It was Vivian Yang’s father, Ben Yang, who planted the seeds of Weightstone on the foothills of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range, where an ancient lake once thrived. Gathering a young team of growers plus consultants from Napa Valley, the older Yang established the 4.6-hectare vineyard to help develop local agriculture and champion Taiwan’s grapes. “Although he did not live long enough to see the results of this vision, I was able to work with him from the beginning of this journey and am proudly continuing in his footsteps,” said Vivian, who also described Weightstone as an “unexpected gift” from her father. 

Since then, Weightstone has become a paragon of Taiwanese viticulture, with its collection of fine wines, made from Musann Blanc, Black Queen, and Golden Muscat grape varieties, commended by experts and wine publications. In 2022, the vineyard harvested its first winter crop—a yield of “...grapes so healthy and ripened, even the birds were competing for the delicious abundance”. To try: the Gris de Noirs 2020 Extra Brut, a sparking rosé reminiscent of “tangy dark Asian plums, red berries, roselle, and grapefruit”. Only 2,090 bottles have been produced.

Read Vivian Yang’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

With the mission to reinvigorate Asia’s drinking scene, Paul Gabie established independent spirits firm Proof & Company. Today, the company boasts a portfolio of premium spirits (Darkness whisky, Canaima gin, Mancino vermouth), cocktail ingredients, glassware and bar tools, all of which it distributes to nine markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and China. 

The drinks innovator also leads ecoSPIRITS, the tech firm that creates closed-loop distribution systems to reduce packaging waste in the spirits supply chain. Its ecoTOTE, for example, is a refillable container that solves the problem of single-use glass bottles. In May 2023, the company announced the completion of a US$10M Series A funding round. The new funds will be used to scale up ecoSPIRITS’ sustainability endeavours, expanding its research programs, operations in the US, and teams in Singapore, Shanghai, London and Miami. 

Read Paul Gabie’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

From anti-mosquito sprays to sugar-free mints, concentrated detergents to canned coffee, Albert Lee’s King Car Group has it all, but the Taiwanese conglomerate is perhaps best known for Kavalan whisky. In 2005, Lee established Kavalan, Taiwan’s first whisky distillery, and then, leveraging the island’s tropical climate and clear mountain waters, grew it into a global powerhouse, one whose creations have seeped into popular culture, with the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique included in the US series Billions and the Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry featured in the South Korean movie Decision to Leave. 

Kavalan is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, having won prestigious awards over the past years. In 2015 the acclaimed Jim Murray Whisky Bible named the Solist Fino Sherry Cask as the New Whisky of the Year, while the Solist Vinho Barrique was named best single malt at the World Whiskies Awards. At the 2021 International Wines and Spirits Competition (IWSC), the brand won an unprecedented seven out of the eight medals in the Gold Outstanding category, with an additional eight medals in the Gold category.

Already, Kavalan has seen tremendous growth in the first half of 2023. It launched four of its award-winning expressions in Sweden in February; won accolades at the 2023 Icons of Whisky, bagging Distiller of the Year (Rest of the World), Best Taiwanese Single Cask Single Malt, Best Taiwanese Single Malt and Bartender of the Year for Kevin Lin in April; and was named among the best whiskies in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition in the same month. 

Read Albert Lee’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Through Filipino conglomerate Alliance Global Group, Kevin Tan oversees a diverse collection of companies, including Emperador Group, the world's biggest manufacturer, bottler and distributor of alcoholic beverages. The liquor company produces Emperador, which is the best selling brandy in the world; and Tanduay, also the world's top-selling rum. Another brandy in its portfolio, Fundador, was named the best brandy in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2019, and won top honours at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The company has further expanded their lineup by acquiring foreign brands, such as Scotland’s Whyte and Mackay and Spain’s Bodegas Fundador. Today, its library of sought-after spirits includes The Dalmore and Jura whiskies, and Don Pedro and Presidente brandies. The spirits leader is set on global expansion, completing its listing on the Singapore bourse in July 2022, making it the first company primarily listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange to have a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange. Its winning streak continues this year, as the company reports a strong first-quarter performance, with its net income growing by 10 per cent to PHP2.3B and revenues rising by 26 per cent to P15.6 billion. Emperador is reportedly eyeing India and China for its next phase of growth.

Read Kevin Tan’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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