Kavalan is Taiwan's number one whisky producer and the only family-owned whisky distillery in Taiwan.
Kavalan its name comes from an ancient tribe from Yilan Province, northeast Taiwan; where the distillery is also located. The pure water and fresh air make this part of the subtropical island of Taiwan the ideal environment for whisky production. With 1.2 million visitors a year, the Kavalan Distillery is the most visited whisky distillery in the world.
For this whisky, the Kavalan blenders have used whisky that has matured in Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel barrels. As we are used to from Kavalan, this has resulted in a beautiful, layered and tasteful whisky.
• Nose: At first you can smell ripe fruits, full berries and dried fruit. After some time the fresh scents of grapes and citrus that mingle with chocolate brownie and toffee emerges. This is followed by hints of cinnamon, cloves and rosemary, some wood spices at the backgound.
• Taste: The notes of the three sherry casks used come at play beautifully in the taste of the spirit. Candied fruits, caramel and honey. The whisky has a warm and round mouthfeel. It is perfectly balanced in the taste, you can taste many layers.
• Finish: Warm and long with round fruity notes returning first and ending in refined spiciness.
Serge Valentin (85)
NAS Triple Cask, that would remind us of a Macallan trick, no? That would be oloroso, Pedro Ximenez and moscatel, we might be missing a fino or a manzanilla… Colour: full gold. Nose: nice for sure, complex for sure, multidimensional for sure. A lot of tobacco of several kinds, roasted nuts (ditto), dried ham and beef (jerky), marmalade, cardamom, cherry liqueur, caraway, peonies… It's even rather a little bold. Surprise. Mouth: I would have gone to 43% because raisins would tend to run the show on the palate, which is just nice but rather 'blocking'. Very sweet, as if the moscatel did seize control for good. Loses balance. Finish: same feeling, a little too sweet for me. Comments: but-what-a-nose!
