Kavalan, a lot, Part Three


October 6, 2023

Kavalan, a lot, Part Three

Kavalan 2009/2016 (57.8%, OB, Port cask, cask #O090619031A, 184 bottles)

My compadres the MMS just adored this one back in 2018. Colour: dark red amber. Sometimes you would have called this colour 'old cognac' but that doesn't make much sense here. Nose: astounding sherriness (I know it's Port), once more a Kavalan 'Port' that's way closer to sherry. Superb tobacco, autumn leaves, molasses, Demerara sugar… With water: sublime earthiness, mushrooms of all kinds, leaves… Mouth (neat): huge richness and creaminess, old rancio, old armagnac, walnuts, caraway liqueur, Jäger, chartreuse, chestnut honey… With water: rounder an sweeter, rather towards some old bottles of Cointreau plus some precious chocolate. Homemade Jaffa cakes, perhaps. Finish: very long, turning wonderfully bitterer, with even a little salt. Comments: but wow! Exceptional modern whisky engineering, with proven results in your glass (yeah that's not always the case everywhere).
SGP:661 - 91 points.

Yes I realise that many scores are very high, but in truth, what can I do? I need to trust my nose and my palate.

Kavalan 2008/2017 (57.8%, OB, for Asia Palate Association, sherry cask, cask #S081215028, 496 bottles)

Colour: dark brownish amber. Nose: exceptional sweet and gamey sherry. Touches of wood smoke, pinecone smoke, Marmite, gravy, rancio, very old cream sherry… With water: hoisin sauce. Mouth (neat): another terrific one, drier on the palate, full of walnut wine and liqueur, roasted pecans and peanuts, chewing your cigar, ristretto, all that. With water: sweeter, awesome, with sweet spices, pinot gris SGN, very old PX… Finish: very long, a little smoky, on pepper, clove and cinnamon, while the big black raisins would be back in the aftertaste. Comments: what can I say.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

I think the relatively low monetary value reached by these Kavalans at auction has nothing to do with their intrinsic quality. It's just that there are literally millions of single cask options, which is inevitably somewhat devaluing. Alright, let's continue, faster if possible..

Kavalan 2009/2017 (59.4%, OB, Tiger Selection, 1st fill sherry, cask #S090306028, 463 bottles)

Colour: dark coffee/mahogany. Nose: amazingly deep prune wine, umeshu, armagnac, very old PX… With water: stunning mosses, pipe tobacco, undergrowth after the rain, tarmac, myrtle liqueur… Mouth (neat): old green chartreuse and Zwack Unicum. Huge caraway and juniper. With water: same. Touch of elderberry. Finish: long, with a little more chocolate and heavy gravy. Comments: I'm sorry but I simply don't see any obscure or political reason why I would give this little gem less than 90 points. When you consider that some Scottish brands offer whiskies that are certainly older but of the same kind, for fifty times the price.
SGP:661 - 90 points.

Indeed, they are a little infuriating these Kavalans. At the time of their debut, there were some comments about supposedly bizarre production methods, but it's been a long time since I've heard anything like that. Probably sour grapes.

Kavalan 2008/2016 (55.6%, OB, sherry, cask #S081229029, 497 bottles)

Colour: deep amber. Nose: this one's more on honey and molasses, but I simply adore these small gamey touches, the old wines, the fudge, the toffee… With water: more earth, as almost always. Beautiful slightly composty nose, with even a little smoked bacon. Mouth (neat): perhaps a tad rougher, with maybe a little too much pepper and ginger, even turmeric. Splitting hairs once more. With water: a little rounder, with some candy sugar. Finish: medium, sweeter than the others. More sultanas. Comments: exceptional nose, the palate was less remarkable. Still high-ranking, in the general scheme of boozy things.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Kavalan 2009/2017 (57.8%, OB, sherry, cask #S090319003, 473 bottles)

Colour: deep copper gold. Nose: sublime. Reminds me of several old sherried Speysiders distilled in the 1960s and 1970s. No, really, not making this up. Stunning teas and leaves, tobaccos, earths… With water: pipe tobacco and meaty, gamey sauces, venison, crude chocolate, fresh-ground coffee... Holy Suzy! Mouth (neat): awe. Exceptionally tight and yet rich, with wonderful spices and, almost for the first time, drum roll please, ta-dah… Bread! Well, rather pumpernickel. And speculoos. With water: flabbergasting spicy marmalades. Finish: long, with more citrus and liqueurs. Comments: if there were fewer of them, they would be much more expensive, but I don't think that would make much economic sense. In any case, in a blind tasting, they blow away the majority of Scottish whiskies of this style.
SGP:661 - 92 points.

Hush hush…

Kavalan 2009/2018 (56.3%, OB, Tiger's Tasting Club, oloroso sherry, cask #S090102018, 473 bottles)

Colour: coffee. Nose: back to sourer and sweeter wine notes, all good but perhaps less interesting. In short, more raisins. With water: chocolate, raisins, nuts and caramel, some stuff by Cadbury's. Mouth (neat): extremely good, chocolaty, a little gingery (with oude genever as they say north of Belgium)… With water: but it would never quite take off from this pretty raisiny profile. Finish: long, spicier, with a few pencil shavings (unusual in these makes). Comments: typically 'excellent-not-great'; It's true that there is some serious competition.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Kavalan 2008/2018 (57.8%, OB, Tiger Selection, sherry butt, cask #S090306022, 474 bottles)

Colour: coffee. Nose: very similar. Molasses, Nescafé, chocolate, raisins… With water: some metallic notes, old engine, extreme sauvignon blanc… Mouth (neat): no, very good, this time I think the palate is superior. Spicy, peppery orange cordials and liqueurs, barrel-aged Schweppes (what?)… With water: sweet, rounded, a little liqueury. The butt may have been a little sweet. Finish: medium, on speculoos and mead. Chocolate. Comments: another very good Kavalan, but It's possible that I won't remember this one beyond next week.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Kavalan 2009/2017 (58.6%, OB, for Tiger's Finest Selection, sherry butt, cask #S090306021, 476 bottles)
Obviously a twin cask. No pictures, but it's a white one. They're all the same anyway, aren't they, and they sure won't end up at the MoMA. Colour: office coffee, as in Kojak. Forget, boomer stuff. Nose: mead and very old Sauternes, black nougat, roasted pecans, ditto walnuts… With water: ah this is lovely, there's some camphor now, embrocations, even a little spent engine oil, some marrow and bouillons… Ho-ho! (what does that mean, S.?) Mouth (neat): plain and simple, this is an old cognac that went to Taiwan and then found its way back to WF Headquarters in Alsace. With water: there, game set and match, thanks to preserved peaches. Finish: rather long, perhaps not that stunning after all. Some oak coming through, never the greatest thing in my book. Comments: some parts were fab, others a little less so (exactly, as if that isn't the case for almost all spirits!)
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Kavalan 2012/2018 (59.4%, OB, sherry, 1st fill oloroso butt, cask #S120622045A)
Can whisky be both brilliant and boring? Discuss… No pictures. Who needs pictures. Colour: rich dark amber. Nose: fumes, roasted chestnuts, sultanas, pipe tobacco, Parma ham. So far, so good. With water: more malt. Hey, malt! Mouth (neat): chocolate, raspberry eau-de-vie (Alsatian of course), ginger liqueur, pencil shavings, cracked pepper… Well this one was very active when they bottled it. With water: vegetables, moussaka, heavy honeys, touch of glutamate. Finish: medium, leafier, a tad sour and bitter perhaps. Comments: It's true that we're becoming demanding. Excellent malt whisky for sure, they wouldn't let a significantly inferior cask pass through anyway.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Last one, but there will be more…

Kavalan 2011/2018 (57.8%, OB, 1st fill Port cask, cask #O110126015A)

Ex-Port that tastes like ex-sherry again? Let's see… Colour: copper amber. Nose: with oldish pinot noir and strawberry jam, this is almost an old Beaujolais, let's say a Morgon (yeah I know Morgon is gamay, but there). With water: cakes, roasted chestnuts, leaves, tobacco… Mouth (neat): really bold and a tad aggressive, I'm not sure 57.8% should really be 'a preferred strength'. Pepper and bitter marmalade, plus pepper and pepper. With water: good, but not really. Oranges and pepper. Finish: ginger and mulled wine. Not extremely necessary. Comments: It's true that we did a pre-sorting based on the scores from the most experienced Malt Maniacs. All we can say is that they know how to taste. Alright, let's stop the bleeding, until next time.
SGP:551 - 81 points.

A brief conclusion perhaps; well, after all, it seems that Kavalan is human, with humanity being defined by the ability to do things that are either extraordinary or really average. Hooray! We'll have many more soon…

Ha-ha, wait wait wait, they did peaters as well! Whether they distilled proper peat-flavoured malted barley or they just used ex-peater barrels (which is what so many cheap corner-cutting distillers are doing these days), we just do not know.

Kavalan 'Peated Malt' (55.6%, OB, La Maison du Whisky, Singapore Edition, 2020)

Colour: copper amber. Nose: that's the thing, this works. Say metal polish, Barbour grease, bacon fat, exhaust… But do not expect anything coastal. With water: even more so. Bandages, suet, camphor, balms and ointments… Mouth (neat): fun. Put bonbons and liqueurs into a smoke machine, add olives and proper green pesto (includes loads of basil!) Great fun, really. With water: not sure it's very comfortable in water, maybe it's better to avoid. The briney side feels odd here. Finish: nicely medicinal, otherwise uncertain. Comments: not sure how they did this wishy-whashy concoction that just nose-dived after thirty seconds. Did they ship barrels to Provence? Italy? Spain? Greece? Croatia?
SGP:463 - 81 points.

And they insist…

Kavalan 2015/2021 'Peated' (53.2%, OB, La Maison du Whisky, Conquête, cask #R150409099A, 164 bottles)

Colour: dark bright amber. Nose: obviously. This is a perfect highly technological, totally US-cask-driven malt whisky, with just a little Laphroaigness of the highest calibre. Aftershave lotion and ointments, plus bananas and easy papayas. With water: sameish. Charcoal. Mouth (neat): simple smoke and pepper, with good lime keeping it straight and tight. Some salt. Cool. With water: very good, creamier, easier, with good citrus. You would almost believe they've imported some limoncello too and did a 2/3 ex-bourbon Kavalan + 1/6 Scottish peater + 1/6 Italian limoncello vatting. And s***w the rules. Finish: rather long, clean, medicinal and indeed smoky. Comments: feels like a transworld make, perhaps a tad soulless. Nothing against that, but please no AI in whisky making!
SGP:564 – 84 points.