Kavalan 7 year old 2009 Port Cask

I started the week with a wonderful Ardmore, and have since reviewed less wonderful Kavalans. One more Kavalan remains, a Port cask, specifically a barrique per the official site. So it ain't no big Port pipe, but a smaller cask. From a hot and humid warehouse. Yes, let's get this over with.

Distillery: Yuan Shan Distillery

Owner: King Car Group

Brand: Kavalan

Region: Yuanshan, Taiwan

Age: 7 years (26 June 2009 - 13 Jul 2016)

Maturation: Port Barrique

Cask #: O090629014A
Outturn: 178 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 58.6%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose is mellower than expected. Semi-sweet chocolate with raspberry filling starts things off, with hints of metal and flowers in the back. Orange peel and cinnamon slowly take over. A perfume note, similar to yesterday's Vinho Barrique, appears briefly at the palate's start then recedes quickly. Thank you, whisky gods. Raspberries and boysenberry jam mix with bitter citrus and ginger beer. Maybe a touch of root beer too. Yes, it's plenty sweet, but drinkable. Dried blueberries join the bitter citrus and ginger in the finish.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or < 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

It noses of mulled wine, big on the whole cloves and cinnamon sticks, with a little bit of blueberry jam as well. Dilution hushes the palate. Less sweetness, a bit more citrus and cocoa. Maybe some flowers. But that's about it. The finish is sweeter than the palate, full of grape jam and cinnamon.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Kavalan's actual spirit is nowhere to be found in this week's desserty trio, which shouldn't shock anyone who has tried Yuan Shan's single malt. Today's whisky works in its own way. It'd be nice with some vanilla ice cream, it's not too woody, and it's not too sweet. I'd drink it again, depending on the situation. This could compete with the Manzanilla cask in a head-to-head, but that's nothing to celebrate. I doubt I'll be chasing more Kavalan samples anytime soon.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 80