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Kavalan 5 years Vinho Barrique 072A

malty fruity
4.1
(2)€245Taiwan, Single Malt

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Kavalan ran its first spirit on 11 March 2006. Summers in that part of Taiwan push towards 40 degrees Celsius. Whisky ages fast in that heat. Five years in a shaved, toasted and recharred wine cask fills this one out completely. The method came from Dr Jim Swan. He worked out how to make young Taiwanese spirit taste settled. Raisins and sultanas open it, then dried apricot and brown sugar. Milk chocolate and cherry follow, and cedar dries the finish. It is a single cask, so this barrel will never come again.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Kavalan

Kavalan is a distillery located in Taiwan and was founded in 2005. It is named after the Kavalan indigenous people who originally inhabited the Yilan County region where the distillery is located. Kavalan is known for its award-winning single malt whiskies that are produced using locally sourced ingredients and pure water from the nearby Yuanshan Mountain. The distillery has won numerous awards and accolades since its establishment, including "World's Best Single Malt Whisky" at the World Whiskies Awards in 2015 for its Solist Vinho Barrique expression. Kavalan also uses a unique tropical aging process that accelerates the maturation of their whiskies due to the warm and humid climate in Taiwan. Kavalan's portfolio includes a range of expressions that showcase different cask finishes such as sherry, port, and bourbon. Their whiskies are known for their complexity, depth, and unique flavor profiles that are influenced by Taiwan's climate and the distillery's production techniques.

4Average rating

54Whiskies on Distilld

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About the Kavalan 5 years Vinho Barrique 072A

Kavalan 5 years Vinho Barrique 072A is a Taiwanese single malt whisky. The Kavalan distillery has been running since 2006, and Taiwan's heat shapes everything it makes. Solist is the distillery's single cask line. Each bottling comes from one barrel, at full strength. Vinho Barrique is the wine cask side of that range. This one spent five years in wood and reached 56.3% ABV. No colouring is added, and it is not chill filtered. The first new make ran on 11 March 2006. Water comes from the Snow Mountain and Central Mountain ranges nearby. Mineral-rich ground filters it long before it ever reaches the yeast. Summers there push close to 40 degrees Celsius, while winters drop to seven or ten. That swing forces spirit into the oak and draws it back out again. Five years in that climate count for far more than five cold ones. Dried fruit leads on the nose, raisins and sultanas first. Dried apricot follows, wrapped in sweet oak. The palate turns richer, with brown sugar and milk chocolate. Cherry and fresh fruit cut through the sweetness. Wood returns at the end, dry and cedar-like. Vanilla and a last trace of dried apricot linger after it. At 56.3% the spirit is bold, yet the fruit holds its shape. Nothing here tastes thin or young. Solist bottles differ from each other by design. Kavalan 5 years Vinho Barrique 072A comes from one cask only. Its strength and balance belong to that barrel alone. The wine casks are American oak that once held red and white wine. Each is shaved, toasted and recharred before filling, a method from Dr Jim Swan. Vinho Barrique was the first move into wine casks here. That wood is why 072A tastes of dried fruit rather than sawdust.