KAVALAN Concertmaster Single Malt Whisky

Written by Ruey of The Ruey Review
Updated 16 Feb 2016

The first post of 2016 on the Ruey Review is on the King Car Distillery in Yilan, Taiwan. It is a thorough description of the very beautiful distillery but we never did provide comments on the actual whiskies it produces now did we? Well today’s whisky review is on the Kavalan Concertmaster, one of many King Car Distillery-produced whiskies.

The Concertmaster is the entry level Kavalan whisky- I mean it is the cheapest whisky Kavalan has to offer… but it is not cheap at all just so you know. It is matured in American Oak and finished in Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage port casks. The malts coming from these different finishes then get blended at the distillery into the Concertmaster.

There is no age statement on the Concertmaster as is the case for all Kavalan whiskies. The distillery only began operation in 2005, it would have been a bit odd to state 3 year-old malts (Kavalan whiskies began selling in 2008). However, just because Kavalan whiskies do not stay in maturation casks as long as most Scotch do, it does not mean that they are not ready for malt fanatics to enjoy. As mentioned in “KAVALAN Whisky Distillery”, Taiwan sits beneath the Tropic of Cancer. Having a much warmer, humid environment, Kavalan whiskies receive more vibrant interactions with the casks, helping the whisky mature much faster than those sitting in the casks in Scotland.

Colour: Darker Brown.

Nose: Port casks finish very obvious, very notable scent of Vanilla.

Palate: Fruity, one can tell right away that this whisky had been in a cask formerly containing fruit-based alcohol. The sweetness that comes from the port casks is obvious. Later on that sweetness, in combination with strong vanilla, becomes marshmallow candy, very sweet.

Verdict: It is very funny I did not initially enjoy this piece by Kavalan. I thought it was a bland malt which lacks layers. However I received all the different types of fruity, candy-like sweetness  upon second tasting. The Kavalan Concertmaster is definitely decent whisky, yet I am not sure if I would put the Concertmaster on my “Like” list. It is just not memorable enough, or special enough for me. It does not live up to its price tag. With the addition of another 3 dollars or so you can buy a bottle of 16 year Lagavulin, so why would you bother paying for this?