@@NoNonsenseWhisky Poured and then a splash of warm water added... A rich Sweetness to it, but definitely more depth in the taste of plum and dried strawberries. Very complex and worth trying. Overall smooth with very little alcohol bite.
Just picked up the 43% here in the states, marked up at $85 American dollars but I wanted to experience it. Sweet and fruity but lacked maturation and depth. Not bad, probably pick up one of the other distillery entries in the future see where their going with it
Truly love the Kavalan whiskies but they are really expensive. There quality is really very consistent, with some high abv's for some expressions. We are lucky in South Africa where their lowest abv is 43%. You should try their Port Cask.
I'm definitely interested in trying more of their stuff to see if I can find something that really clicks with me. I think I have some wine cask at home
I'm with you that their bottles are quite expensive. I doubt I'll be having one from their range anytime soon. It seems their pricing is up there with how Japanese whiskies are currently. 🤔
Agreed about the prices of Kavalan outside of Taiwan. It's a ridiculous mark up. It costs around $100US for a full bottle of the Vinho Barrique, here. All of their whiskies conform to EU regulations on whisky. They really don't want to lose out on that market. I'm told by a friend who worked in the Kavalan blending lab that the Distiller's Select is an average of 6-8 year old whiskies blended from a mixture of cask types. Not the most harmonious of blends, certainly. I'll have to send you some of the Omar to try the next time. Cheers, Vin!
I'm enjoying my first glass of it right now. (I do have the 43% version) I'm getting mint, toffee, spice, malt notes, and I do think it's a tad too young. Still impressed by this bottle though
The bottom shelf Kavalan is fairly meh, I recently traded for a Kavafan, Solist Oloroso Sherry Cask, 9.5 years and cask strength, now that's a different cat.
Vin, WTF with those prices? How strange that Japanese whisky is very good but also so over priced and in Japan they drink almost all whisky as "highballs" with (club) soda and lots of ice. Seems like a waste to pay so much and then add so much cold fizzy water. But like they say, drink it how you like it.
I've got a bottle on the way and looking very forward to trying it. Always up for something new/different.
Let me know what you think when you get it!
@@NoNonsenseWhisky Poured and then a splash of warm water added... A rich Sweetness to it, but definitely more depth in the taste of plum and dried strawberries. Very complex and worth trying. Overall smooth with very little alcohol bite.
Hi Vin! All the Kavalan Solist expressions I could find were single cask malts.
I do agree, however, that their range is pretty confusing.
So confusing!
It looks like they have some 40% abv and some 46% abv malts plus a wide range of Solist single cask (cask strength) products.
The 40% really bothers me. May as well say that uk isn't worth the effort
@@NoNonsenseWhisky And the rest of Europe. But we should never forget that most occasional whisky drinkers can´t handle higher abv.
Not tried any Kavslan yet. It's on my wishlist.
Definitely worth a try but maybe not a buy
Just picked up the 43% here in the states, marked up at $85 American dollars but I wanted to experience it. Sweet and fruity but lacked maturation and depth. Not bad, probably pick up one of the other distillery entries in the future see where their going with it
Truly love the Kavalan whiskies but they are really expensive. There quality is really very consistent, with some high abv's for some expressions. We are lucky in South Africa where their lowest abv is 43%. You should try their Port Cask.
I'm definitely interested in trying more of their stuff to see if I can find something that really clicks with me. I think I have some wine cask at home
I'm with you that their bottles are quite expensive. I doubt I'll be having one from their range anytime soon. It seems their pricing is up there with how Japanese whiskies are currently. 🤔
I'm with you there. While there's still a ton of cheaper stuff for me to buy I see no reason to mess about with that lot
Agreed about the prices of Kavalan outside of Taiwan. It's a ridiculous mark up. It costs around $100US for a full bottle of the Vinho Barrique, here. All of their whiskies conform to EU regulations on whisky. They really don't want to lose out on that market. I'm told by a friend who worked in the Kavalan blending lab that the Distiller's Select is an average of 6-8 year old whiskies blended from a mixture of cask types. Not the most harmonious of blends, certainly. I'll have to send you some of the Omar to try the next time. Cheers, Vin!
Thanks for facilitating me trying it! I'm looking forward to the other one you sent!
I'm enjoying my first glass of it right now. (I do have the 43% version) I'm getting mint, toffee, spice, malt notes, and I do think it's a tad too young. Still impressed by this bottle though
The bottom shelf Kavalan is fairly meh, I recently traded for a Kavafan, Solist Oloroso Sherry Cask, 9.5 years and cask strength, now that's a different cat.
I'm pretty sure I tried that or a similar batch and didn't like it so much. Was a while ago so could be my tastes have changed since then
Kavalan = Costly... I splurged for a couple of bottles and generally liked it, but it's nowhere near worth the asking price!
Its expensive for me, I dread to think what you have to pay
Vin, WTF with those prices? How strange that Japanese whisky is very good but also so over priced and in Japan they drink almost all whisky as "highballs" with (club) soda and lots of ice. Seems like a waste to pay so much and then add so much cold fizzy water. But like they say, drink it how you like it.
The prices are eye watering. Just not worth it in my opinion. Maybe one day it'll change
I only like the Solist ones