Chapter 245
My first Kavalan Whisky
This time we bring you to the other side of the world. This is my first Kavalan Whisky.
After our beautiful interview with Kaitlyn Tsai (Leo’s Chapter 30), the team at Kalavan has been so generous to make these 3 interesting drams available to us…and this is our take…
Distillery Select Number 1 - 40%
Sold in the UK for around £52, this is the entry level product from Kavalan.It’s a young NAS of ~3 years of age with undisclosed cask maturation (bourbon bias) bottled at 40%.
On the Nose: honestly quite pleasant. Gently perfumed. Pastel de Nata. Slightly metallic. Dried flowers like Potpourri. Loads of rose water.
On the Palate: bit flat but balanced. Gentle.
Finish: bit of jasmine. Vanilla at the back.
Overall: A bit of a pity that it’s just 40%. Quite a decent opener. For the right price, considering where it’s from, it a good proposition.
Triple Sherry Cask - 40%
Generally more popular expression of Kalavan, this triple sherry includes maturation in Oloroso, PX and Moscatel. Still young as often happens in hot humid climates, and offered at 40%.
On the Nose: as expected loads of dried sherries. Roasted nuts. Macadamia and Rose water.
On the Palate: a nicely thick texture. Waxy. A bit too light given the abv.
Finish: decently long. Typically Oloroso. Moscatel doing its bit of complexity.
Overall: Again, we would love to try this at least at 46%. Showing some strong foundations.
Solist ex-Bourbon cask - 54%
Small batch, cask strength, single cask release. Circa 5 years of age even though not disclosed and bottled at a 54% without chill filtration nor E150. Let’s see…
On the Nose: pungent. Ginger. Wheat and Basil. Granny apples.
On the Palate: Citrusy. Eucalyptus candies. Bit of sweet cough syrup.
Finish: Bit of licorice. Balsamic. Cotton candy.
Overall: a richer version of the number one. Almost seems like a rye cask. A bit young but again showcasing the good work happening in Taiwan.
Overall
#1 takes the badge mainly for its bang for buck and potential. We will keep an eye on Kavalan. Would really love to try some cask strength naturally presented drams. It was a pleasure to try.
What we tried is nicely fresh and straightforward. Great as opening drams, for cocktails. Good summer seaside drams and, why not, with some scallops…
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Kavalan Distillery Select Number 1 – 40%
- Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask – 40%
- Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Cask – 54%