Kavalan Completes the 'Sherry Cask Encyclopedia' with Rare Palo Cortado Barrel

Taiwan's Kavalan Distillery has recently launched a new expression in its premium whiskey series - the Solist Palo Cortado. This bottle has an alcohol concentration ranging between 50% and 59.9% ABV, making it the seventh product in the distillery's series known for its Sherry-aged flavors, alongside previously released expressions such as Fino, Oloroso, Amontillado, Manzanilla, Pedro Ximénez, and Moscatel.

The Solist series embodies Kavalan's commitment to exquisite craftsmanship, with each product featuring natural color, no cold filtration, and presented at single cask strength, ensuring that each bottle showcases unique character and quality. Kavalan CEO YT Lee describes this series as the 'Sherry Cask Encyclopedia', indicating that it fully presents the various changes and characteristics of sherry flavor casks. The newly launched Palo Cortado stands out as particularly unique, as globally, less than 1% of sherry production comes from Palo Cortado casks, a rare and distinctive type of barrel that Kavalan deliberately reserved for last use.

As YT Lee stated: 'We have saved one of the world's rarest and most unique sherry barrels for the last moment of use.' Palo Cortado combines the elegance of Amontillado with the richness of Oloroso, exuding layers of exquisite aromas such as cocoa powder, citrus, dried fruits, pastries, and toffee. These barrels, sourced from Spain's renowned Sherry Triangle region, make this whiskey particularly striking in the global premium whiskey market.

Official tasting notes:
The body presents a rich mahogany and caramel color;
The nose reveals layers of cocoa powder and citrus, complemented by mature dried fruits and toffee aromas, with subtle hints of nuts, vanilla fruit cake, and cardamom;
On the palate, it features characteristics reminiscent of orange pound cake, interwoven with rich dried fruits, vanilla, and baked cookie aromas, finishing with accents of caramel toffee and crushed walnuts, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

18 February 2025

Source: https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-new-releases/kavalan-completes-sherry-encylclopedia-with-rare-palo-cortado-cask-whisky/