When I started drinking whisky, I stuck almost exclusively to Scotch Single Malt. This was until I started hunting the supermarkets for deals and things that were out of the ordinary. On one such trip to a Waitrose near my Father in Laws house, I spotted the Kavalan Classic. After some fairly unsuccessful online research, (poor signal in the booze end on the supermarket) I decided to take a gamble. In my mind this was a great decision, but the dram split our whisky club down the middle, with some fairly vocal disagreement.
Fast forward less than a year and we met the Kavalan drams again at The Whisky Lounge Bristol Festival. This is a fantastic festival, run by a company who run accessible and great value events all over the country. If you want chance to try some new whisky, then we can assure you that The Whisky Lounge Website is a great place to look.We loved what we tried and sought some drams to review.
Today’s review is the ex-Bourbon Oak.
Cost: £60-70
Appearance: Golden syrup, drizzled over natural yoghurt, with crumbled granola.
Aroma: Sharp lemon countered with sweet sugary baked meringue and crumbling buttery biscuit base, buttery biscuit base, buttery biscuit base.
Taste: Light, floral honey that is sweet, full of pollen and wafts across the breeze of the dram. This sweetness readies the mouth for joy.
Then rich, thick oak appears, full of majesty and authenticity. There is a round, fruity flavour of red berries and sweet cream of vanilla.
The final flavour is very light spice, which sits on the tongue and drops down the throat, warming and sweet. The sweetness is of rich, roasted caramel and sweet, milky chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Light yet thick.
Overall: This whisky is a great idea. Kavalan make some fantastic cask strength drams and yet there aren’t cheap, (Although well worth it if you are feeling flush) so taking the strength of a single cask down using local spring water and being able to drop the price is great. This whisky is full of light, floral flavours, but its real strength is its wooden heart. I am a massive fan.
Real Dram Factor: 7.8
More Information: www.kavalanwhisky.com
Buy Online: Amazon: Kavalan Bourbon Oak – 70cl – £73.45 or Master of Malt: Kavalan Bourbon Oak – 70cl – £65.00