The first I ever bought - Kavalan Single Malt

The Kavalan Single Malt was the first whisky I ever bought. It was purchased from the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan, when I was there for a holiday about a year ago. The sales assistant was trying to persuade me to buy the Sherry Oak instead. On hindsight, I should have got that. But, as it was my first ever purchase, I decided to go for the more basic option. This Single Malt came in a 1 litre bottle, and cost about $100 SGD, after converting from Taiwan dollars. Not too bad, fairly value for money. It's available in Changi Airport for slightly over a hundred, I think.

Kavalan is a relatively new distillery, but it has churned out many heavyweights already. Most prominent are the Solist range of single cask malts. The Solist Vinho Barrique was awarded the best single malt by the World Whisky Awards a year back, while the Solist Sherry casks have regularly struck gold in the Malt Maniacs awards. This single malt whisky is their basic staple, and is NAS.

Colour - Gold. Colouring has been added, and it can be tasted in the finish. Still, a beautiful colour

Nose - A little alcoholic, probably due to a young composition. Green fruits mostly. I got notes of green papayas, and some coconut shavings. Green bananas and green mangoes too.

Palate - Largely consistent with the nose. When chilled (I stuck the entire bottle in the fridge because I found it nicer when chilled), this is a fairly relaxing whisky. It's simple and fruity enough to just sip and calm down after a long day. Green fruits were the main tastes that I got, with a little bit of vanilla. Just a little bit.

Finish - This is where the green fruits and the caramel colouring come together to leave a slight drying feeling that Hokkiens call "siap". It's a bit like tea tannins. Not just drying, but makes your throat clam up a little. But this isn't very pronounced, just a little bit. Not too bad, on the whole. The finish is simple, straightforward on green fruit, a bit of drying colouring/tannin, and just a bit of oak.

Overall - This one showcases the basic spirit of the Kavalan - green fruits, without becoming too light. I've not seen an aged expression from Kavalan yet, so that's something to look forward to. This young, fruity whisky appears to be a good canvas for the various single casks that Kavalan has been producing. Perhaps I will get to try one of the Kavalan blends some day.