Single Malt Solist Vinho Barrique - New Year Single Cask No W130204039 (((Bottled 2019)))
⏳ Drinking Window
Ready to enjoy now; spirits do not mature further in the bottle and will remain stable for decades if stored upright and away from direct sunlight.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate, roasted duck, blue cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Kavalan's Solist Vinho Barrique is a legendary expression that put Taiwanese whisky on the global map, famously winning World's Best Single Malt in 2015. This specific single cask release, Cask No. W130204039, was bottled in 2019 as a special New Year 2020 release. It showcases the distillery's signature STR (Shaved, Toasted, and Re-charred) cask maturation process, a revolutionary technique pioneered by the late Dr. Jim Swan. Using American oak wine barrels that once held premium red and white wines, the STR process coaxes out intense wood sugars. Maturing rapidly under the extreme subtropical heat and humidity of Yilan County, the spirit develops an astonishingly mature profile characterized by rich notes of caramelized brown sugar, dark chocolate, ripe mango, and delicate baking spices.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2005 by Tien-Tsai Lee of the King Car Group, Kavalan is Taiwan’s pioneer single malt whisky distillery, situated in the verdant alluvial plain of Yuanshan Township within Yilan County. Flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the Xueshan (Snow Mountain) range, the facility harnesses pure, mineral-rich mountain meltwater for mashing. Operating with traditional copper pot stills, Kavalan’s terroir expression is heavily defined by northeastern Taiwan’s intense subtropical humidity and fluctuating heat. Formulated in partnership with the late maturation specialist Dr. Jim Swan, this extreme climatic regime accelerates barrel extraction and oxidation, condensing years of aging into rapid cycles. Utilizing meticulously managed wood programs—most notably pioneering the Shave, Toast, and Re-char (STR) cask rejuvenation process alongside seasoned sherry and bourbon wood—Kavalan achieves extraordinary density, tropical fruit character, and structural finesse. Its benchmark Solist series, particularly the Vinho Barrique and Oloroso Sherry single-cask expressions, commands global critical prestige.
🍇 Base Ingredient
Malted Barley