@Slainte-Mhath Indeed! I've tasted some local Australian whiskies that have tried to replicate a scottish single malt profile but have failed badly, being just hot, confused and angry distillates that can't be saved by the necessarily short maturation time that many of our regions must give. On the other hand I've tasted some really interesting spirits that are good by any standard of reckoning, but these have generally been more experimental and willing to forge their own path. Some of the malted rye whiskies and multi-grain spirits I've sampled require no apologies at all, and it's a real pity they don't see a wider audience.

@cascode Good point, and I certainly don't mind when non-Scotch whiskies have their own character, this is what makes them interesting.

@Slainte-Mhath I see it less as a problem of over-maturation as a failure to adapt "whisky" to local conditions. Why make a spirit that slavishly copies Scottish malt in every facet if the environment is not appropriate to that process? If I want scotch, I buy scotch. When I buy Australian, New Zealand, American, Indian, Swedish, Taiwanese, French, German or Japanese I expect to experience something different, and to be honest I'm a bit disappointed when it's just another Scottish malt clone.

Well, I for one absolutely adore some of what Amrut and Kavalan make. But some flavors won't be for everyone. For me they're two of my favorite distilleries.

@Slainte-Mhath I'm not too fussed where it is as long as it tastes good to me :-). Amrut pump out good stuff and generally consistently which is more than I can say for a lot of Scottish ones these days. Taste preference is the key and like you I struggle with some producers primarily bourbons these days.

@PBMichiganWolverine @Soba45 To be honest, I question the decision to build a distillery in Taiwan, as I question the decision to establish a distillery north of the polar circle (Aurora distillery). The same applies for Amrut where I yet have to taste an expression which I like. Some countries like Japan successfully demonstrate that you can mature whisky in warmer climate, but there are limitations. I don't mind a whisky to be 'oaky', that's not the point, but when a whisky is overmatured (hefty on tannins) and yet immature/young/spirity, then I believe there is a fundamental problem in maturation.

@Slainte-Mhath & @LeeEvolved - glad to see you folks back to good health! Now drink up. :)

@PBMichiganWolverine Yeah and that's the problem. It's hard to plonk down stupid money with such wild variation. I loved this particular CS sherry offering (or a variant of) but then I had another TWE CS bottling which was rubbish.

@Soba45 I think it really depends on which cask you end up with

Yeah these guys are highly variable. My scores have been: 3, 3.5, 3.75 x 2, 4 x 2, 4.25 and 4.5. So basically one was awesome ironically this one Solist Sherry Cask Matured!

@Slainte-Mhath totally agree. There’s a handful of whiskeys I remember —- and ironically, nothing has to do with price. It’s more so the experience, and many times, the setting.

@LeeEvolved @Slainte-Mhath on the bright side...hopefully you’re now immune with the antibodies.

@LeeEvolved Hang in there, it took about 1 month before my wife regained her sense of smell and taste. It returned gradually, so there is hope!

I’ve pretty much recovered and returned to work earlier this week. Other than still feeling a bit weak in the stamina department, I’d say I’m back to normal. Cheers. My nose and palate still seem slightly off and I’ve heard that can take months to fully recover- so the few sips of whisky I’ve had have been cheap bourbon mixed with cola, lol.

@LeeEvolved How are you doing? Hope you continue to recover from COVID-19?

@PBMichiganWolverine Not a good sign if you don't even remember this whisky. It's not bad, but at this price you simply expect a bit more.

@Slainte-Mhath i just noticed my score on this one—-3.0. I don’t even remember it. At this price, I feel as if it should be memory worthy

@PBMichiganWolverine Yes, I tried the Solist Amontillado, Port and Vinho Barrique Cask. All of them were decent, but not worth the insane price tags.

@dhsilv2 me too...personally, I love the over oak in whiskey, but surprisingly not so much in bourbon and rye. Maybe it’s the type of wood used ( virgin oak vs previously used sherry , bourbon, etc)

@PBMichiganWolverine those premium ones are simply amazing. Especially if one feels over oaked or spirity as none that I have had could be considered this. I've only had one of these types in a store pick which was super oaky but in the best way possible. I absolutely love it, but I can see others not. I could also see there being a fine line for some casks going the wrong way.

@Slainte-Mhath I’ve not had any of their premium ones ( PX, moscatel. Etc)...wondering if those are better ?

@PBMichiganWolverine Yes, I think there is cask variation. I have tasted a few other Solist expressions which were slightly better, but the underlying problem remained the same. If a whisky tastes too woody and spirity at the same time, then there is something fundamentally wrong with maturation.

I’m wondering if there’s a huge cask variation as well. Depending on the bottle, I’m seeing mediocre reviews, to excellent.

Additional comment: After attending a Kavalan masterclass with Kai-Che Shih last year, I learned that Kavalan has its own rules regarding whisky maturation. 3 years of age is not a formal requirement to call their distillate 'whisky'. I'm sorry, but this maturation concept doesn't work for me.

Additional comment: I can't help it, but this expression reminds me of JW Blue Label. Exuberant packaging, overpriced, and arguably not made for 'real' whisky drinkers. A luxury article for Chinese businessmen?

Whisky becomes baijiu?

Additional information: This review is for Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask S090122001, distilled 22.01.2009, with an outturn of 504 bottles at 57.8% ABV.