Kavalan – Ex-Bourbon Oak Single Malt Whisky

Like the Kavalan Sherry Oak, this release takes the same fantastic liquid that’s been used in Solist releases (in this case, the bourbon cask matured ones) and dilutes it to a bottling strength of 46% using local spring water.

Distilled in pot stills from 100% malted barley, produced at one distillery, aged in barrels; if scotch or irish, must be aged for at least three years.

Initially, you will experience barrel notes such as menthol, coconut, and vanilla. The palate continues with these flavors and adds toasted cereal to the mix. The whisky is tangy and finishes relatively smooth with wood spices relatively mild.

Kavalan Distillery (Chinese: 噶瑪蘭酒廠; pinyin: Gámǎlán jiǔchǎng) is a Taiwanese whisky distillery. It is owned by the King Car Group and is located at Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan.

The distillery is named after the indigenous Kavalan people, who originally inhabited the Kabalan Plain of modern-day Yilan County. The distillery was completed in December 2005, produced its first spirit in March 2006, and released its first bottling in December 2008.

In January 2010, one of the distillery’s products caused a stir by beating three Scotch whiskies and one English whisky in a blind tasting organised in Leith, Scotland, to celebrate Burns Night.

The distillery was named by Whisky Magazine as the World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year” for 2011, and its products have won several other awards.

In 2012, Kavalan’s Solist Fino Sherry Cask malt whisky was named “new whisky of the year” by Jim Murray in his guide, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

In 2015, Kavalan’s Vinho Barrique expression was named the world’s best single malt whisky by World Whiskies Awards.

In 2016, Kavalan’s Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength was named the World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt Whisky by World Whiskies Award.