Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch #8 50.2% NV

Distillerie	Balvenie
Embouteilleur	OB
Serie	Batch No 8
Mise en bouteille pour	X
Date de distillation	NV
Date de mise en bouteille	2013
Pays	Écosse
Région	Speyside
Age	Not Specified
Cask Type	9 American + 3 European Oak Casks
Numéro de fût	X
Alcohol percentage	50.2
Volume
État	dans son emballage d'origine
Étiquette	Parfait
Stock	0
Volume
État	dans son emballage d'origine
Étiquette	Parfait
Stock	0

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Serge Valentin (90)

More or less the same proportions for this UK-only bottling of 2,700 skittles. I believe it was the last Tun 1401 ever, before they started to issue much larger batches under the Tun 1509 moniker. Colour: amber, so darker than batch 7. Nose: more floral, wit peonies, and more sherried for sure, which the colour already suggested. More walnuts, a touch of bacon, then seven bags of raisins of all kinds, heather honey, and then simply notes of old sherry. Not sherried whisky, sherry as a wine. You know, Jerez. With water: a game-y side, some old hay, soy sauce, umami, chicken soup… Well, this is a Spartan story, three sherry casks managed to force nine bourbon casks to their knees. Mouth (neat): there’s this oakiness again, but this time it mingles with the spirit rather better, creating a mentholy and liquoricy profile that works a treat. Vicks, Seville oranges, peppermint, black pepper… You do feel the pepper in the back of your throat even before you’ve swallowed one single drop. With water: classic, complex, herbal, minty, and very raisiny. A blend of oloroso with PX (I know, a crime). Finish: rather long, smoother, never too oaky, with a dry aftertaste. Dry aftertastes always call for more. Comments: simply better. I mean, more to my liking…

Words of Whisky (91)

:

Color Mahogany
Nose
Cacao powder, dark chocolate, burnt honey butter and black tea. Next up is a whiff of cherry syrup, plums and ripe banana, as well as some old damp wood, vanilla and furniture polish. This too, is balanced to perfection.

Taste
Rather syrupy, and a lot more sherry influence than Batch 5. Juicy plums, raisins and strawberries, but also some spicier notes of ginger and cinnamon. Quite a lot of leather, and resinous too. Finally there's dark chocolate, and just a whiff of menthol.

Finish
Lingers on menthol and spices for a long time. Drying.

BOW (91)

Tasting Notes and Comments by Balvenie;


Tun 1401 Batch 8

Floral and fruity on the nose, with hints of lightly toasted spices, brown sugar and ripe vanilla balancing the gentle oak tannins. The rich, fruity taste has a warming spiciness of cinnamon and ginger, underpinned by maple syrup, sweet vanilla and tangy citrus notes. Citrus, vanilla and a gentle oakiness are evident on the finish.

To craft The Balvenie Tun 1401, Malt Master David Stewart transfers specially selected casks from across the ages to a marrying tun cared for by the distillery's in-house team of coopers. The contents of these rare casks spent three months 'getting to know' one another in marrying tun number 1401, from which this single malt takes its name. The most recent release, Batch 8, is characterised by citrus fruits, vanilla and honey, has recently been bottled at an abv of 50.2% and will be available from June 2013 in Canada, Australia, the UK, France and a number of other European countries.