Kavka Cask-Aged Vodka
Travel Distilled reviews Kavka Cask-Aged Vodka, tasting this Polish vodka aged in Hungarian wine casks and blended with plum and apple pot-still fruit spirits.
In my book Cask Strength I do mention a few barrel-aged vodkas, but I wish I’d known about this one before starting writing the book. It would have gone straight in.
Kavka Estate Vodka
Kavka Vodka was launched in Poland in 2021 and their basic vodka is the Kavka Estate Vodka. This combines a blend of rye and wheat spirits with added apple and plum fruit spirits. According to the company, ‘The fruits are distilled at the ancient market town of Sandomierz in the heart of Poland’s orchards, using old varietals that give an amazing intensity.’ This sounds good enough on its own, and is available from Master of Malt.
Kavka Cask-Aged Vodka
They also took some of this vodka and aged it for 18 months in Hungarian 6 Puttonyos Tokaji sweet wine casks, and were able to release it in 2022 as a limited edition. This is also available from Master of Malt, and if you’re in the UK, from Amazon.
What is a Kavka?
Kavka is the Polish for jackdaw, and a woodcut of a jackdaw appears on the labels of the company’s three vodka releases so far. However, kavka can also be translated as ‘a little coffee’, a phrase that was used in Poland when it was illegal to get vodka – and people knew what you meant by ‘a little coffee’. By the way, this cask-aged vodka can also make killer cocktails, like a Negroni or an Espresso Martini.
Where is Kavka Vodka Made?
Kavka Vodkas are made in Sandomierz, a market town that is almost a three-hour drive north-east of Krakow. It’s one of the oldest and most historically significant towns in Poland, in an area that has been inhabited since Neolithic times. It has the second-oldest Dominican monastery in Poland, after Krakow, a 14th-century castle, a bishop’s palace, and a cathedral that goes back to 1360.
Tasting Kavka Cask-Aged Vodka
But what of its vodka? It was the Cask-Aged Vodka I was sent for review, and this has picked up a lovely dark straw colour from its time in the barrel.
On the nose there’s a lovely slightly sweet but also nutty aroma. It’s very delicate but delightful. It’s also 45.5% ABV (91 proof) so quite powerful.
Tasting it, the nutty and sweet flavours come through, with some caramel, a hint of peach/apricot and certainly a boozy kick from the alcohol, If you like your vodka strong, this is for you.
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