The second one on my list for today is the KAVALAN Peaty Cask. This cask was originally intended to stay in the distillery for Kavalan’s ‘Distillery Reserve’, a 300ml bottling only available at the distillery and in Kavalan showrooms. But somehow the organizers of the Berlin Whisky Herbst (my home turf whisky festival) got hold of this cask and bottled it for last year’s event. As the name already suggests, this whisky itself is not peated but was matured (or finished ?) in a cask that previously hold peated whisky.

Facts

KAVALAN Peaty Cask (bottled for Whisky Herbst)

Nose

Very light wood smoke. Lots of plum jam with cinnamon. Overripe cherries. Wild berries. Distinctive notes of vanilla. The alcohol is not noticeable at all.

Taste

Pretty smooth given the high strength. A lot of sweet vanilla and toffee. Limes and red fruits. Again very gentle wood smoke. Followed by a good portion of colored pepper. Hints of dusty oak and sea salt in the back.

Finish

Long. Dry but mild. Sweet smoke.

Overall

A very satisfying combination between light peat and rich sweetness. On top of that, the high strength is more of an asset than a handicap, unlike the other single casks from Kavalan I had so far. I would really like to see a peated Kavalan as part of the core range in the future.

Score: 90 / 100

The first one on my list for today is the Kavalan Solist Brandy Cask but before I begin let me thank Tobias R. who was kind enough to provide me with a sample to review.

So what we have here is a ‘Solist’ specially selected and bottled for French whisky and spirit retailer La Maison du Whisky. Now, whiskys matured/finished in brandy/cognac casks are only hard to find. I am not exactly sure why this is the case, but all the more I am excited to try out this expression.

One more thing. It is a common misconception but Solists are not NAS whiskies, their vintage is always included in the cask number. So for example, the cask number here is A090620040, which means that this whisky was distilled 2009-06-20.

Facts

KAVALAN Solist Brandy Cask (bottled for LMDW)

Nose

Heavy, but fruity. Intense cherry syrup. Plums. More red berries. Also a lot of vanilla. Hints of cinnamon. A slightly earthy undertone. The alcohol is not noticeable at all.

Taste

Starts smooth but the high strength hits you after a few seconds. Cherry bubblegum and caramel. Followed by peppery oak. It’s hard to describe, but overall the taste reminds me more of a brandy than of a whisky.

Finish

Long. Dried fruits and winter spices.

Overall

I am not sure what I expected but this wasn’t it. An interesting experience for sure but too heavy on the brandy cask.

Score: 84 / 100

So without further ado, here comes the crown jewel of the Kavalan range.

Facts

KAVALAN Solist Fino (S060814050)

Nose

A very interesting aroma. Cherry bubblegum, fresh cinnamon sticks and citrus fruits. Then big notes of dried apricots. Wood polish. Hints of cigarette tobacco.

Taste

Full-bodied and oily. Dried cherries and dried plums mixed with oriental spices. Pretty bitter around the edges. The alcohol burn gets noticeable stronger with time.

Finish

Very long. Strong but also sweet. Very warming. Licorice liqueur and tea leaves.

Overall

A big, simple sherried whisky. Well-made, but not spectacular.

Score: 87 / 100

Sample provided by King Car Germany GmbH

With that being said, let’s start with the KAVALAN Solist Sherry.

Facts

KAVALAN Solist Sherry (S060703032)

Nose

Sweet and syrupy. At first lemon cake. Then strong notes of cinnamon, rum soaked raisins and sticky cherry liqueur. Hints of vanilla and dark berries jam in the back. Not that complex, but very elegant and pleasant.

Taste

Strong and warming. Again very sweet and sticky cherry liqueur. Accompanied by more rum raisins  and dark fruits. But also pretty peppery. The sherry notes get stronger and stronger with time.

Finish

Very long with dark chocolate and tobacco.

Overall

Good, but still a bit young.

Score: 86 / 100

According to Kavalan’s website, the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique is

fully matured in used American oak wine barrels that have been toasted and recharred (…) The casks have (deliberately) been used to mature both red and white wines

While the name suggests that those casks are from Portugal (‘vinho’ is Portuguese for ‘wine’), I have no idea if this is indeed the case. Maybe they have chosen the Portuguese form just as a matter of style? Pretty much the same is the case with “barrique”. Originally, ‘barrique’ refers to a (wine) cask used in Bordeaux with a holding capacity of 225 liters, but nowadays the term is also used outside of France for oak barrels in general.

One more thing. As already explained here, every Kavalan Solist is a single cask bottling. Now, it is in the nature of single casks that they do differ from each other. And I would like to assume that this is especially the case in Taiwan given the very special climatic conditions there. So I was more than a little irritated when the Solist Vinho Barrique was recently awarded as the “World’s Best Single Malt Whisky” at the World Whiskies Awards, but there was no mentioning of the cask number. In my opinion, this is just… non-transparent? If you award a single cask, then give us also the cask number!  You cannot simple award a single cask and then suggest that all expressions from this bottling series are equally award-worthy. This is just plain wrong in my books. Say what you want about Mr Murray, his books and awards, but at least we always know exactly about which whisky he is talking.

The only real hint we have is that the bottling in question had a strength of 58.6%. I found two different Vinho Barrique expression with that particular strength in the whiskybase. The cask number is W090327023A respectively W090327045A. So maybe one of these two is the “World’s Best Single Malt Whisky” ?

Facts

KAVALAN Solist Vinho Barrique

Nose

Sweet and welcoming but not that winery (which is not a bad thing in my books). Cherries, plums and wild strawberries. Vanilla sugar. Hints of chocolate caramel in the back.

Taste

Syrupy. The alcohol is pretty harsh. Very very peppery. Strawberries, a lot of cherries but the pepper remains dominant all the time.

Finish

Medium with a dry sweetness. Chili chocolate in the aftertaste.

Overall

The aroma is stunning, but I am not the biggest fan of this peppery massacre on the palate. Also I think the alcohol is not all that well integrated.

Score: 84 / 100

Alright, let’s start with the KAVALAN Solist Ex-Bourbon after last week’s review of the Ex-Bourbon Oak. To me, hands down, the best Single Malt from Kavalan I had so far. Just one gorgeous combination between first-fill bourbon casks and Kavalan’s signature exotic fruitiness. Now, from what I understand, the Ex-Bourbon Oak is actually nothing other than a Solist Ex-Bourbon reduced to drinking strength. If so, is the Solist version bottled at cask strength even better than the 46% ABV version?

Facts

KAVALAN Solist Ex-Bourbon

Nose

Soft and smooth. The alcohol is merely noticeable. Apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Hints of honey and coconut butter. Not the most complex aroma but very pleasing.

Taste

Quite syrup-y. Strong alcohol burn. Vanilla marshmallows, pineapple juice, apples and coconuts. Altogether very fruity and sweet. Followed by candied almonds. Also a good portion of wood. 

Finish

Medium and dry. More fruits.

Overall

Surprisingly woody for such a young whisky. The alcohol is not all that well integrated and the bourbon-flavored-syrup style is just a bit over the top. Overall not unpleasant but a little bit too edgy for me.

Score: 83 / 100

Earlier today I already reviewed the KAVALAN Ex-Bourbon Cask and I really really liked the gorgeous combination between first-fill bourbon casks and Kavalan’s signature exotic fruitiness. So let’s see of the KAVALAN Ex-Sherry Oak can keep up with the ex-bourbon version.

Facts

KAVALAN Sherry Oak

Nose

Full and voluminous. A creamy sweetness with a spicy touch. Huge Walnuts. Rum soaked raisins. Hints of vanilla sticks, marzipan and dried fruits. A whiff of firecracker smoke in the background.

Taste

Full-bodied and creamy. Dried fruits followed by nutmeg and cloves. Vanilla latte and milk chocolate.

Finish

Long. Very warming and drying. Hints of oak, without any bitterness, and sherry.

Overall

The sherry might be a bit loud as I am missing Kavalan’s signature exotic fruitiness. But besides that, a very fine and engaging sherried whisky.

Score: 88 / 100

Sample provided by King Car Germany GmbH

And as coincidence has it, I will review both of them today, starting with the KAVALAN Ex-Bourbon Cask.

Facts

KAVALAN Ex-Bourbon Oak

Nose

Pretty much what you would expect from a full maturation in ex-bourbon casks: mint, vanilla infused honey and coconut. Coupled with Kavalan’s signature exotic fruitiness (thinking of bananas, pineapples and papayas here). Not overly challenging, but indeed a nice combination between both.

Taste

Full-bodied and creamy. The bourbon casks come through nicely again with vanilla, honey and caramel but all that  bourbon-y-ness is really good balanced by white pepper and hints of cloves, thus making the overall mouthfeel sweet but not too sweet. Some very delicate exotic fruit salad lingers in the background, giving the whole more depth.

Finish

Long. Very warming with some dry pepperness. A strong aftertaste of mango tea.

Overall

The first-fill bourbon casks and Kavalan’s signature exotic fruitiness complement each other really well. The rather unique finish took me by surprise but in a good way. This is simply one gorgeous composition of a single malt.

Score: 92 / 100

Sample provided by King Car Germany GmbH

Although in contrary to all of their other bottlings, this is the only one which bears the name of the company behind this up-and-coming distillery from Taiwan. The intention is to symbolize the belonging of Kavalan to King Car and to represent “the kind of diversity, multi-area of business” the consortium does.

Facts

King Car Conductor

Nose

Lots and lots of banana puree to begin with. Then more fruits come through like coconut, papayas and pineapples. Followed by even more fruits like apples, pears, kiwis, oranges and other citrus fruits. Mixed in with hints of raisins, white pepper and honey glazed nuts. Now cinnamon bubbles gums, vanilla creme and charred oak. With some time, the bourbon casks shine through more and more.

Taste

Unexpectedly dry and strong. Again lots of bananas. Pears, honey and orange peel. Gets more spicier with pepper, cinnamon and ginger accompanied by a (almost too) big chunk of oak. Makes another turn and bitter chocolate kicks in. There’s a lot going on here, for sure.

Finish

Medium and dry. Again a big chunk of oak, although more spicy and peppery now. Touches of bananas and vanilla. Tea in the aftertaste.

Overall

The oak is maybe a bit too harsh both on the palate and on the finish but besides that this is a pretty enjoyable single malt with a lot of different layers.

Score: 86 / 100

Facts

KAVALAN Podium

Nose

Fruity yes, but no exotic fruit bomb like its lower strength siblings. Instead a way more subtle fruitiness of red berries, mangoes, peaches and ripe pineapples. Baked honey bananas with chopped hazelnuts on top. Vanilla sticks. Maybe a very light whiff of smoke in the distant background.

Taste

Rather smooth with a big oily fruitiness. Dark berries, flambeed bananas and sugared plums. Vanilla and mint ice cream with maple syrup and pink peppercorns.

Finish

Medium with a dry sweetness and some oak albeit without any bitterness. Again very light touches of smoke.

Overall

A good balance between all those different cask types while the 46% do work very well here. Altogether highly pleasant and agreeable

Score: 87 / 100