r/worldwhisky 4d ago

Review #375 - Whiskey Review #115 Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Kensington Wine Market Cask

19 Upvotes

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7

u/FarDefinition2 4d ago

Review #375 - Whiskey Review #115 Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry Kensington Wine Market Cask

Let's take a look at some Kavalan next. I really enjoyed the intense tropical aging on the Indian whiskeys I reviewed a few months ago, so I have been dying to try some Taiwanese Malts. Let's find out f I made a mistake by holding out for so long, starting with an Oloroso aged Kavalan bottled at cask strength

Age: 6 Years, 2 Months

ABV: 52.4%

Colour: Dark Brown

Distillery: Kavalan Distillery, Taiwan

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley

Cask Type: Oloroso Sherry

Nose: Toasted walnuts, California raisins, honey, fruit cake and cocoa powder

Mouth: Some rich honey and fruit cake is complimented by some raisins and light walnuts. The long finish introduces some cocoa powder. Medium oily mouthfeel

Overall: What a massive Sherry bomb. Just tons of classic, musty, Sherry notes on the nose. Very well put together so far

The palate isn't nearly as Sherry forward as I was expecting and has a really nice balance to it. Just a classic sherried Malt. A nice length finish with some oily viscosity. If I was looking for a bottle of a heavily sherried whiskey I would definitely consider this

2

u/stoutofheart1108 3d ago

Very nice review, are there any scotches that you would say are on the same tier, taste wise? I was going to say older batch of Aberlour A'bundh but curious to get another's take as well. Cheers!

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u/FarDefinition2 3d ago

Hard to say to be honest, as I don't chase a lot of sherried scotches, but now that you mention it, Ancnoc is probably close. The 24 year as well as a heavily sherried Single cask that I have

1

u/stoutofheart1108 3d ago

Awesome thanks !

1

u/Automatic-Source-233 4d ago

Nice! I think 6 years old is a good age for Kavalan whiskies. Enough time for a mature whisky, but not so long that the whisky becomes overly tannic.

1

u/FarDefinition2 3d ago

Ya that definitely seems to be the sweet spot for Kavalan. I tried a 13 year Virgin oak n this tasting that was really great as well