Some time ago a friend poured this Kavalan Solist at a tasting. It is a single Oloroso sherry cask, bottled a few years ago and only available in Europe.
In general these Solists are safe bets in my opinion. Kavalan has some excellent sherry cask suppliers and they know how to recreate their trademark style year after year. On the other hand I notice a bit of fatigue: since I tried my first Solist sherry back in 2013, they are often so similar that I’m less inclined to track them down, assuming there will be no real discoveries any more. Do you recognize that?
Kavalan Solist – Oloroso Sherry Cask 2017 (53,2%, OB 2022, ref. S170425045D, 214 btl.)
Nose: juicy cherry jam, prune and bramble, as well as plenty of chocolates with raspberry ganache. Orange juice. Then some mossy notes, light herbs and light tobacco. Pretty classic markers – totally in line with other Solists. Elegant hints of cigar boxes complete the profile.
Mouth: strong, with more of these classic Oloroso notes. Plums, blackcurrants, cherries. Hints of robust cognac. Then the polished wood appears, with more cedar, as well as clove and aniseed. Walnuts. Nice sweet and sour balance.
Finish: long, now decidedly chocolate-y.
This is pretty exemplary when it comes to Kavalan or quality sherry in general. A tad rough and robust perhaps, but an absolutely faultless sherry bomb. They’ve really perfected this style at Kavalan. This reminds me I should try some other sherry styles from Kavalan (Amontillado and Manzanilla), let me track them down for a follow-up tasting.