To mature their Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique expression, the King Car distillers in Taiwan use casks which have held both red and white wines, before being re-toasted. The whisky is fully matured in these casks to help their Taiwanese single malt develop a bold, expressive flavour profile brimming with berry, plum and caramelised sugar notes. At the Los Angeles Wine & Spirits Competition this exciting Taiwanese whisky received a Gold Medal and an impressive score of 91 out of 100.
Kavalan SOLIST Vinho Barrique: Appearance: Caramel, golden brown Nose: Chocolate, toffee, raisins, vanilla, bourbon, fruitcake, stewed fruit is right, malty, maple doughnut, honey Palate: Instant impact, numbing the tongue Sweet, spicy, cinnamon, bitter chocolate, raisins, pepper, fire Finish: Medium-long Fire gives way to comfortable warming, dried fruits and chocolate Conclusion: Consistent from nose to finish, very tasty, big, bold, Not worth the $200 I paid, but still a good one.
Try it. Seriously. I love both the Sherry cask one and this one, but if I had to choose I would pick this one. Much more original and balanced. Kavalan is surely becoming one of my favourite distillery !
