The Oloroso Sherry Oak sits within Kavalan's prestigious Solist range — the distillery's single-cask, cask-strength bottlings, except in this presentation where it is brought to a more approachable 46%. It is fully matured in oloroso sherry casks, the dry, nutty, oxidative sherry of Jerez whose casks have for centuries been prized by Scotch distillers for the depth and darkness they impart to malt whisky.
What sets Kavalan apart is the climate. Yilan, on Taiwan's east coast, sits in a subtropical zone where temperatures and humidity drive maturation at a pace that Scotland could never approach. A few years in oloroso casks under the Taiwanese sun produces a whisky of a richness that would take many decades in Speyside to develop, and the angels take a substantial share — sometimes ten percent or more per year — leaving behind a concentrated, deeply coloured spirit.
The nose is an unhurried exploration of Christmas cake, dark chocolate orange, walnut and polished mahogany, with a deep waft of dried fig. The palate carries rich raisin and prune, espresso, dark cherry, leather and the warm spice of cinnamon and clove. The finish is very long and resonant, with treacle, dried fruit and a lingering bitter chocolate note that refuses to fade.
This is one of the great sherry-matured whiskies of the new world, and it has done much to establish Kavalan in the eyes of drinkers raised on the heaviest Speyside sherry bombs. King Car's pioneering distillery has, in barely two decades, made Taiwan a name to speak of in the same breath as Scotland and Japan.
