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90 points

Kavalan 10th Anniversary Bordeaux Pauillac Wine Cask-Matured Single Malt, 57.8%

Enticing aromas of clove, cranberry, cooking apple, hawthorn, allspice, tobacco, and graphite sticks. It is a spicy mouthful at full strength, with clove and pepper dominating the citrus fruit, berries, and orchard fruit. Dilution is recommended, where flavors of baked apple, cinnamon, and raspberry emerge. NT$8,800

Reviewed by: (Fall 2019)

90 points

Kavalan single malt, 40%

When the news arrived that a distillery was being built in Taiwan, the whisky world pretty much dismissed it. When Kavalan appeared at a precocious 42 months, it sat up and took notice. Owned by food and beverage conglomerate King Car, Kavalan started producing in 2006 with blender Ian Chang at the helm — and a hotline to consultant Dr. Jim Swan. Taiwan’s tropical climate pushes the maturation cycle along at a ferocious rate, but the key here is its complexity. Maybe it’s auto-suggestion, but I could swear there’s ginseng in here, as well as honeycomb and black cherry pie filling. Fresh and clean, the spirit is rich and accompanied with great wood. Mature whisky in three years? It’s an accountant’s dream!

Reviewed by: (Winter 2010)

90 points

Kavalan Port Cask finish, 40%

Here Jim Swan has taken the bold step of double maturing an already quick maturing spirit, but it works. Blueberries and rich oak are to the fore, while Kavalan’s cherry accents act as the link between spirit and Port. Think rosehips and crème de mures. Thick and liquorous. List price is approximate.

Reviewed by: (Winter 2010)

87 points

Kavalan Sherry Oak, 46%

Two out of three ain't bad. While Kavalan doesn't quite pull off the hat trick, this is no album filler either (can we still say that?). It is Karaoke Kavalan, Taiwanese X Factor whisky: a perfect reproduction of a big, plummy, pruney, tannin-soaked rich fruit compote with late fall damp forest notes. It says a lot about this distillery that five years ago we'd have marveled at this. Today, and by its own standards, it's Kavalan doing an Aerosmith ballad.

Reviewed by: (Summer 2013)

87 points

Kavalan Solist Port Cask, 59.4%

Admirably, they go to all the trouble of bottling single casks individually for their Solist range at Kavalan Distillery. This single cask has the most gorgeous, deep ruby color and a very fruity nose: pomegranate, fresh orange, plum, walnut jam, macadamia, and some zestier elements. At full strength, it’s mouth drawing; warm, fruity, with stewed plums, young rhubarb, pepperpots, and fine-quality dark chocolate. A clean finish, with the fruit and wood spices remaining fresh to the end. (181 bottles) NT$3,500

Reviewed by: (Winter 2016)

86 points

Kavalan Distillery Select, 43%

With two distilleries now on-site, the new Kavalan has a nose of apple and cinnamon pie, loaves of bread, new hardback books, flashes of lemon peel, and mild spices that flatter the baked fruits. A lighter structure, with pleasant green apple and pear notes, a tingle of pepper and allspice, becoming creamier with the flavor of sherbet flying-saucer candy. More active spices on the finish amid fading fruits.

Reviewed by: (Winter 2018)

86 points

Kavalan Distillery Reserve Peaty Cask, 55%

Whether it’s New York, London, Paris, or Yilan (home of Kavalan), this expression uses the fashionable technique of maturing unpeated spirit in former peaty whisky casks. Sweet, seasoned wood smoke, chocolate peat, dry spices (notably roasted coriander seed), citrus, and tropical fruits. A thick, warming, unctuous mouthfeel perfused with peat smoke, tangy grapefruit, and baked orange, ending on a fruity red licorice and gentle peat finish. Water unlocks moreish, honeyed citrus sweetness, with a peaty nip in the tail. (Distillery exclusive) NT$1,560

Reviewed by: (Winter 2016)