Kavalan Solist Manzanilla Sherry is a single cask, cask-strength Taiwanese single malt matured in casks seasoned with manzanilla, the driest and most coastal style of sherry. Each cask is bottled separately, so strength varies between about 50% and 59.9% ABV.
About This Whisky
Manzanilla is aged under flor in the seaside town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and it is known for a light, saline freshness. Kavalan's Manzanilla Solist is one of the rarer sherry styles in the range, and single casks tend to be small releases; one recent cask gave 407 bottles at 58.6%. The official profile describes honeydew melon, toffee and cocoa on the nose, with a salty edge and cider-like fruit at the end.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Honeydew melon, toffee and cocoa, with cider apple and a light coastal salt.
- Palate: Balanced and sweet, with vanilla, orange, melon and mint over a slight salty tang.
- Finish: Smooth and aromatic, with fresh fruit and a dry, saline close.
Serving & Food
Serve neat at room temperature in a small nosing glass, adding water sparingly. Its salt-and-melon profile suits lighter food: prosciutto and melon, salted caramel ice cream, or fried Spanish almonds.
How to Enjoy
Suits a preference for fresher, drier sherry-cask whisky, and a next step in the Solist range beyond oloroso.
Product Details
Distillery: Kavalan
Country: Taiwan
Region: Yilan County
Category: Taiwanese single malt whisky
Series: Solist (single cask, cask strength)
Cask Type: Manzanilla sherry cask
ABV: Cask strength, varies by cask (50-59.9%)
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
Kavalan came to wider notice in January 2010, when one of its whiskies came top against three Scotch whiskies and one English whisky in a blind tasting organised by The Times in Leith, Scotland, to mark Burns Night. The warm, humid climate of Yilan is a large part of its story. Heat speeds up the exchange between spirit and wood, so casks give up flavour faster than in Scotland, but the angel's share, the whisky lost to evaporation, is much larger too. Kavalan works with that by leaning on active casks and carefully chosen wood, and it releases whiskies without age statements.