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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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October 5, 2023 |
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Kavalan was the second non-Japanese Asian whisky to really impress us, following the pioneers Amrut. Very clean distillates and especially a flawless barrel science implemented by expert Dr. Jim Swan (photograph) quickly pushed the brand into the spotlight. This was all reinforced by a perfect narrative about the accelerated aging allowed by the tropical climate, much like Amrut indeed. In the glass, it's generally quite irresistible, except for a few wine barrels that might have been slightly excessive, in my humble opinion. We'll see; we're going to have a lot of them and we'll do it all at random, it's more fun and there is no really old Kavalan anyway, I mean being more than 16 or 17. We'll try to keep these notes as short as possible (I know we always say that)… |
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Kavalan 7 yo 2011/2019 'Rum Cask' (57.1%, OB, The Whisky Exchange, 20 years online, cask #M111104011A, 151 bottles) 
Colour: straw. Nose: I believe the malt is having the upper hand, with some bourbony bananas, papayas and vanilla. Quite striking. Then classic and classy brioches and biscuits, scones, kougelhopf… Having said that, the rum may have added even more of those welcome bananas and papayas. With water: that superlative fresh-fruit-salad effect. Mouth (neat): I'm afraid this is perfect already. Late harvest riesling and ripe kiwis are dazzling here. With water: more oranges, yuzu, kiwi, pears, pineapples, all that coated with honey and, indeed, a little rum. I would suppose the pineapple was brought by the rum. Finish: medium, very fruity, somewhat Irish. Comments: some older malts from Bushmills are a little bit like this, I think. This is only #1 and we're already flying very high. Shall we ever make it to… several dozen? (true)
SGP:741 - 88 points. |
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Kavalan 7 yo 2015/2022 (53.2%, OB, European exclusive, ex-bourbon, cask #B150716037A)
Colour: gold. Nose: maltier and more on cakes, but bananas are there too, then mangos and passion fruits. Nosing maracuja ice cream, with bits of salted fudge spread over it (ideas ideas) With water: some metallic touches, old coins, a little grapefruit, more passion fruits, and perhaps a tiny oyster giving it a slightly coastal side. Mouth (neat): exquisite, rich, with a creamy texture, as if it were an old liqueur, and rather more slightly piney oak as well. With water: lemon and sweet oak tangoing on your tongue. It is very fresh, almost refreshing. Finish: medium, between creamy fruit liqueurs and some spicier wood, pine, eucalyptus. It's working very well. Comments: it is less exuberantly fruity then the ex-rum version, but I love it just as much.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
One of my fondest memories is a Kavalan 'masterclass' that I co-hosted in Paris, while Jim Swan was in the audience. It felt a bit like trying to give guitar lessons to Carlos Santana; I was quite intimidated. That being said, I did play soccer with Carlos Santana for a good twenty minutes, well over forty years ago, but that's really another story. Okay, more bourbon please… |
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Kavalan 2014/2021 (57.8%, OB, for Or Sileis Taiwan, ex-bourbon, cask #B141224102A, 189 bottles) 
Colour: gold. Nose: fully on tropical fruits, custard and honey. A superb liquid panettone, as we sometimes say under the disapproving gaze of our Italian friends. With water: same, plus a little chamomile tea and drops of fig wine, arrack and so on. Middle-Eastern pastries. Mouth (neat): extremely rich, liqueury, in that sense a little extreme indeed, this is almost Grand-Marnier to the power of ten. Some cream eggs too. With water: thick barley syrup. May I borrow your spoon? Finish: long, still tremendously thick, rich and liqueury. Comments: fabulous, just a little excessive for this fragile little taster.
SGP:731 - 85 points. |
Already a short break, with a little Kavalan at 40% vol… |
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Kavalan 'Triple Sherry Cask' (40%, OB, 2021)
NAS Triple Cask, that would remind us of a Macallan trick, no? That would be oloroso, Pedro Ximenez and moscatel, we might be missing a fino or a manzanilla… Colour: full gold. Nose: nice for sure, complex for sure, multidimensional for sure. A lot of tobacco of several kinds, roasted nuts (ditto), dried ham and beef (jerky), marmalade, cardamom, cherry liqueur, caraway, peonies… It's even rather a little bold. Surprise. Mouth: I would have gone to 43% because raisins would tend to run the show on the palate, which is just nice but rather 'blocking'. Very sweet, as if the moscatel did seize control for good. Loses balance. Finish: same feeling, a little too sweet for me. Comments: but-what-a-nose!
SGP:741 - 85 points. |
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Kavalan 2009/2021 (53.2%, OB, for whisky.sg first anniversary, virgin oak, cask #N090415005A, 124 bottles)
Colour: golden amber. Nose: Kentucky bourbon of the highest category. Varnish, rye, vanilla, gorse, popcorn and nougat. Because it's bourbon, am I not right? With water: glues and nail polish, this is bourbon indeed. Mouth (neat): Finish: really, bourbon, complete with a rather high rye content and massive quantities of maple syrup, pancake sauce and just 'varnish'. With water: right, right, there is some maltiness here and something doughy and gristy, but the core remains fully on full-flown high quality bourbon, with even the expected mildly bitter oranges popping out. Comments: this one really should be included in a blind tasting of bourbons, but your friends are going to hate you.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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Kavalan 2011/2021 (57.8%, OB, Or Sileis Taiwan, Port cask, cask#O111118046A, 193 bottles)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: if it does have Port, it is very old Port. No red berries, no exuberant touriga nacional, rather a lot of moist pipe tobacco and some walnut wine. With water: wonderful earthy tones. Potting soil, humus, black oyster mushrooms… Mouth (neat): it's not unlike an old Speysider ex-oloroso, really. Chocolate-coated Christmas cake and cloves. With water: quite incredible, spicier, getting bigger and spicier as you add water, which can be tricky. Finish: very long, very much on pipe tobacco and black raisins or Zante currants. Comments: are we sure it wasn't an old cask of oloroso surreptitiously taken from a solera and smuggled between Spain and Portugal (and then to Taiwan)?
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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Kavalan 2016/2022 (57.8%, OB, Or Sileis, Vinho Barrique, cask #W160721047A, 213 bottles)
Never been too sure about what these 'vinho' barriques were, they should be Portuguese as 'vinho' is a Portuguese word. Tinto? Verde? Port? Madeira? Having said that, I suspect the wording 'vinho' actually means STR. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very dry and leafy after the Port, as if you would have rubbed leaves, including fern between your fingers. Some dark chocolate and some tight 'ristretto' coffee too. With water: earthier yet, with some tobacco and allspice. Mouth (neat): very creamy, much sweeter on the palate, yet tart, with bags of bitter oranges and grapefruits. With water: better yet, sweet, on mirabelle jam and wine gums I would say. We have four whiskies for the price of one. Finish: rather long, sweet and spicy, but with a creamy, sweet and fruity aftertaste. Comments: very intriguing development.
SGP:661 - 86 points. |
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Kavalan 2011/2021 (58.6%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, Conquête, Port Cask, cask #O111125042A, 185 bottles) 
Colour: reddish mahogany. Nose: instant winner (we're not talking marketing). Chestnut honey, putty, marzipan, speculoos and peanut butter. With water: listen, you would almost believe this is an old Port Mourant from Guyana. You'll even find olives, coal tar and salty molasses. Mouth (neat): tops, just a tad pungent. Chestnut purée and liquoricy coffee. With water: I must be going mad, I'm finding some old salty and pretty phenolic Demerara rum again. What the fudge. Finish: long and salty, tight, with a lot of liquorice and blacker teas. Cloves and menthol in the aftertaste. Comments: … and a very lovely label that won't hurt your eyes. We do not want to know how they made this one, but we find it glorious. Now a Port cask from Georgetown, Guyana, that's interesting.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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Kavalan 2010/2018 (58.6%, OB, oloroso sherry cask, cask #S100203014A, 492 bottles)
Colour: just plain coffee. Nose: raw dark chocolate and fresh-ground coffee beans, with raisins and peonies in the background. With water: pipe tobacco in majesty. Reminds me of when I first visited the original Dunhill shop in London, around 1980 or a little later. Same kinds of smells reaching our nostrils. Mouth (neat): brilliant thick sherry, extremely rich, with truckloads of walnuts and raisins. With water: we're in Jerez, really, tasting their old sherries ten times older than this. it's a whisky that literally transports you. Finish: long, more on liquorice. Comments: powerhouse. I believe these casks can't really become legendary because there are so many of them. But in terms of intrinsic quality, you can't go wrong.
SGP:662 - 90 points. |
One could always argue that it's the wood technology that does everything here, and it's true that it's not easy to define the character of Kavalan's distillate, but still, what whiskies! Good a last one, there will be many more in the near future… |
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Kavalan 2014/2022 (59.4%, OB, European exclusive, Port cask, cask #O140305018A)
There seems to be some form of artistic license when it comes to the colours of the labels; in any case, there doesn't appear to be any consistent rule. Colour: deep red amber. Nose: warm cakes, roasted nuts, grilled raisins, toffee. With water: dried flowers, hibiscus, lotus, roses… Some spearmint too. Awesome. Mouth (neat): huge sweet teas, Asian sauces (hoisin and many others), sweet malty sauces, crazy gravies, and insane raisins. This time again, we aren't finding any proper Portness but I'm sure that was not the point, this is not meant to be simplistic, easy, vulgar flavouring. With water: careful, don't drown these, they are superb and bold but they can be fragile as soon as you add water. Finish: medium to long, more 'normal', more on raisins and easy sweet wine. Some black pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: It's true that when it comes to Port, cask number 0111125042A stands head and shoulders above the rest. But things may change next time…
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
Good, that's 10 of them. It seems that a large portion of the heads and tails are removed before the second distillation at Kavalan, which is surprising because the distillate doesn't appear overly light, even though the wood does much of the work. We'll further check that next time… (and work further on the concept of 'equilibrium')… |
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Kavalan's cask numbers |
The first letter is related to the cask type. So far, we've tasted some:
B (Bourbon)
M (Rum)
MO (Moscatel)
N (New, virgin)
O (Port)
PX (Pedro Ximenez)
R (Peaty cask)
S (Sherry)
W (Vinho, STR)
The next six numbers are the day of distillation in the YYMMDD format.
The last numbers are the cask number within those filled on that day.
Then letters such as A or B are/were internal identifiers that will be removed in the future.
For example, cask #N06082847A should mean a Virgin oak filled on August 28, 2006. |
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