Whisky : Kavalan 10th Anniversary Bordeaux Margaux Cask

Country/Region : Taiwan

ABV : 57.8%

Cask : Ex-Bordeaux Margaux Wine Cask

Age : 7 Years (Distilled 10 July 2011, Bottled 12 Dec. 2018)

Nose : Musty-floral perfume notes waft out of the glass and highlight an earthy sweet quality.  Juicy fruits, delicate peach skin, and strawberry cream emerge along with just a squeak of tart raspberry.

Palate : Medium bodied, this dram hits you in the face with a delicate fruity cream cake.  Lovely red fruits, sponge cake, strawberries and cream, floral hibiscus notes, and just a subtle hint of cinnamon.  

Finish :  Fresh fruits and muted wine spices hang around for a long finish.

Score : 9

Mental Image : High Tea Finger Cakes.

Something Similar : Longmorn 25 Year SMWS 7.219 (more tropical fruit, similar hibiscus/cream cake)

Something Similar : Bowmore 19 Year French Oak (similar fruity/pastry, more chocolate/citrus)

Something Worse : Arran 9 Year LMDW Cask (similar perfume, fruit, pastry, more spirited/astringent)

Notes : I have been hit or miss with Kavalan and have not always bothered writing up tasting notes when I have a dram in front of me— especially if I do not feel particularly compelled.  Aside from the Peaty Oak, which I loved, and the entry level Kavalan Classic, which I think it a great intro bottle, I have typically found Kavalan expressions more cask dominated than I like.  The Soloist single cask expressions often have quite punchy wine, or sherry, or virgin oak notes that bury the malt.  Now, some people absolutely love those bottles and what they bring to the table— more power to them, they can take solace that I will not be competing with them for those expressions.

This Bordeaux Margaux bottle is another beast entirely.  I was surprised at how subtle the wine and oak influence were after a long cask maturation.  There is no throat punch, or flavors body slamming each other, rather, it is a delicate dance in which all the parts of the dram compliment one another.  I hate to even look up how much this bottle sells for at auction today.  This cask and several sisters were clearly intended as very limited collector pieces for the Kavalan devotees.  It is delicious and definitely worth trying if there is a dram available within arms reach, but it will not be fitting into my auction budget any time soon.