Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength

Lots of vanilla and caramel

Orange, vanilla, spice

54.8 B080825053 bottled 2016/03/31 After some disappointments, I have 3 bottles to pop and review today. I'm hoping this one however is a winner. Nose - tooty fruity bubble gum meets vanilla and oak. I always tell people that a LOT of the quality of kavalan is the malt itself and it's clear as day on this one right on the nose. So fruity, inviting...this isn't a funky town expression. This is refined high end classic scotch like character. And yet I get a touch of oak and vanilla on here that take me back to high end bourbons as well. A perfect balance seems to have been created with intense hyper aging and likely another perfectly selected barrel. Taste - Creamy vanilla...heavy oak. I mentioned bourbon before...I'm a bit thrown here but yeah...this is drinking like a bourbon. I'm going to have to completely re-calibrate. This is a sweet and candied bourbon with noticeable oak bite, slightly better, slightly over the top with the bitter oak notes without the big warm yummy oak bits. 2.5. Darn good whisky but the mouth feel and the upfront sweetness are the show. The back end is disjointed and off. Time may resolve this all. So look forward to me coming back eventually. Re-review What a mess I made of those. Nose - Vanilla and shoe varnish bringing forth candy and light oak elements. Deep rich and while simple, it's full and insanely rich and complex in the depth of these single notes. Taste - Sweet malt, accented by vanilla, huge varnish elements on the nose coming full force here. Reminders of classic pappy van winkle bourbons with rich creamy vanilla malts added. The depth isn't that of 20 year old bourbon, but the flavors intensity and richness are on another level. Water brings out more youthful oak and drops the varnish elements. Not as enjoyable of a rich WOW experience, but you can see the quality nuance and depth continues. Moving this up to a proper 3.5

Nose Strong nose with Vanilla very dominant , green apples, cloves then sweet pineapple some citrus Taste Starts fruity and honey sweet and develops to bitter chocolate and vanilla ice cream , cherry. A bit of peppery spice and swiftness is on more dominant side After some water notes of dry fruit comes up and the finish is getting less dry with strong cacao. I felt it getting more spicy with pepper and corriander Finish Very oily, sharper long finish when whisky keeps developing Final Thoughts Great whisky for people who likes it on sweeter side. Definitely lots of complexity with tropical fruits and level of sweeetnes.

Aunque la expresión que probé fue 59.4% las notas son similares a la descripción, mucho más tropical, piña, coco, pera, flores, final largo, viaje redondo….

Couleur : Or Nez : touche d'érable ou de miel ? Bouche : miel, oranges, morning buns, banane?

My Bottle seems to be a Unicorn as I cannot find an exact match but I believe it to be a Solist as my bottle is at 54 ABV which is much higher than the standard Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak which is what the label says on my small 200 ml bottling. My label is also Green with gold Kavalan lettering. Very Delicious and my rating of 4 seems to match the Solist rating and tasting notes well. Definitely will be looking for either full size bottle!

Fruits, bourbon vanilla