Taiwan’s Kavalan is the island’s first non-government owned distillery, with production beginning in 2006. To date, they’ve released a wide variety of single malts across various cask types, including some we’ve found truly exceptional. (The recent Whisky Vinho Barrique Cask Strength comes to mind.)

In March 2025, Kavalan announced the U.S. launch of its commemorative, 15th Anniversary Vintage 2009 Whiskies. While these are non age-stated releases, according to the brand, at the time of bottling they were “the distiller’s oldest whiskies to date.”

The two sister whiskies are both from the 2009 distilling vintage, and each retails for a cool $1,000 as part of a gift set that includes a coaster and glass. One features whisky aged in ex-Oloroso sherry casks, and the other was aged in ex-bourbon. Stateside, these will be available in select retailers in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York, and Texas.

Separately, Kavalan has also recently announced its first-ever age-stated single malt, a 15 year expression bottled at 43% abv. For this review, we’ll only be tasting the two 15th anniversary expressions.

Both 15 Anniversary whiskies are non-chill-filtered and bottled at cask strength. Let’s dive in!

Kavalan 15th Anniversary Vintage 2009 Oloroso Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky Review

This bottling was matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, then hand-picked from Kavalan’s crop of 2009 distillate. The nose starts thickly with rich, dried, dark fruits, including prunes, dates, and black figs; those fruit scents get borderline funky and fermented on a deep inhale. Aromas of rum-soaked figgy pudding and walnut oil linger a layer below those dried fruits. Even further in arrive light rose and herbal notes, which pair with some continuing nuttiness to evoke Persian almond cake with cardamom.

The first sip is rich in both cocoa and tea tannins, like a dark chocolate bar laced with the essence of Earl Grey. Brandy-heavy fruitcake is up next, the fruit a little sweeter and even more decadent than on the nose. The back palate turns slightly bitter, a handoff from sweetened to unsweetened chocolate with a kick of drip coffee. On the finish, tart tropical fruits come roaring in, particularly guava, papaya, and starfruit, giving some welcome shape to the bitter, tannic buildup toward the end of the palate. Sweet enough while showcasing its tannic side, Kavalan’s 15 year old sherry cask single malt seems eager to highlight a breadth of flavors without playing to a common denominator. The risk (mostly) pays off.

112.6 proof.

A- / $1,000

Kavalan 15th Anniversary Vintage 2009 Ex-Bourbon Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky Review

This release was aged across “hand-selected” American ex-bourbon barrels. Light and bright on the nose, early aromas lean into toasted honeycomb and overripe apricot. Toasted, slivered almonds roll in shortly thereafter, followed even further on by buttered sourdough and malt beer. It’s at once captivating and accessible, showcasing some intrinsic malt character while incorporating enough pronounced fruit and wood sugars to keep things interesting, all of which are capped off by a toasted, bready quality.

Compared to its sherry cask sibling, the first sip is subtle but certainly not lacking in flavor. Bread flavors quickly build and are joined in short order by preserved tropical fruit — think guava paste spread atop toast. Rose and lavender-infused simple syrup meets dense almond cookie on the midpalate, followed by apricot preserves and green figs on the finish. It’s more restrained than the other release in the pair, but no less delicious — and perhaps a shade more balanced.

100 proof.

A / $1,000

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