Kavalan Select No 2

Kavalan Select No 2

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Sunshine gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, salt caramel, photocopy paper, matches, malted grains, red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Raisins, black tea, red grapes, photocopy paper, brass polish, cocoa nibs, hints of salt caramel. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, brass polish, cocoa nibs, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Sweet and slightly savoury, really good and intense for a relatively entry level dram. Lots of raisins and other typical sherried notes, on top of a good malty spine.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Kavalan Distillery Select No 1

Kavalan Distillery Select No 1

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, butterscotch, desiccated coconut, cloves, cream, hints of marmalade. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, syrupy, thickens slightly, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Butterscotch, raisins, oatcakes, honey, cloves, fresh baked bread, cream. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, black tea, oatcakes, fresh baked bread, hints of liquorice. 

Comments: 

A lighter, maltier Kavalan. There’s some of that characteristic cloves and liquorice, but the dominant notes are oatcakes, cream and bread. Decent stuff, as Kavalan often is.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask

Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask 

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Copper red
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Artificial grape flavour, cocoa nibs, raisins, black tea, strawberry jam, nutmeg, hints of dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, coffee, dark chocolate, dried apricots, peaches, artificial grape flavour, hints of acacia honey. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, black tea, cocoa nibs, peaches, artificial grape flavour. 

Comments: 

Sweet and luscious, quite fruity and estery, this whisky is surprisingly complex, despite its lack of an age statement and the low ABV. Plenty of pleasingly bitter notes in the finish as well. Good dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Solist Moscatel Cask (Cask MO100623031A)

Kavalan Solist Moscatel Cask (Cask MO100623031A)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Dark amber red 
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, black cherries, orange peel, honey, raisins, champagne, fresh baked bread. With water, fresh baked bread, vanilla, orange peel, champagne, cough syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black cherries, orange peel, honey, vanilla, golden syrup, raisins, hints of white grapes. With water, orange peel, champagne, cough syrup. 
Finish: Medium. Sea salt, fresh baked bread, raisins, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Complex and impressive wine cask finished whisky from Kavalan. I find my tastes have changed over the years though - it’s a little too intense, even with quite a bit of water. Lots of good fruity notes, though, very straightforward whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask (Cask S100211007A)

Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask (Cask S100211007A)

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Mahogany
57.1% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Red grapes, strawberries, raisins, cashews, vanilla, grape toffee, black tea. With water, cashews, raisins, cloves, hints of peanuts. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, hot, oily, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Raisins, honey, gingerbread, dried apricots, grape toffee, walnuts, cloves, hints of cinnamon. With water, honey, raisins, cloves, black tea. 
Finish: Long. Cloves, raisins, pomegranate molasses, dried apricots. 

Comments: 

Cask S10021007A. I occasionally find Kavalan over-sweet, even over-sherried, but there's enough complexity in this whisky to offset the sherry sweetness. It's oily, slightly dusty, and very heavily spiced. There's a rather magnificent, drawn out, pomegranate molasses note in the finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Rum Cask

Kavalan Rum Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Amber
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, caramel, raisins, malted grains, dark chocolate, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, turns watery, loosens, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, coffee, dark chocolate, orange blossom, marmalade. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, orange blossom, lemon curd, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

Cask M111104063A. Bitter, not overly sweet, but plenty of fragrant complex floral and fruit flavours. The rum cask showcases the cereally notes in the spirit, rather than overwhelming them like sherry casks do.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Sherry Oak

Kavalan Sherry Oak

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Amber red
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, red wine, honeycomb, jasmine tea, pear drops, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, slightly astringent, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, lohan fruit, honey, caramel, vanilla, raisins, toffee, orange peel. 
Finish: Long. Jasmine tea, raisins, marmalade, caramel. 

Comments: 

Well, this is more 'classic' Kavalan - rich, intense, sherried, fruity, and very, very sweet. It's not unpleasant, and I know many people like this whisky style, but I feel it obscures the more interesting notes in a particular spirit. Nice, but I liked the other, less sweet expressions better.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Podium

Kavalan Podium

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Dark gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, raisins, butterscotch, marmalade, golden syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, thickens, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Fresh baked bread, vanilla, raisins, marmalade, quince jelly, black tea. 
Finish: Short. Quince jelly, raisins, marmalade, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

Finished in a combination of sherry refill casks and virgin casks. I think this is really good whisky, over the years, I've concluded that I tend to find Kavalan overly sweet and sherried, and a lighter, less intense finish showcases the spirit a bit better. This expression is sweet, but has interesting complex notes of fruit, and slightly bitter notes of tea and chocolate. Very nice.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Kavalan Single Malt Port Cask

Kavalan Single Malt Port Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Pale red
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, artificial grape flavour, fresh baked bread, orange peel, honey, pineapples. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, static, loose. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red grapes, raisins, artificial grape flavour, pineapples, lemon zest, strawberries, hints of rolled oats. 
Finish: Long. Apple juice, lemon zest, raisins, pineapples, hints of strawberries. 

Comments: 

This isn't over-intense like many other Kavalan wine-wood finished expressions. There's a lot of artificial grape flavour, which may not sound great, but is a flavour note I enjoy very much. It was something I loved as a child, and this whisky brought back many wonderful memories. I loved it.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Kavalan Concertmaster

Kavalan Concertmaster

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red grapes, brown paper, chocolate, blackcurrants, peaches, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Blackcurrants, red grapes, raisins, chocolate, mangoes, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Short. Black tea, mangoes, coffee, hints of peaches. 

Comments: 

Port cask matured Kavalan. Loads of blackcurrant, like drinking Ribena mixed in with whisky. Good sherry flavours, plenty of fruit (mangoes and peaches, it's not just the usual red grapes). Young and a bit sulphurous, but otherwise really very good for the price.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask B091002018A

Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask B091002018A

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Light amber
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roses, strawberries, raspberries, honey, vanilla, hints of apples. With water, oranges, lemons, more honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens slightly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, apples, vanilla, blackcurrants, honey, hints of red grapes. With water, vanilla, toast, cookie dough, fresh baked bread, white grapes. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, red grapes, apples, vanilla, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

I may have erred. I bought a bottle of the Solist Sherry Cask recently, but maybe I should have bought a bottle of this instead. It's disarmingly good, with lots of fruit and floral fragrance. With water, it turns sweeter, opening up, and the red grapes turns to white grapes, maybe even a little tannic. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Kavalan Single Malt

Kavalan Single Malt

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Deep amber
40% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Pears, honey, leather, lemons, eucalyptus, hints of mint, hints of golden syrup.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, turns syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet. Pears, brown paper, honey, eucalyptus, vanilla, nutmeg, hints of cream.
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, cream, brown paper, hints of oolong tea.

Comments:

My birthday whisky! This is delicious despite its age, and I think one can really tell it's quite young. There's a brightness to the flavours, which I don't really find in older whiskies. Despite its youth, it's surprisingly complex, with notes of pears and honey predominating, like a good Glenfiddich, but with other interesting flavours as well - eucalyptus and mint especially. Very good, and very good value.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

King Car Conductor Whisky

King Car Conductor Whisky

Official bottling
Single malt - North Taiwan
Orange, tinge of gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Golden syrup, oats, pears, mango, cardamom, red grapes, hints of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, static, slippery.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Toast, oats, golden syrup, red grapes, cardamom, cinnamon, mango, hints of chillies.
Finish: Long. Mango, cardamom, red grapes, chillies.

Comments:

A malt from Kavalan, bottled under the parent company's name for some reason. No, I don't know why. But it's pretty good whisky, toasty, cereally and sweet, with a hint of smoke, and just enough oriental spice to remind me that it's not scotch. Not sherry casked, but seems to have heaps of red grapey sherry notes. Mmmm.

Verdict:

I like this.

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Taiwan
Red
57.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Grilled meat, sandalwood, cranberries, soy sauce, red grapes, oolong tea, jasmine, hints of chillies. With water, less savoury, sweeter, honey, red grapes, peaches.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, chewy, oily.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Red grapes, orange peel, peaches, sandalwood, oolong tea, jasmine, hints of pear. With water, sweeter, less floral, honey, peaches, strawberries.
Finish: Long. Orange peel, red grapes, sandalwood, jasmine.

Comments:

Ooh, this is incredible. The wine finishing creates a heavy, unctuous whisky, full of red fruits, yet there is a complex floral dimension, as well as a delicious savoury note (on the nose). With water, it loses that complexity, but is a lot more drinkable, and sweet. One of the best whiskies I've tasted this year. And Taiwanese, to boot!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.