Single Malt Whisky, Taiwan / Yilan County

At 3.30 pm on 11 March 2006, the first new make spirit left the stills at the Kavalan distillery. In 2016, guests and journalists were invited to the distillery en masse by founder Tien-Tsai Lee to celebrate the tenth anniversary of what had become one of the ten largest distilleries in the world. Keeping the same style as the magnificent Oloroso sherry casks that have marked Kavalan’s history, this particularly fruity, floral and malty version reveals excellent maturity intensified by a deeply fresh rancio.

TASTING NOTES

Nose : Fine, subtle. A mix of apricot and melon notes, the nose becomes waxy (beeswax) and chocolatey. Allowed to breathe, aromas of heady florals (hyacinth, freesia) fill the air. The harmonious palette develops notes of salted butter caramel.

Appearance : Cuivre orangé soutenu.

Palate : Lively, slender. Candied citrus fruit (orange, lemon, mandarin), a handful of sweet spices (cinnamon, ginger) and malted barley grains interlace with one another. The mid-palate returns in force to the polish notes from the nose (polish, varnish).

Overall : Long, silky. The malty finish offers up a delicious apricot tart, fig jam and quince jelly. In the after-taste, malted barley plays the leading role. A beautiful apricot rancio punctuates the tasting.