A Sour Taste in the Mouth

It has been a really long time since the last post, which can only mean that I had to find a balance between tasting whisky, and earning money so that I can continue tasting whisky. Horrible. Evidence, if any were needed, that we do not live in an ideal world. Did Marx foresee this? Perhaps. The capitalists keep us working by dangling carrots and drams in front of our noses, until we become so busy chasing that we no longer have time to do any tasting. A belated happy birthday to Karl.

This long break leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and it must be quenched by some new whisky, the next high (abv), the next experience. To anticipate my trip to Taiwan next month, here's a Taiwanese dram to whet the appetite.

Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask, bottled for The Auld Alliance (56.3% abv)

Colour - Very dark. Or maybe it was the lighting at the bar. But it appears to be mahogany. Or at least teak. Like all the other whiskies in Kavalan's Solist Sherry cask range. It isn't specified what type of sherry this is, unlike the much more premium Amontillado, Pedro Ximenez etc. I wonder how Kavalan's staff distinguish between what gets markets as Solist Sherry, and what gets marketed as a specific type of Sherry. (Edit: If it says sherry only, it looks like it's Oloroso)

Nose - Porridgey and lots of oats on the first attack. Pretty strong alcohol vapours. Wood varnish comes out quite strongly, as do notes of leather and rubber. This is very...challenging. After some time in the glass, it gets sour too. Sour prunes.

Palate - Ouch. Big alcohol burn, and the tingle remains throughout. The cask did not tame the whisky here. It was bottled in 2017, and based on the number stamp, it looks like this batch was laid down in 2010. 7 years, but the alcohol hit is still pretty big. And that's not very common for Kavalan. Hm. Sour. Sour prunes, grapes, green mangoes, sour plum. Was. Not. Expecting. That. My face is all scrunched up. Lots of wood varnishing again, and very heavy oak presence. Leather, rubber, some red wine's that already turned sour. This is...very...hard to like. Maybe it's meant to be a manly drink, but I can accept industrial, fresh lemon, brine, barbecue, etc. But this is tough.

Finish - Some spices peak out finally. Some cloves, star anise. But mostly wood.

Added a fair amount of water, and some vanilla turns up on the nose. Less leathery, and the sourness tones down a bit, but what emerges? A little bit of nutmeg, but otherwise, more of the same, just less intense.

Overall - This was hard to love, and left a sour taste in the mouth. Let's hope I'll find nicer stuff when I bring my friends to Kavalan's distillery next month.