It was back in 2015, when my husband Eddie retired as a chief for the Los Angeles Fire Department, that I made my first purchase of a Kavalan whisky. It was the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique single malt scotch I chose to mark the occasion. Why this scotch whisky, one I had never heard of before and was made in Taiwan? Because it had won the prestigious whisky of the year from the World Whiskies Awards (WWA) and some of the tasting notes sounded right up Ed’s alley.
From PR Newswire
Kavalan owner Mr. YT Lee says: “We were incredibly humbled by this rare honour of getting two top World Whiskies Awards. Kavalan Whisky is always learning and always improving our whiskies to try to bring our customers the best in the world.”
The WWA is part of the prestigious World Drinks Awards programme and considered one of two, top global whisky authorities.
Through fast maturation, Kavalan is helping to redefine quality whisky, and has earned accolades from industry judges and connoisseurs alike.
The 2015 WWA judges described Vinho as follows: “Very sweet pruney flavours initially on the palate, with fruit cake and big clove, chili and dry cinnamon. Walnut and hazelnut on the very dry finish. Immediately and subtly liquor rich. Tiny bit of incense, a thread of spice and smoke.” And:
“Caramel, marzipan, coffee-vanilla, fudge, rich, creamy, dried black fruits. Integrated and surprisingly light. Element of sandalwood. Starts creamy, waters out, almost disappears before rubbing hot brown sugar into the esophagus. Tiny bitter trace.” Read more here.
My Review of Kavalan Single Cask Strength Solist (Not Vinho Barrique)
From the bottle: Pedro Jimenez Sherry cask “selected by the master blender”,
57.1% alcohol. (For some reason our bottle was labeled “for the UK market” but we didn’t buy it there.)
Notes: Dark bronze tan color, followed by aromas of rich caramel candy, toffee, honey, peanut brittle, coffee, smoke, and dark chocolate. Flavors included TONS OF SPICE – that lingered on my palate forever – and some of the same notes I found on the nose: candy, espresso, as well as sherry wine and a hint of Bananas Foster.
This is probably our third bottle of the Solist, and each one is unique tasting. It’s a special bottle to be sure – our first one was over $350 – but unlike a bottle of wine for that price this one has been with us at least a year…until now.
I usually pair bourbon with chocolate but due to the tasting notes I thought it would work well with the Kavalan. I chose a dark chocolate truffle, and it stood up well, mellowing the spice a bit but in a very good way.
This is our last bottle of Kavalan, so it’s time to invest in another.
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
