Break from Talisker - for a good reason - Taiwan and Kavalan

Ok, sorry for the radio silence. I was in Taiwan for a week, and thus, did not write notes for the Talisker 25, as I had intended to. But, I still have 90% of the bottle left, and I'm sure I'll get down to writing the tasting notes some day. Probably after I give it another tasting.

In the mean time, I just want to say that Taiwan is an amazing place for whisky. My gosh. I didn't go to any whisky bar, but dropped by a couple of whisky retail shops. Prices are bloody affordable. Springbank 10 for under SGD$80. Comes with 2 Springbank glasses if you're a member of the shop. Assorted other whiskies at prices that are, more or less, what you can get online from sites like Whisky Exchange. Without the delivery charges. Where do these people get their profits from? Do thy even have to pay rent??

I was initially not intending to buy anything despite the prices, due to the need to pay for baggage just to transport whiskies. But, I found these:

Glendronach 15, which I have reviewed recently. And the Laddie Ten. Both are whiskies that are out of production, and which have received good to great reviews. And for the combined price of SGD$150 (slightly lower, actually). Basically, the guy was selling these as if they have never gone out of production, and demand has never affected his stocks. This good guy's shop is at Tamshui. Near the MRT station, just about 400m away along the Tamshui Old Street. Fairly cramped space. But big on value for money. There's quite a lot of good stuff from a few years ago - Ardbeg Supernova, for example. Glendronach 15, Laddie Ten, Highland Parks, Laphroaig's cask experiments, and other stuff like that. 

Please do support the guy. He told me that alcohol business is hard. 

In any case, I thought that I would regret not buying it. And so it is done.

The other shops I saw were in more central areas - one was near Ximending, the other was along Nanjing East Street in Taipei. All good prices. Seems to me that Arran and Tomintoul are more popular in Taiwan than in Singapore. Wow.

Apart from these shops, I also, of course, visited Kavalan Distillery.

Customary shot of the distillery

 One of their famous casks

 A display case showing the influence of various casks on the distillate over time

 Of course, a picture of the stills

A small, cute bottle of the brandy oak Solist Kavalan whisky, which I've yet to try.

The tour is fairly self-explanatory, with displays that guide the visitor through the distillery and explain what's happening each step of the way. Pretty fun and easy to walk through, but perhaps lacking a little of the human touch. The tour feels fairly corporate, and it begins with a corporate video, not of the distillery itself, but of the King Car conglomerate. So, yea. Very corporate. But still, it was nice to just walk through and take in the sights and smells of a distillery, albeit from a very curated perspective. No direct interaction with the casks, the warehouse, everything at a safe distance behind the glass. So, maybe it's a good experience for a noob like myself, but not the best distillery visit for someone who's perhaps been to a couple of other distilleries. Unless you can get personal attention from a brand ambassador or something.

I did try the Solist bourbon cask though, from a similar bottle design. So, I'll give some thoughts on it here.

Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask (54% abv)

Colour - Gold

Nose - Coconuts and pineapples - so that's the promised tropical fruits. Notes of oak come through, along with a fair whack of vanilla. Sweet custard, but a fairly big dose of alcohol too. Smells creamy, with a faint hint of spice.

Palate - Slightly spicy - nutmeg and pepper. Pineapples and mangoes - that's the Kavalan distillery profile, I believe? Coconut and...peanuts, I think. So, that's fairly nutty. The bourbon cask has played its role, I think. Vanilla and wood sweetness. Honeyed too.

With water, there's additional notes of something like baby puke - malty and slightly sulphury, bordering on being too strong. Maybe a little too close to baby puke. With slightly less water in the next glass, I got less puke, but more barley malt and maybe a touch of liquorice.

Finish - Medium length, spicy, pineapple sweetness and citrus. Rather oaky.

Water doesn't affect the nose and finish as much.

Overall - Compared to its sherry cousin in the Solist series, this is simpler and the distillate speaks a little louder. But as a result, the whisky is less complex. But, it is still very good bourbon cask whisky, given the age and aging environment.