Kavalan Classic Single Malt

Peet, Carmel, smoke, sweet

bland

3.5 as a gift from a friend

Ronak had this at whiskey library in Portland

75, a 3.8 out of 5. Kavalan's single malt offering blends a Scotch's diligence and a longwinded Kentucky hug. The Taiwanese distillery is struggling to find markey share in the shadow of the Japanese whiskey boom, but not from a lack of quality. While the take home price of a bottle in the states is not likely worth it, Kavalan does show off an impressive mutation in style. A less than exciting nose gives birth to a palate of cinnamon apples and sandalwood crescendoing into a long dip in a pool of honey. The nose and the palate are mere stepping stones to a beautiful finish from an abnormally young whiskey. I'm intrigued by the emerging region's interpretation of the water of life. I will reevaluate in a few years. Definitely worth the dram, maybe not the bottle: at least not yet.