Aging whisky is an integral part of the whisky distilling process. Both Paul John and Kavalan distilleries harness their location to produce unique expressions in a shorter amount of time.
Age is just a number, yet we are a society obsessed with youth.
There is also something to be said for age, maturity, and the accumulation of experience and wisdom.
I went to culinary school for two years and can call myself a chef, but it was the over 30 years being a home cook and baker that really taught me my cooking and baking skills.
Some things can't be rushed, and like a long braise of a luxurious Beef Bourguignon, time expended can produce something delicious.
(Ok, this soapbox is starting to get wobbly, so I'll get off now...)
Whisky age statements
You might have noticed what are called age statements on various scotch and whiskey offerings, like Balvenie Doublewood 12 year or Tullamore D.E.W. 15 year.
Generally speaking, the longer the spirit is aged, the mellower it becomes. In the cooler regions of scotch distilling, cask aging is an important part of the production process.
The mellowing the spirit gets during aging really can't be rushed. It's integral to the experience a drinker has with an expression.
The rise of scotch from Asia
But now we're seeing scotch being produced in the Scottish style but in warmer climates.
I had the opportunity to taste two different distiller's lines from Asia: Paul John from India and Kavalan from Taiwan. Because the climate is so much hotter there than in Scotland, the scotch ages much faster, around 4 to 8 years.
These expressions still offer the basic flavor components of scotch produced in Scotland. Think cask aging flavors such as vanilla, toffee, caramels, the peppery notes from the alcohol, even peat smoke if that is included in the malting process.
And the terroir of the region from the water and climate plays a major role as well. There is a much higher "Angel's Share" (the amount of spirit lost to evaporation) in these hotter regions that also affect the final product.
These distilleries are young themselves, but the whisky world is taking note of their nicely crafted expressions.
Paul John Single Malt Whisky from India
The Paul John Distillery came to Gordon's DTX at the behest of the North Shore Whisky Club.
This was my first exposure to scotch produced outside of Scotland, and it was really different. Their collection consists of a unique range of single malts both peated and unpeated, along with a cask strength edition.
Paul John Indian Single Malt
At Gordon's DTX, February 24, 2017
Paul John “Brilliance” Single Malt 6-7 yrs
Tasting Notes
- Nose: mango, honey, cinnamon
- Taste: cinnamon, creamy, oily, butter
- Finish: spicy lingers
- Comments: Lots of flavor for a 6 yr old whisky
Paul John “Classic” Cask Strength Single Malt
Tasting Notes
- Nose: strong vanilla, burnt sugar, oily
- Taste: fullness in the mouth, cream, alcohol up the nose
- Finish: doesn't linger even with water
Paul John “Edited” Single Malt
Tasting Notes
- Nose: smell the ocean lightly, smoke
- Taste: major smoke hit, light ocean, not spicy, smooth & builds, water adds hint of peat
- Finish: smoke lingers, medium length
- Comments: No water needed really, has character
Paul John “Peated” Cask Strength Single Malt
Tasting Notes
- Nose: sweetness, honey, no peat, water adds a musty note
- Taste: smooth to start, nice peat introduction
- Finish: peat builds, peat is more subtle with added water; I like this one best
Paul John “Bold” Peated Single Malt
Tasting Notes
- Nose: high alcohol, water adds caramel toffee flavor
- Taste: sweet, peat, water smoothes the peat
- Finish: water gives more of a smoke finish
Kavalan Whisky from Taiwan
Gordon's DTX also hosted a tasting from Kavalan Whisky.
This distillery has adapted the distilling process to take advantage of the microclimate. They pay attention to very small details every step of the way, from the ratio of grain sizes when milling, to precise vat temperatures during fermentation, to tasting the wine from the casks they plan to reuse for maturation their new make spirit.
Even the location of the casks within the maturation warehouse is strictly monitored to ensure a specific maturation rate.
[Side note: I re-tasted the Kavalan lineup again in March 2018, and had a different opinion then. Interesting how time and experience change things. I also went to a Kavalan seminar in April 2018, and then became a fangirl. It's good to have an open mind (and palate!).]
Kavalan Whisky
At Gordon's DTX, March 29, 2017
Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Tasting Notes
- Nose: fruit, light ginger
- Taste: oily full mouthfeel, high nutmeg, tropical fruit, alcohol hits in the middle (even with water)
- Finish: spice in the middle, smooth finish
Kavalan King Car Conductor
Tasting Notes
- Nose: sweet nose from sherry cask, pineapple, toffee
- Taste: very full mouthfeel, starts smooth, spice grows, banana
- Finish: long finish of spice cloves
Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak
Tasting Notes
- Nose: fruit
- Taste: immediate spice, vanilla, aggressive , thinner in the mouth
- Finish: smooths out, thins out
- Comments: Hard to taste after having sherry aged...nothing to hide the alcohol
Kavalan Sherry Oak
Tasting Notes
- Nose: feeling of lightness, vanilla, apricots
- Taste: smoky sulfur, like striking a match striking, forceful
- Finish: tapers quickly
Kavalan Symphony Cask Strength - Gordon's Single Cask
Tasting Notes
- Nose: banana
- Taste: strong sweet dried fruit, thick & bold
- Finish: long finish
Kavalan Concertmaster
Tasting Notes
- Nose: mild nose, slightly sweet, not really distinctive
- Taste: starts smooth, full mouth, hint of mint
- Finish: fruity end, pepper tapers
- not that that impressive to me
Final thoughts
My overall impression is that these faster-aged brands seemed to be more aggressive, yet lacking in body and asserting more tropical overtones.
These expressions are good to drink, yet something is missing. It's almost as if the shorter aging pulled out the cask wood flavors without mellowing out the other scotch characteristics.
Aging whisky can't be rushed, but it's good to be able to harness the locale to produce something unique.
Sharon says
I love your writing. So friendly, as you are.
What do you do if you have a teeny, tiny freezer? Get a bigger one?
Tammy says
Well, since I don't have another freezer in the garage, I just fill up mine until bursting & invite people over to cycle items out!