Review by: The Muskox
Today was the first swelteringly hot day of the year here. I’m running out of light summery whiskies to review, so maybe a hot-climate whisky is the solution? Lots of people love Kavalan’s super-winey whiskies, but what if all that cask interaction comes from a bourbon barrel? I’ve never shied away from bourbon-bomb scotch, so I’m excited for this one.
Distillery: Kavalan.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Taiwan.
ABV: 58.6%.
Age: No age statement.
Cask type: Fresh bourbon cask.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Very bourbony. Like, it’s almost bourbon. Almost some dusty corn and herbal rye notes in there. There’s definitely some creamy malt too though. Vanilla cupcakes topped with loads of buttercream icing, some peppery oak, Caramilk, and Reese’s peanut butter cups. Cherry, peach, lemon curd, and lime peel, all baked into a pie.
Palate: Thick texture, very warm. Vanilla and tart citrus up front, then quickly getting spicier. Vanilla pudding and cream. Rich woody spice and thick vanilla cream on the development, with fresh ginger, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The texture gets fairly tannic as charred oak comes in. Lightly-toasted marshmallows, basil, and a bit of lemongrass.
Finish: Medium-length, with lingering cream and oak. More buttercream, sugary malt, lemon zest, fresh grated ginger, and cinnamon. A touch of spearmint and some damp earth.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Angel food cake at a shotgun wedding”
Conclusion: Yeah, that works! It’s like an exact 50/50 mix of bourbon and scotch flavours, but not in the crappy virgin-oak-matured-American-single-malt sense. It’s got that particularly-bourbonish kick of spice, herbs, oak, and vanilla, in a way that I’ve never experienced before in a single malt. I think the overnight rest really helped this one: some of the heat and oak died down and was replaced by more citrus, light herbs, and more piles of vanilla crème. A very particular profile, but quite tasty.
Final Score: 83.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 