The distillery is named after the indigenous Kavalan people, who originally inhabited the Kabalan Plain of modern-day Yilan County. The distillery was completed in December 2005, produced its first spirit in March 2006, and released its first bottling in December 2008.
In January 2010, one of the distillery’s products caused a stir by beating three Scotch whiskies and one English whisky in a blind tasting organised in Leith, Scotland, to celebrate Burns Night.
The distillery was named by Whisky Magazine as the World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year” for 2011, and its products have won several other awards