Everything has to come to an end eventually, and this is why I want to wrap up my Kavalan tasting series today with two special bottlings.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:	KAVALAN Peaty Cask
Distilled:	13.11.2006
Bottled:	05.06.2014
Age:	7 Years Old
Category:	Single Malt
Distillery:	Kavalan
Bottled For:	Whisky Herbst
Cask Type:	Peaty Cask
Cask No.:	R061113007
Number of bottles:	139
Strength:	56.3% vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

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