Here is the seventh in a series of ten Kavalan whisky reviews. You can read more background in part 1 but the TL;DR version is fellow local redditor /u/onewaybackpacking graciously brought back one of these cool Kavalan sampler packs back from Taiwan for me. Thus far in the series we have had:
Up today is the second of the Solists, this one being the Oloroso Sherry Cask variant. As someone who heavily leans towards favoring port and sherry finishes when it comes to malts, I am looking forward to this one. Bonus on top of that is the proof on these Solists is much more in my wheelhouse so I think this will go well.
Taiwanese Single Malt Whisky; No Age Statement; 54% ABV
Color: I don't usually remark on color but this definitely the darkest of the bunch so far. It is a deep, almost ruby brown.
Nose: Very sweet and fruity but more traditional Scotch/Bourbon sweets and fruits than the island type fruitiness I have been getting in the others. There is woody caramel, red fruit like cherries/apples, and raisiny type scents. It's very compact and dense compared to the others.
Taste: A flavor bomb of caramel, red fruits and sugary dates. Upfront is just an explosion of flavor that then rounds off with some woodiness and a touch of spice. It tastes like it has a lot of maturity because there is tons of depth in flavor. On top of that the mouthfeel is viscous, thick, and chewy - way more dense than any of the others.
Thoughts: I assumed I was going to like this one but I am surprised by how much this impressed me. I expected something with a sherry slant on the typical island fruitiness I get in the others but instead this drinks like a traditional, mature, high proof Scotch sherry bomb. It's got maturity, sweetness, fruitiness, and a heavy mouthfeel - pretty much the whole package I look for in a malt. I have a feeling this will be my favorite in the series.
Rating: B+/A-
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.
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