Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength

After my run down of Whipper Snapper a week or two ago I told myself that I needed to try some more single distillery tasting flights to really try and understand the whisky making process better and how a new make spirit can be turned into the elixir of life, or absolutely destroyed by processes. So, I picked up about 20 different whiskies representing four distillieries and thought I’d start off with a trio of Kavalans over the next few days. No expectations but I hear good things about the Kavalan crew, starting with what I suspect will be the most representative of the core spirit, the Solist ex-Bourbon cask strength. N: Immediately hit with a heavy dose of honey and a lightly floral and bright malty character. Vanilla, oak-spice, and maple are all stars once the honey fades. With deeper sniffs and long breaths I find a comparison to coconut water also. There is no hint of the 58.7% ABV either. Really lovely stuff here, and no need to add water for this. P: There is some prickle to get past initially but this is a thick and bold palate that punches a heavy vanilla forward profile. Fudgey, brown sugar chewiness is enveloped with some tropical fruit sweetness like mango mixed with really ripe juicy pear. The high proof does build and reminds you that you are not mucking around but if you can get past that i think there is maybe some peanuty savouriness in there too. Lovely texture, lovely heavy weight flavours. A drop or two of water stretches things out, the tropical sweetness heads towards banana and the prickle turns to a gentle red chilli. Brown sugar sticks around longer. F: Medium-long. Slightly waxy carrying peppery heat and some soft vanilla. A strong start, and a start that leaves me excited for what is to follow. There is a wonderful balance of sweet and juicy fruit flavours with rich and heavy vanillas, fudges and dark sugars. The high proof works well here and keeps things vibrant. I have to admit though as well done as the palate is, it is also a little pedestrian, there are not seemingly to many things to find and those that are found are what I thought would show up. Classic ex-bourbon stuff. However, the nose. Thats the stand out, lovely lightness of character and the floral waft underneath the honey is like sitting in a blossoming meadow. Brilliant. [No connection to Taiwan, but pictured here with this dram( because he happened to be out for his Saturday walk) is Illaenus tauricornis. This little critter is an ~470 million year old trilobite from near St. Petersburg in Russia. His giant boof-head was perfectly adapted for ploughing though bottom sediments on ancient seabeds looking for food] Distiller whisky taste #122

54.8 B080825053 bottled 2016/03/31 After some disappointments, I have 3 bottles to pop and review today. I'm hoping this one however is a winner. Nose - tooty fruity bubble gum meets vanilla and oak. I always tell people that a LOT of the quality of kavalan is the malt itself and it's clear as day on this one right on the nose. So fruity, inviting...this isn't a funky town expression. This is refined high end classic scotch like character. And yet I get a touch of oak and vanilla on here that take me back to high end bourbons as well. A perfect balance seems to have been created with intense hyper aging and likely another perfectly selected barrel. Taste - Creamy vanilla...heavy oak. I mentioned bourbon before...I'm a bit thrown here but yeah...this is drinking like a bourbon. I'm going to have to completely re-calibrate. This is a sweet and candied bourbon with noticeable oak bite, slightly better, slightly over the top with the bitter oak notes without the big warm yummy oak bits. 2.5. Darn good whisky but the mouth feel and the upfront sweetness are the show. The back end is disjointed and off. Time may resolve this all. So look forward to me coming back eventually. Re-review What a mess I made of those. Nose - Vanilla and shoe varnish bringing forth candy and light oak elements. Deep rich and while simple, it's full and insanely rich and complex in the depth of these single notes. Taste - Sweet malt, accented by vanilla, huge varnish elements on the nose coming full force here. Reminders of classic pappy van winkle bourbons with rich creamy vanilla malts added. The depth isn't that of 20 year old bourbon, but the flavors intensity and richness are on another level. Water brings out more youthful oak and drops the varnish elements. Not as enjoyable of a rich WOW experience, but you can see the quality nuance and depth continues. Moving this up to a proper 3.5

I'm a fan of Kavalan. That said there was some confusion. We went to Whiskyfest and asked the ladies at the Kavalan booth to pour us the Vinho Barrique and Sherry and loved what they poured Admittedly there was some language barrier. After some samples and confusion I am 99% sure they actually poured us the Sherry and Ex Bourbon. The Ex Bourbon was the one that kind of blew my mind that night. This is a roughly 5 year old pick from Total Wine. It's been said that a year in Taiwan is equivalent to 5 in Scotland and I'm in agreement to be sure. Nose: Vanilla buttercream frosting, mango, papaya, and oak with a malty dusty background note that I tend to associate more with corn whiskey. Flavor: Sweet but not cloyingly so. More of a honey sweetness. More tropical fruit especially mango with some heat from the proof but no ethanol note with some spice as well. Finish: Long finish with some clove and cardamom from the barrel and quite a bit of toasted coconut as well. Lingers for a long time and dries out a little with the tropical honey and barrel char staying with you a long time. Wow this is a superb whisky. I've now tried the sherry, two picks of the ex bourbon, vinho barrique, and port and can say this slightly younger pick from Total Wine is my favorite. The older pick was nice but the wood was too forward and masked the fruit notes. Pricey but definitely worth the cost.

59.4% ABV Cask #B100924078A | Bottle #201/213 Nose - (w/o water) Sweet floral tropical vanilla, fried plantains, toasted coconut (w/ water) No significant change, maybe a tiny less "heat" Taste - (w/o water) Sweet creamy banana/vanilla pudding, nilla wafers, oaky tropical vanilla, light pineapple sweet, white pepper heat (w/ water) reduced white pepper heat Finish - (w/o water) Hot white pepper tingle, banana pudding sweet, drying vanilla oak, floral tropical sweet (w/ water) Significantly less white pepper heat, otherwise the same. Score - 90/100 Final Thoughts - I haven't had any of Kavalan's "standard" malts but I think this would probably be the closest representation. Minor vanilla and oak influence from the ex-Bourbon casks, but otherwise what I take to be the base spirit really shines through. Nice floral, tropical hinted malt shines through. This one takes to water amazingly well in that all it really does is tame the white pepper heat/tingle from the proof, but all of the flavors remain balanced, it's quite surprising. Amazingly simple, yet complex enough to not be boring, I'm a fan.

Wonderful. Some one gave me the Solist Olorosso Sherry Cask and I just fell in love with it. So went out and bought the Vinho Barrique and also the Ex-Bourbon casks. They are all great. The best way to drink these almost 60% ABV solist casks is to have them neat. Let them slowly explode and dilute in your mouth. Chew on it and experience their superb richness and tastiness. Of the 3, my favourite is Vinho Barrique. However, all 3 are excellent. Ex-Bourbon is the sweetest with nice Vanilla. Sherry is most oaky and a sherry bomb. Vinho Barrique is a happy marriage of both. Be warned... after trying these, all other whisky taste too bland.

Nose Strong nose with Vanilla very dominant , green apples, cloves then sweet pineapple some citrus Taste Starts fruity and honey sweet and develops to bitter chocolate and vanilla ice cream , cherry. A bit of peppery spice and swiftness is on more dominant side After some water notes of dry fruit comes up and the finish is getting less dry with strong cacao. I felt it getting more spicy with pepper and corriander Finish Very oily, sharper long finish when whisky keeps developing Final Thoughts Great whisky for people who likes it on sweeter side. Definitely lots of complexity with tropical fruits and level of sweeetnes.