World Whiskey Review #27: Kavalan Solist Rum Cask 7 Year (KavaFan Private Pick)

Image Credit to Dekanta

Distillery: Kavalan

Region: Taiwan

Cask Type: Aged in ex-Rum

Cask Number: M111104033A

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/Pork_Bastard

ABV: 58.6%, Cask Strength

Age: 7 Year

Color: 1.4, Tawny. Non-Chill Filtered, Natural Color.

Nose: (according to the wife) Really sweet with lots of honey and some floral notes as well.

Palate: It’s incredibly rich and incredibly sweet. You get a healthy dose of sugar in two forms, brown sugar and brûléed sugar. Tropical fruits follows the sugary sweetness, specifically papaya and pineapple. With water, the fruits become a little more pronounced and the sugar less so but still very sweet overall.

Finish: Surprisingly short. It’s a bit drying like a floral tea and there’s a bit of pineapple along with it.

Conclusion: If you ever wanted a rum-bomb, this would definitely be it. It’s sugary with loads of tropical fruit as well which results in a very tasty package. The richness of the mouthfeel really carries this whisky as it could easily be too sweet or too strong given the high strength. Unfortunately, the finish surprised me quite a bit for being so short and left me wanting. Otherwise, it’s another delicious whisky from Kavalan. Would I buy a bottle? Maybe.

Final Score: 81.

World Whiskey Review #27, Taiwanese Whisky Review #4, Whisky Network Review #221

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.