Simon here again with number 4 from the Kavalan tasting organized by Craft Cellars and Truth Malters. This is the most interesting of the tasting in terms of how they make it. This is the STR (shave, toast, re-char) cask whisky that's put Kavalan on the map. We got to walk through this process during the virtual tour and it's impressive. Everything is automated. Apparently the aroma is out of this world. Maybe one day the crew will make their way to Taiwan to find out. These are from wine barrels. For unknown reasons, after trial and error, we're told that the STR process was found to work best with wine barrels. I wasn't sure how much of the wine influence would make it's way through after the STR process, but as you'll see below I personally thought it was a major player. Reminder that the Solist line is all single barrel.
Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique. STR wine cask. 57.8% ABV. $320 CAD.
Sniffing around:
Chardonay ish. Little sherried smell, with dried fruits. Strawberry jam. Caramel. Tootsie roll.
Diving in:
Potent. Definitely a dry red wine flavor. Butterscotch/chocolate liqueur on the finish. Get's bitter with water, water was not a good call. It's pretty hot. Oaky.
Review/Overall: I like the full mouth feel. It's got a nice range of flavors, good complexity. I won't be looking for a bottle at that price point, but it's definitely got a uniqueness to it that you'll have a hard time finding elsewhere, and I hope to find a bottle at a bar or a friend's house to try it from different barrels. This is a late night drink, I don't recommend having this anywhere close to food, it's just so potent. Stamping an 88 on here.
Cheers!
Simon from S&P
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