A few interesting TWE exclusives landed not long ago, and the first of which we’ll be tasting is this Kavalan Vinho. Essentially this is a cask-strength, single-cask Kavalan distilled in June 2012, aged entirely in a wine barrique and bottled in 2018, exclusively for The Whisky Exchange.
Kavalan Vinho Barrique 2012 TWE Exclusive, 53.2% , £225
Nose: Big sweet and thick notes with the wine influence very strong with this one as they say 
oodles of thick cherry jam, sticky toffee, and liquor soaked sultanas, figs and quite a bit of spice, and cooked apples sprinkled with brown sugar,pepper, earth and even some leather and prune.
Palate: Big entry as one can expect, with lots of spice and Wine tannins : Pepper, clove, cinnamon, ginger powder, earthy black cardamom (the ones they use in Indian cooking), licorice, and then the red-black fruit kick in with an avalanche of plum, berry, and some date, strawberry and cherry filled chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon, and some more sweet wine.
Finish: Pepper, licorice, apple peel and some charred wood with a touch of tobacco and sultana sweetness.
Conclusion: This is a MASSIVE whisky, complex, and big, sweet and spicy with everything one could hope for from a good wine cask. It is overwhelming in many ways, and packs quite a punch. The wine combines well with the sweetness, and this creates a great after meal whisky. Good work and good selection of cask from TWE. Not cheap, though, as Kavalans mostly go… Like!
Score: 89/100
Still available on the TWE site for £225