Tag Archives: Cask Strength

Kavalan Solist Trio of Sherry, Vinho Barrique, Port

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Kavalan from Taiwan has enjoyed immense popularity, particularly for its singular Solist line of cask-strength single cask single malts with different finishes. Some years ago, our Mumbai-based whisky clubs had a bit of a love affair with Kavalan. From a notable evening dedicated to trio of Kavalan Solist Brandy, Port and Sherry to a terrific zip through nearly their full collection in Singapore at Whisky Live in 2017!

The Bombay Malt and Cigar lads decided to crack open three in May 2024. Ideally, I would have brought my Kavalan Solist Bourbon to join the Sherry, Vinho Barrique and Port! However, alas this was yet another Mumbai tasting that I missed. Kindly, our host set aside some generous samples which I had the pleasure of sharing a year later with our Nürberg Whisky Explorers group – what fun!

Kavalan Solist Sherry

  • Nose – Oh my! Rich coffee liqueur, sherry, intense and dense
  • Palate – Flavour packed! Sweet, very dense, a real sherry bomb with tobacco, a nutty chocolate, bursting with sweet spices, wood was also prominent, and above all rich, chewy, strong coffee
  • Finish – A very long finish with black licorice
  • Water – Helps make it plumper, juicy fruits on the nose with dried figs and dates on the palate

This was a classic Kavalan Solist – highly compacted and complex. It is sweet without being overly so. Intense and interesting yet not overwhelming. A rich, beautiful dram bursting with character.

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Cask No W160331032A 57.1% (201 bottles)

  • Nose – What a contrast from the sherry! There was a delightful, sweet mahogany wood on the nose, warming into a creamy, buttery chocolate chased by sweet jasmine
  • Palate – Fruity, juicy, smooth chocolate, really quite voluptuous! Oily, tobacco joins the fruit
  • Finish – Long and luscious

Curiously, we were not in the least interested in adding water – it was perfect just as is! Perhaps we should have started with this one – it is almost too polite after the robust sherry.

Kavalan Solist Port

  • Nose – Sharp and makes you work! Tobacco, molasses, sugary chocolate-covered coffee beans, then fresh wood… as it opened, it was joined by fruit
  • Palate – Strong, very dry, furry on the tongue, chocolate raisins
  • Finish – A long finish
  • Revisit – We came back to this expression after some time and found a rather delicious sweet caramelized onion, almost like bacon jam – yum!

In some ways, this was the “smoothest” of the trio. It became sweeter the more time it spent in the glass. From memory, the last Kavalan Solist Port I tried clearly had a fortified sweet wine element, whereas this was not so distinctly Port per se.

For me the highlight was sharing these intense, highly concentrated cask strength expressions with a new audience in Germany. None other than I had tried Kavalan before with this trio a terrific introduction for seasoned whisky aficionados.

A pity we didn’t have the exact cask numbers and alcohol strength for the Sherry and Port, however, they were likely purchased around 2021 – 2022. Whereas the Vinho Barrique was bought in June 2022 for Eur 125 in Germany, then traveled back to the UK and on to India.

Other Kavalans tasted over the years….

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Elements of Islay – Ma1 54.2%

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Once upon a time, my life revolved around flights between India and the rest of Asia. Nearly every month I would be flying – largely via Singapore – which is how it became almost like a 2nd home! Whilst in India, there were limited options to acquire more interesting whiskies… in Singapore the barrier was simply price! I look back at some of the hefty price tags we regularly shouldered to indulge our passion and sigh… Often we paid double or even triple in Asia vs acquiring in the UK or Europe.

Yet Singapore was in our backyard with easy direct flights from Mumbai and lots of work reasons to visit, so we simply tolerated the high taxes to fuel our whisky fancy. Hence my purchase in 2017 from Singapore’s La Maison du Whisky of this bottle – the 1st expression from Elements of Islay at a hefty $135 for a mere 500 ml! Fast forward nearly a decade with skyrocketing prices doubling dram costs all around the globe, you can still find this bottle from The Whisky Exchange for GBP 150.

Elements of Islay Ma1 54.2%

  • Nose – Curiously, it was a bit subdued on the nose. And yet, once one got past the shyness, there were a lot of briney maritime aromas! Loads of iodine too. Over time the saline gave way to some sweetness however would remind us of its maritime essence with sea spray. In the 2nd tasting, we really gave it time – so it shifted from a carbolic Lifebuoy soap to smoked meat, chipotle sauce with a bit of char.
  • Palate – Oh yum! Mellow peppery ashy with sweeter elements – think sugary water, backed by a vegetal peat
  • Finish – Nice long finish with “thick air”, light cinnamon, coconut shell, overall, an excellent chewy close

When I look back on the photo taken years ago vs when we opened, it was clear that despite being a sealed bottle, some liquid had evaporated. Hence what we tried nearly a decade after being bottled, may not be representative of what we would have experienced back in 2015.

We speculated this may be why the palate was far superior and much more interesting than the aromas. It also needed time in the glass – our revisit after nearly an hour was so much more fruity – both nose and taste. One of those drams, where a quick sniff and swish could be dismissed whereas it has a lot more going on.

So what is Ma1? In the Elements of Islay lexicon, Ma is also known as Bn, i.e., Bunnahabhain, with Ma being the “darker, smokier version of the heathery, briny, unpeated whisky from the distillery.” It was matured in four first-fill bourbon barrels in 2004 and bottled in 2015.

A few of us admitted that of the Islay whiskies, Bunnahabhain actually ranks pretty low. And yet this bottling from Elixir reminds us to keep an open mind!

Here is what the folks over at Elements of Islay had to say about their inaugural Ma expression:

  • Nose – The nose is delicate with a gentle spicy and a sweet undertone. Lightly salted walnut bread, the peatiness is subtle and with time and water releases a lot more zestiness. Warm flavours of peppery flapjacks and sweet charcoal. On the back, a light dustiness, polished furniture and chalk.
  • Palate – Stronger spiciness, black pepper and cumin oat cakes. Creamy, nutty texture with lots of roasted walnuts, brown bread and macadamia sweetness. Wet, damp, drift wood on the beach, Moroccan sweets made with dates, nuts and spices and a hint of chalk.
  • Finish – Lingering dustiness with a hint of 85% dark chocolate on the finish. The dirty smoke evolves into match box and ash.

The thinking behind Elements of Islay when originally launched was:

The medicinal, almost ‘elemental’ character of Islay malt whiskies was the inspiration for the laboratory-style bottle and element symbol/number naming system used across the Elements range (Lp1, Ar2, and so on). Coincidentally, even the 50cl bottle used throughout the Elements range is called ‘pharmacy’. Every Elements bottle also bears the signature of a whisky authority, so you can be confident of the quality of the liquid inside.

The approach has since evolved to anchor expressions around elements like Bourbon, Sherry, Cask Edits, and special festival editions like Fèis Ìle 2024 “Fireside” Exclusive. So whilst we knew without a doubt the liquid we tasted was from Bunnahabhain, if you tried an Elements of Islay expression today, you would not find an indication of which distillery/distilleries went into the bottle.

Remember I mentioned we may not be big Bunna fans? Yet somehow, over the years, we’ve actually picked up or sampled rather a lot of Bunnahabhain :

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TBWC – Auchroisk 12 year 47.9% (CNY Tasting Set)

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Auchroisk is the last mini in our That Boutique-y Whisky Company Chinese New Year tasting set. Auchroisk isn’t one of those “we have history stretching back hundreds of years” kind of distillery. Nope. It is a more modern entry into the whisky fabric, built in 1974 for blending – think J&B Rare.

What did we discover with this particular cask strength single malt?

Auchroisk 12 year 47.9%, Batch 7 with 2,400 bottles. GBP 23.95

  • Nose – Dried leaves, herbal sweet, sweet grass, lemon, sweet spice, caramel, malty, wet cloth, all sweet smoke, think chestnuts roasting
  • Palate – Sweet then smoke, restrained yet spicy, herbal – think Underberg
  • Finish – Very dry, more of that nutty slightly sweet element

I honestly wasn’t sure I would like this one… nothing against the distillery but with the lovely summer weather I wasn’t keen on even a lightly smoky dram. Whereas this one so gently curled that element into the mix and was so smooth and easy to sip that any misgiving dissipated! Instead, it became more and more enjoyable… it was completely lip smacking in a delightfully autumnal way.

What do the folks over at Master of Malt have to say?

The zombie apocalypse has returned in the form of the seventh batch of this delicious indie Auchroisk! This one was matured for 12 wonderful years before the folks at That Boutique-y Whisky Company bottled it up at 47.9% ABV. If you look very carefully at the blood-curdling label, you’ll see that, amidst the chaos of finding people to recruit to the undead, one of the zombies has found the time to get his hair dyed. Self care, and all that.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: Through dry smoke there’s fresh malt, lemon peel and dark berry syrup, with plenty of toffee, coconut husk and brittle.
  • Palate: Warming baking spice adds an initial burst of spice. Lime peel, caramel and orchard fruit bring sweetness. A little salinity and smoke develop underneath.
  • Finish: Delicately sweet with some prickles from ginger root.

TBWC – Linkwood 10 year 48.2% (CNY Tasting Set)

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I really enjoy the fun graphic art labels that That Boutique-y Whisky Company create – often with a quirky story to go with it!

In the case of Linkwood, their choice of a fellow fixing a broom is quite apt… and here is why:

The Linkwood distillery was founded in 1821 in Speyside. It distilled tasty single malts and top whiskies for blends until 1971, which is where it gets a little confusing. In 1971, Linkwood was expanded with two more stills, although these stills actually belonged to a new distillery, which would be called Linkwood B. In 1985, Linkwood A (the original Linkwood) was closed down, making Linkwood B just Linkwood. It’s a different distillery, but it’s still Linkwood. Right? It’s a bit like that chap with the ship and had all its wood replaced. It’s the same ship, even though everything has been replaced. Right? The chap on the label is fixing a broom – the owner has had the same broom 20 years just with different heads and handles. It’s still the same broom, though. Right?

And so we dove into the Linkwood B.. I mean Linkwood distillery… you get the picture! What did we think?

Linkwood 10 year 48.2%, Batch 7 

  • Nose – Mmm… lemon grass, a dash of pink Himalayan salt, green peppers, wax, lots of character, lemony spice
  • Palate – Fresh green chillies, black peppercorns, touch of garam masala, dry red chillies… yes this sounds spicy but actually an interesting yet light melange of different peppers, peaking out from underneath these was a lovely fruit bouquet, a bit thin on the palate but quite tasty
  • Finish – Bitter almond, light liquorice root

While not the most amazing Linkwood I’ve ever had, it was interesting. The citrus, spice and light salt made for a curious combo that somehow worked quite well.

What do the folks over at Master of Malt have to say?

  • Nose: Saline, lemony nose, with spicy black pepper and lemongrass
  • Palate: More spice; black pepper and chilli, then citrus fruits, oranges, limes and lemon rind
  • Finish: Even more peppery spice and some hazelnut

TBWC – Speyside #3 8 year 50.7% (CNY Tasting Set)

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The weather in London while we’ve been here has been absolutely stunning – glorious sunshine, warm breeze… in short it feels like full blown summer instead of being mid September.

So it is somehow fitting that our Chinese New Year tasting set had a few more summery drams – with this Speyside clearly very much in keeping with our environment.

Speyside #3 8 year 50.7%, Batch 1 

  • Nose – Started with a bit of resin, restrained orchard fruits – mostly pears, hint of ginger… in short delicious! Fresh and juicy, then stewed fruits… light liquorice, then shifting back into fresh pear then stewed apricot – wonderful!
  • Palate – Peppercorns, fruity with a lovely nice mouthfeel, pears and apple crumble then shifting into melons, then a lightly bitter edge
  • Finish – Lovely long finish – fantastic! Imagine apricot leather – yum!

Like all the whiskies in this particular tasting set, we didn’t even think of adding water. However I did wonder later if that might bright out even more juicy fruits. This was my favourite of the evening, followed by the Glenburgie.

And here are the tasting notes included with our Drinks by the Dram package:

  • Nose – Lots of new make character, fruity cherry and peach notes with grassy vegetal flavours
  • Palate – Fiery alcohol, very peppery, but tempered by some sweet notes, green banana, and a creamy texture
  • Finish – More spice, lingering taste of Thai green curry

We didn’t find it was so ‘fiery’ and also didn’t discover any Thai green curry, however the apricot leather finish could also be described as green mango. Interesting.

TBWC – Glenburgie 8 year 55.2% (CNY Tasting Set)

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The minis are back!! And even better – this is no solo session but instead reunited with my regular minis tasting companion – the only difference is that we met in London rather than Mumbai…

I must admit, seeing a Glenburgie in the list was part of why this tasting set made the cut! I’m quite open about being partial towards this distillery since my first encounter where I dubbed it the “Downtown Abbey” of drams. I’ve had many a lovely whisky from them – tending to find elegant, fruity summery sipping malts – sunshine in a bottle.

So what did we discover in this one?

Glenburgie 8 year 55.2%, Batch 5 with 1,891 bottles. GBP 33.95.

  • Nose – Peaches and cream, sunshine and summer breeze, peach pit, caramel, light pecan… after some time sweet cream, lemon curd or rasagola, a touch of floral
  • Palate – Peach cobler, flat white peach, toffee, peach eau de vivre, light spice
  • Finish – Light spice, almond slivers, hint of thyme, slightly bitter

Joyful summer dram… and yes various versions of peach featured quite prominently in our impression… we simply couldn’t help ourselves as it was the best way to explain various summery elements that we encountered.

My friend is often amused at my sometimes prosaic descriptions and so came up with this: “This whisky is like a girl in a field with flowers in her hair and a smile on her face.”

Fanciful? Yes… but enjoyable all the same!

What do the folks over at Master of Malt have to say?

A big hello to the fifth batch of Glenburgie single malt bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company! This one is 8 years old, and the label still features a forgetful giant searching for his giant’s helmet. Probably needs it to protect his noggin because he keeps bashing it on door frames. Because he is very tall. Because he is a giant.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: Melon and strawberry, with a hint of vanilla-y grist underneath.
  • Palate: Slightly peppery as it opens, but soon enough you’re treated to notes of orange flesh, green apple, buttered bread and fresh flowers.
  • Finish: Lasting fruit sweetness and a hint of thyme.

TBWC – Teaninich 11 year 47.9% (CNY Tasting Set)

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Teaninich isn’t a distillery you readily find single malts at your corner whisky shop or travel retail. While part of the Diageo stable, it finds its way mainly into Johnnie Walker with limited official bottling – just part of the Flora and Fauna series.

Like many distilleries, it had a checkered past – founded in 1817 – even having an India connection with its original owner. It was sold several times and mothballed a few too, getting a complete revamp in 2013 with 16 new stills beside the old distillery which was demolished in 1999. It also is distinctive for using a filter press rather than mash tun to extract sugars.

As with everything… the proof is in the pudding… or the tasting in this case! What did we discover?

Teaninich 11 year 47.9%, Batch 2 with 1,987 bottles. GBP 32.95.

  • Nose – Yeasty, lemon, grassy, soda bread, dough, a bit sour – along the vein of something fermenting
  • Palate – Stone or chalk, yoghurt, floral, again a bit sour
  • Finish – Limited with a hint of citrus and oak

Not exactly my preferred profile and not sure this is the best example of the distillery either… it was a tricky style, that for me at least didn’t quite work.

What do the folks over at Master of Malt have to say?

It’s the second batch of indie Teaninich from That Boutique-y Whisky Compnay! This single malt was matured for 11 years, until it was independently bottled at 47.9% ABV. The label recounts the saga of Teaninich founder Captain Hugh Munro, who lost his eye and consequently wasn’t allowed to marry the woman who he was betrothed to. Sounds like something out of a movie, doesn’t it?

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

  • Nose: There’s a lovely ripe grain element here that moves into fresh soda bread. Supple lemon citrus notes then develop among dry grass and vanilla.
  • Palate: Candied fruit and baking spice initially, before sugared almond, green apple and golden syrup emerge.
  • Finish: Toffee and lingering citrus notes.

Original Club – Caol Ila 8 year 59.2%

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Our original tasting club in Mumbai has a tradition of sampling blind. We also try to explore something new – which sometimes leads to amazing new discoveries and sometimes disappointments.

What this means is trying familiar distilleries but in new avatars. In this case, we explored an old favourite Caol Ila from Hunter Laing’s newer Distiller’s Art bottling line of Single Casks. Then to add an even further special twist, these particular bottles were picked up from a particular store at cask strength.

Caol Ila 8 year (2009 / 2018) 59.2%, Sherry Hogshead, Bottle 173 of 180

  • Nose – Varnish, sharp, astringent, light banana, honey and caramel, vanilla, overall quite young
  • Palate – A bit harsh, raw, salty, spice kick, very piquant, hint of bitter coffee, chocolate
  • Finish – A warm burn, jaggery, spice, salty butter lingers… long and tingling

We suspected it was likely an ex-bourbon cask and definitely was high alcohol with an ‘in your face’ quality. Powerful and unbalanced… so we added water – a generous dollop. What a difference water made!

  • On the nose, it brightened it up, revealing lemon, floral honey.
  • Then on the palate, rounded it out, smoothing it into buttery leather, old wood and had much more depth
  • Suddenly it had an insane long finish!

While there were clear hints of peat before adding water, there were just too many forward elements competing for attention. With the water, it was truly a different dram.

What else did we explore?

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Peaty Highlander – Aird Mhor 8 year 55.3%

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Sound it out… “Aird Mhor” and you realize perhaps this might be “Ardmore”… and sure enough it is!

Our Whisky Ladies session dove straight into this cask strength offering from the Single Malts of Scotland range bottled by Speciality Drinks. It was purchased at their Whisky Exchange Covent Garden store under the guidance of Duncan.

So what did we think?

Aird Mhor 8 year (1 Dec 2009 / 25 June 2018) Cask 707910 55.3% 261 Bottles

  • Colour – Golden
  • Nose – Gentle smoke, leather, wood, citrus, orange, as it opened became increasingly sweet
  • Palate – Spice, tobacco, warm, 2nd sip was like an echo of Laphroaig, calming, sweet
  • Finish – Long finish with a bit of liquorice and vanilla
  • Water – No surprise it initially ramped up the spice, but when it settled down it brought out a nicely nutty quality, helped balance it out a bit, with it a bit oily on the palate

This one was a bit curious and not for everyone. Going straight from zero to full cask strength was also an adjustment.. though one our Whisky Ladies can easily make!

One remarked this whisky was a bit of an “attention seeker” with a fierceness and forcefulness that demanded notice. In this respect, it showed its youthful enthusiasm.

We discovered that the hint of Laphroaig peat came from the Ardmore being matured in ex Laphroaig barrel.

It wasn’t complicated and yet it provoked a clear divide between those who enjoyed and those who didn’t care for it so much.

Apparently Mogambo also has something to say!

Aird Mhor + Mogambo courtesy DevPaula

What did the folks at The Whisky Exchange have to say?

A smoky dram from Aird Mhor (aka Ardmore distillery). While nearby distilleries are better known for unpeated whisky, Ardmore bucks the trend, making a powerful and smoky dram. This single-cask bottling from The Single Malts of Scotland – distilled on 1 December 2009 and bottled at years old on 25 June 2018 – is a classic, with punchy smoke, honey and lemon.

I must say, I rather think “punchy smoke, honey and lemon” is a rather good way to describe this one!

What else did we sample in our Whisky Ladies Peaty Highland drams evening?

And what else have I explored from Ardmore?

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North Star Spirits Series 5, Regions 5, Bottles 5

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Once a year, two of our Mumbai whisky groups come together to celebrate our mutual passion for a fine dram. This time, I selected the whiskies – ordered online and brought in by another member for our sampling pleasure. I was inspired by an earlier introduction to North Star Spirits and honed in on their series 5, tending towards the more affordable options available with a nice cross-section from different regions.

While the Whisky Ladies sponsored the whiskies, the gents hosted our evening in a gorgeous South Mumbai home with a most civilized sit down tasting followed by a brilliantly paired dinner. To put it mildly, the bar was set high!

And did the whiskies deliver? Read on to discover…

Our 5 Region North Star Spirits cask strength quintet from Cask Series 005 included:

Each was distinctive, unique and completely worth trying!

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