After my run down of Whipper Snapper a week or two ago I told myself that I needed to try some more single distillery tasting flights to really try and understand the whisky making process better and how a new make spirit can be turned into the elixir of life, or absolutely destroyed by processes. So, I picked up about 20 different whiskies representing four distillieries and thought I’d start off with a trio of Kavalans over the next few days. No expectations but I hear good things about the Kavalan crew, starting with what I suspect will be the most representative of the core spirit, the Solist ex-Bourbon cask strength. N: Immediately hit with a heavy dose of honey and a lightly floral and bright malty character. Vanilla, oak-spice, and maple are all stars once the honey fades. With deeper sniffs and long breaths I find a comparison to coconut water also. There is no hint of the 58.7% ABV either. Really lovely stuff here, and no need to add water for this. P: There is some prickle to get past initially but this is a thick and bold palate that punches a heavy vanilla forward profile. Fudgey, brown sugar chewiness is enveloped with some tropical fruit sweetness like mango mixed with really ripe juicy pear. The high proof does build and reminds you that you are not mucking around but if you can get past that i think there is maybe some peanuty savouriness in there too. Lovely texture, lovely heavy weight flavours. A drop or two of water stretches things out, the tropical sweetness heads towards banana and the prickle turns to a gentle red chilli. Brown sugar sticks around longer. F: Medium-long. Slightly waxy carrying peppery heat and some soft vanilla. A strong start, and a start that leaves me excited for what is to follow. There is a wonderful balance of sweet and juicy fruit flavours with rich and heavy vanillas, fudges and dark sugars. The high proof works well here and keeps things vibrant. I have to admit though as well done as the palate is, it is also a little pedestrian, there are not seemingly to many things to find and those that are found are what I thought would show up. Classic ex-bourbon stuff. However, the nose. Thats the stand out, lovely lightness of character and the floral waft underneath the honey is like sitting in a blossoming meadow. Brilliant. [No connection to Taiwan, but pictured here with this dram( because he happened to be out for his Saturday walk) is Illaenus tauricornis. This little critter is an ~470 million year old trilobite from near St. Petersburg in Russia. His giant boof-head was perfectly adapted for ploughing though bottom sediments on ancient seabeds looking for food] Distiller whisky taste #122