I made one of worst impulse purchases this week. I went out to the PLCB store to get a handle of Grouse but they were out. While I was perusing the shelves I saw a bottle of Kavalan for $45. Being unfamiliar with Taiwanese whisky, I googled it and learned that the distiller was considered a master of the craft and won many awards. OK, sold, I'll give it a whirl. However, there was only the one expression on the shelf and I didn't drill down for a review on that bottle. Big mistake.
I bring it home, pour a finger, relax on the couch and take a sip. It was a full out assault on my senses. Lots of heat, some hard medicinal Laphroaig-ish notes, and some leather and tar were competing with the butterscotch and fruit. It was not an easy sip nor one I think I could get used to.
So I googled again, this time for "Kavalan select". I learned that there are now 2 kinds of "select" but my bottle pre-dates that fork in the road and my bottle was made not to be sipped, but to be mixed in cocktails.
I am not one to spend $45 on a mixing booze. Not to mention I found myself out of Drambuie and low on essentials for Rob Roys and Robby Burnses. So I had to go back to the store for stuff to make this scotch palatable. But I did make one hella Robt Burns last night, and the Kavalan did well with the absinthe and bitters.
That bottle is going to mock me for months.
