 26 Year Old Macduff – $300 NTD / £7.15
• 30 Year Old Undisclosed Islay  – $600 NTD / £14.28
• 21 Year Old Undisclosed Speyside  $250 NTD / £5.95
• 20 Year Old Caperdonich – $380 NTD / £9.05
• 21 Year Old Kidalton – $480 NTD / £11.42
• 1986 Glenrothes – $850 NTD / £20.23
• 1990 Bowmore – $360 NTD / £8.57

(at the time of visiting, £1 = $42 NTD)

Some of these are amazing value on paper, others are more just “good” value versus the UK. The most expensive bottle I could find was a 1970s Port Ellen from the mid 2000s that would set you back £125 for a large pour. You can browse through the many pictures here to see what sorts of bottles were on offer.

Moving onto Scotch I tried something with heavy Asian influence to bridge the gap. From a Hong Kong based independent bottler I had an Aberlour that had spent 12 years in Mizunara oak. It was dominated by bucket loads of herbal and dry woody notes (think fragrance, not tannin). An enjoyable whisky and whilst I do like Mizunara it was very strong here. One to try and see for yourself.

I asked the lovely team at the bar what other Scotch whiskies they’d recommend that are unique to Taiwan. They provided me with their own bottling of PX Benrinnes and a free sample of Edradour in Marsala from a nearby bar called Whisky Picnic. The Benrinnes was my favourite of the evening, just the right amount of sweet raisin and leather on the finish. Less a sherry bomb and more a comfortable sherry slap. Having anything in Edradour outside of a sherry cask is unusual and unfortunately this one was not the one to covert me on Marsala finishes. They’re bottom of the proverbial barrel for me over most other fortified wine. However, this was a lovely free gift from the kind staff and I did ask for unusual things to try!

Bar Rich doesn’t just excel at whisky. Decent pizza is on offer that’s on par with what you’d find in most cities outside Italy and good value too. The cocktail menu is large and features a choice of six Old Fashioneds, house specials, classics, and some non-alcoholic options too. Most were priced between £7 – £9 which is about average for higher end bars in Taiwan. This bar is also accessible for anyone who doesn’t speak Chinese. The staff have great English and know plenty about whisky. If you’re used to enjoying drams in an old pub setting, you’ll feel right at home here.

If work or pleasure takes you to Tainan and you’re in need of a dram then Bar Rich is a perfect stop. The team at Bar Rich also recommended Whisky Picnic nearby but we did not have time to visit. Should you want to buy whisky in the city we also recommend Yixin Whisky & Wine. This store is just a 3 minute walk away and features a large, well priced range of both Taiwanese and Scottish whisky.