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Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask

Taiwan Sherry Bomb

0 696

@talexanderReview by @talexander

25th May 2013

0

Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask
  • Nose
    25
  • Taste
    24
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    24
  • Overall
    96

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Even though I'm back from a trip to Scotland - having brought back five bottles (six if you count a bottle of rum for my dad's 70th birthday) , and tasted countless more - I thought I would do a complete 180 and write up on - Taiwan. Go figure.

Kavalan may be the future of whisky. Owned by Taiwanese food conglomerate King Car, Kavalan was built in 2005 and was the brainchild of King Car chairman TT Lee. Consultant Jim Swan worked with master blender Ian Chang to develop very distinctive award-winning whiskies, the best known of which are cask strength, single cask single malts. As you can imagine given the climate, maturation works quickly - especially in warehouses that are five stories tall! Kavalan Distillery is huge, on enormous grounds and is a major tourist attraction in Taiwan. Most who have an insight into the worldwide whisky industry will tell you that, given the inevitable growth and global influence of Asia in all areas of business and culture, whiskies such as Kavalan (and future whiskies that will come out of China) will, over years and perhaps decades, become the norm rather than the exception.

The Sherry Cask Solist is a cask strength single cask malt. This particular bottle (one of 534) comes from cask no. S060710009, with a date stamp of May 14 2012 (there is no age statement). Fully matured in a sherry cask (I'm guessing oloroso?), it is non-coloured and non chill-filtered.

The colour is Cherry Coke. The nose is - wait for it - flat Cherry Coke. Rich dark fruits, nutty, mincemeat, mocha, even beef stock. Lots of sherry, almost as if it was added to the spirit (I mean that in a good way). As rich and delicious a nose as you could hope for. Becomes a little more herbal with the addition of water (but you have to add quite a bit to get any effect whatsoever).

There is an immediate sting on the lips, and is very mouth-drying. Cocoa, heat, rich spices like cardamom and cumin, and lots of sherry wood. Bitter herbs and finely ground espresso. Completely mouth-coating. Some lemon zest with the generous addition of water. Unforgettable in its richness and power.

The finish is not as powerful as you might think, but long and developing with gentler spices (cinnamon), black liquorice and more flat Cherry Coke (which is great!). This is amazing but not for the faint-of-heart. Not a hint of sulphur in this most massive sherry bomb. If ever you get a chance to obtain any bottle of Solist Sherry Cask, do so (no matter the specific cask or ABV, which will be different from this one, most likely). 2011 World Whiskies Award winner for Best Rest Of The World Single Malt (though likely from a different cask). I'm betting this will go very nice with a cigar (I think I'll test that theory right now...)

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6 comments

@CanadianNinja
CanadianNinja commented

Wow! Sounds fantastic. This review has made me want to run out and grab a bottle.

11 years ago 0

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

Nice review. This one is out of my range, about 250 miles out of my range. How was that cigar?

11 years ago 0

@talexander
talexander commented

The cigar? Not quite as good as the whisky. Ah well.

11 years ago 0

@Pudge72
Pudge72 commented

'Paddockjudge', can you have the bottle (especially one of that value) transferred to a store closer to you? If the bottle actually exists of course. The LCBO website definitely has 'ghost bottles', as I have found out the hard way in the past.

11 years ago 0

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@talexander - next session will see some primo tobacco!

@Pudge72 - that is an excellent suggestion, although the look of pain on the face of most store managers when the request is submitted and the antiquated "windows 7 sticky-note on the wall app" makes these requests awkward. I wish there was a web site shop with delivery to a store nearby - the face to face is not always a rewarding experience, although there are a few LCBO employees that can get it done professionally and in an expeditious manner.

11 years ago 0

@Pudge72
Pudge72 commented

I would hope that for the value of the bottle, your local manager would accomodate the request in a pain free manner. Good luck!!

11 years ago 0