By Jake Emen Rating: B+ The cask is always key with Kavalan, and with each separae offering of their range which we sample, we find ourselves with a new cask experiment of sorts. Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique utilizes American oak — no, not bourbon barrels — but American oak wine barrels, with a very unique and specific background and process. ...

By Jake Emen Rating: B+ Perhaps now stuck in the shadow of its sibling, the Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon Cask, Kavalan Solist Sherry has nonetheless attracted its own attention as well. But can it live up to the rather high standards which the ex-Bourbon has set after being named the Whisky Advocate 2014 World Whisky of the Year? We’ll take a ...

By Jake Emen Rating: A One of the focal points of the Kavalan Whisky line is the selection of the casks they utilize. Thanks to the heat of their subtropical climate, and their relatively new introduction in 2008, they aren’t aging their whisky for 12 or 15 years. Instead, they depend on the local temperature and the wood to imbue ...

By Jake Emen Rating: A- If you haven’t yet branched out into the global range of whisky, beyond Scotland’s salty shores, then Taiwan likely isn’t your first stop. Yet it might be one of your best bets, thanks to the emerging Kavalan Range made via the King Car Group Whisky Distillery. It’s Taiwan’s first whisky distillery, and they’ve been in ...

By Richard Thomas Founded in 2005, Kavalan, the first whisky distillery built in Taiwan, caused quite a stir in the whisky circles when it beat traditional Scottish brands at a blind tasting held on Burns Night in 2010. Even noted whisky expert Jim Murray named one of Kavalan’s producs “Best New World Whisky” in his 2012 edition of The Whisky ...