Review #525 | /r/WorldWhisky Review #12 – Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask
The Schtick: This is a young Taiwanese whiskey aged in sherry and bottled at cask strength. It is aged in Oloroso.
Photo not accurate. Stolen from interwebz
Distiller: Kavalan (Taiwan)
Bottler: Kavalan (Taiwan)
ABV: 59.4% ABV
Source: Sample
Nose: Huge, rich, sherry on the nose. Syrupy, stewed fruits, honey, sulfur, pepper, Dole syrup. It’s sherry kicked up to 11.
Taste: Medium mouthfeel, rich sherry fruits. Sulfur is powerful here, lots of pepper, dry oak, tobacco and earthy cocoa. No underlying base spirit character at all – it’s almost just a vehicle to get the most sherry possible to the consumer’s palate.
Finish: Medium and super sweet – syrupy sherry is just dominating while the sulfur pounds your palate.
Overall: This is unusual in that I think I’ve finally found a sherry bomb that’s too sherry. A lot of the big guns in this sphere – GlenDronach and Glenfarclas walk the fine line between powerful and dominating and they do it with excellence. This is a clear example of a dram being dominated by sherry. It’s going to need to be more complex next time in order to score better. I’m looking forward to trying the other Kavalan expressions I have lined up, though.
Thanks for reading!
Rank: 5
Decoded:
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect
