Kavalan 2006 Virgin Oak for The Nectar
Kaboom!
3 191
Review by @markjedi1
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall91
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The boys and girls of The Nectar, Belgian bottler, knocked on many distilleries’ doors for a special cask for their tenth anniversary last year. Many of those can be found on my blog, but this one was sold out before I was able to get my hands on it. Luckily I found a bottle via social media recently and am very happy that I was able to buy it, as it is a belter of a Kavalan. On virgin oak, no less. That’s a first for me. What a colour! The nose is rife with dark and red fruit, with clear notes of raisins, raspberries, red berries, plums and pomegranate. It even has a note of furniture polish or even hair spray, but it does not disturb. Somehow it even stimulates. Whodathunk? Some roast beef and chewing tobacco. Feisty, by the way, but that does not come as a surprise. This is virgin oak, after all, which usually offers up a whole range of spices. Beguiling nose! Kaboom! Boy, if this is not a kick to the teeth, then I do not know what is! Again bursting with red fruit, but the spice and the high ABV make me gasp for breath. Leave it to rest for a few seconds in the pit of your tongue and you’ll get all sorts of dark and sweet notes and spices such as curry, cloves, nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon. This is not for the faint hearted, nor the wet blankets. A powerhouse! And then there is the finish. Let’s call it what it is: a Grand Finale. Dark and sweet, warm and spicy and from here to eternity. An absolute divine monster! If you see it somewhere: do not hesitate!
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@markjedi1, thank you for your review. Virgin oak and barley always invites the question as to how the oak was treated. Were the barrels toasted, lightly charred, or heavily charred? It makes all the difference. By your descriptors I would guess a light to medium char. Had the barrels been toasted and not charred, I doubt that you would have used the word 'powerhouse'.
On the other hand, had the barrels been toasted and not charred the whisky could be aged indefinitely without fear of the oak overwhelming the barley, as in the example of the 19 yo Glenmorangie Ealanta.