Whisky: Kavalan Solist Port Cask O111118056A

Country/Region: Taiwan

ABV: 59.4%

Cask: Port Cask

Nose: Big stewed berries with aniseed, sarsaparilla, port wine, chocolate tootsie rolls, five spice, cinnamon, clove, fudge, espresso beans.

Palate:  Medium to full-bodied, drying, very sweet, dried berries, charred wood, licorice and sweet cinnamon, lacquered wood, poached pear, ginger, white pepper at the end.

Finish: Medium-length, drying, cinnamon, ginger, poached pear.

Score: 5-6

Mental Image: Biting the Berry Tree

Narrative & Notes:  The aroma was dripping with port wine and wood, go figure, with ample amounts of stewed berries— blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry. Spices arrived behind the fruit with aniseed, sarsaparilla, five spice, and cinnamon— Root Beer flavored fruit preserves? Rich, occasionally slightly plasticky notes of chocolate Tootsie rolls, spiced fudge, and candied espresso beans developed with time. The palate was medium to full-bodied and drying with a heavy dose of oak-driven tannins. Oak dominated throughout as the port cask asserted itself over the malt with sweet dried berries, licorice, sweet cinnamon, ginger, and wine-poached pears. Charred wood and lacquered oak stood out, with tingling white pepper at the end. The finish was medium-length and drying with cinnamon, ginger, poached pears, and hints of chocolate.

Can a whisky be described as chonky? I think so, and I believe this port-matured Kavalan fits the bill for a whisky to be considered a chonker. It was thick and heavy with bold cask-driven flavors— there was no mistaking what was in the glass. One could be forgiven for accidentally thinking it was exceptionally high-octane port wine. The whisky weighed down the palate like a large cat making a dent in some sofa cushions, not forcefully, but with an inescapable gravity.

I found this Kavalan to be pretty straightforward and cask dominated in the typical Kavalan fashion. Kavalan is dependable for those who love the style, with few casks out of line. Kavalan churns out plenty of whiskies that benefit from the attention given to their cask management program. On the downside, this does mean the whiskies can taste a bit same-same and do not always entirely embody the eccentricities of a single cask bottling. I suppose for many, this is a chance to have their cake and eat it too; you have the limited, ephemeral nature of the single cask and the reliability and consistency of the distillery.

Overall, just fine for those who like the style. I prefer the malt to stand out a bit further, and my favorite Kavalan typically feature the cask in a supporting role.