A Taiwanese liquor made of lychees and honey won the gold medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – Spirits Selection 2014. The world competition was held from June 6 to 8 in Florianopolis, Brazil.
This was the second time a Taiwanese spirit won gold in a global competition this year. A golden muscat fortified dessert wine won gold at the Vinalies Internationales wine competition in Paris in March. Chen Chien-hao developed both of the world-class drinks. He is an assistant professor at National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism.
Chen said using honey as an ingredient for liquor is challenging. That’s because the moisture in honey often varies and the natural phenols may destabilize fermentation. But he was able to perfect the drink with a special organic yeast from Europe. He also attributed his win to the high quality of Taiwan’s locally grown fruit and agricultural products.
This year, over 600 different spirits from 40 countries were entered into the global competition. Over 50 international experts were on the jury of the contest which has been held for the 20th year