The Whisky Nerds is a fellowship of five whisky friends in Holland (Bram, Floris and others) who decided to start a small label and bottle their own drams. After their GlenDronach 1995 cask #2380 there’s now a Kavalan single cask.
Peaty cask means it was matured in a cask that previously held peated whisky, but keep in mind that the Kavalan itself doesn’t produce peated spirit. This means we can probably expect a rather subtle smokiness.
Kavalan Peaty Cask 2006
(53,2%, OB for Whisky Nerds 2015, R061106107, 99 btl.)
Kavalan Peaty Cask 2006Nose: very aromatic with the fruitiness having the upper hand (apricots, apples, grapefruits) alongside firm spices (cinnamon, clove, cardamom). Indeed subtle smoke. Hints of worn leather and vanilla. It could have been mistaken for much older Scotch if not for the oriental notes (sandalwood) and the very prominent hints of varnish and wood glue.
Mouth: stronger hints of peat now, with an oily texture and tropical fruity notes (guava, banana, lime). Sharp pepper and bourbonny oak. Plenty of spices again, with subtle floral hints and leather.
Finish: long, with salty touches and lemon, and lots of gingery oak.
Whereas old Islay whisky (especially from the 1960s and 1970s) looses a lot of of the peatiness in the spirit and becomes fruitier again, this achieved a similar style (to a certain extent) by coupling a fruity spirit to subtle smoked wood. Interesting mash-up of different profiles. Around € 185.
Score: 89/100