Yet Another Whisky of the Year

This time it’s the Whisky Advocate Award

 

World Whisky of the Year is Kavalan Solist ex Bourbon Cask bottled at 57.1% ABV

 

OK so lets look at this, I was at a KAVALAN tasting this week in Hong Kong with there Master Blender and Brand Ambassador, this expression was by far my least favourite and in saying this not only amongst the KAVALAN whiskies, if I put it against some other single malts then this is far away, maybe the Americans can put it against some bourbons and its hot but definitely not against single malts. Whisky Advocate says it stands up gloriously against comparable malts from Scotland, agree some do but not this one it was up against blends and an English malt in a blind tasting… anyway.

 

They Wrote:

 

2013 was a strange year for nontraditional whisky making countries. For many distilleries it was a year of consolidation for existing expressions and expansion in to new markets.   A new wave of distillers—Paul John (India) , Overeem, Limeburners, and Hellyers Road (all Australian), Copper Still  (England)—took steps toward the international stage, while only St. George’s in England, Zuidam in Holland, and Mackmyra in Sweden punctuated the year with more than one special and original release.

 

But the year belongs to Taiwan’s Kavalan, which totally put to rest the notion that it is a whisky karaoke act doing as good impression of premium class whisky. Kavalan, some argue, has little substance or staying power. My take on that? What nonsense! I have been a fan of this distillery for some time now, scoring eight of its whiskies at 90 or more. But this, for me, is the pick of a very strong bunch. The distillery makes much of the casks it uses, and rightly so: they are sensational. But this expression puts to bed the suggestion that while the cask may be willing, the spirit is weak. Here licorice, honey, and tangy spice fizz around a malt core that gloriously combines pineapple, tropical fruit, and vanilla ice cream. It’s clean, fresh, rich, balanced, and blemish free, and it stands up gloriously against comparable malts from Scotland. The distillery now needs the confidence to go its own way and give us something distinctly Taiwanese. When it does, Kavalan will be a world force riding its own momentum. —Dominic Roskrow Tomorrow’s Award will be the first of our Scotch whisky awards: Blended/Blended Malt Whisky of the Year. The post Whisky Advocate Award: World Whisky of the Year appeared first on Whisky Advocate.

 

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