The Latest Tunnage: Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 9

Balvenie made a big splash last year with the release of their Tun 1401, a vatting of bourbon and sherry cask whiskeys.  Since then, they have released a number of different releases in different markets.  Each release is composed of a different vatting.  In the US, we saw Tun 1401 Batch 3 and Batch 6.  The latest US release is Batch 9.  This one is composed of 11 bourbon casks whiskeys and three sherry casks whiskeys.

Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 9, 49.3% abv ($280)

The nose is remarkably fruity with grapes, figs and candied fruit.  The palate is rich and sherried with a syrupy mouthfeel.  It starts out moderately sweet but gets drier on the tongue and toward the end the sherry recedes and malty notes emerge.  The finish is sherry, apple cider and bubble gum.

This has great balance and is nearly flawless in execution, and on top of that, it's incredibly drinkable.  It's not quite as outstanding as Batch 3, but I prefer it to Batch 6.

Batch 9 reinforces that the Tun 1401 series continues to be a source of great whisky.

See LA Whiskey Society reviews for Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 9 (most of LAWS likes it even more than I do).

Balvenie 12 Single Barrel

Up until about a year ago, I pretty much ignored the existence of Balvenie.  Some of their malts were fine, but I'd never had anything that bowled me over.  Then last year, they blew one out of the ballpark with the Tun 1401.  Given that success, I was pretty excited to taste their newest whiskey, a 12 year old single barrel aged in first fill bourbon casks.

Balvenie 12 year old Single Barrel First Fill, 47.8% abv, Cask 12694  ($70)

The nose is a fruit bomb with pears and fruit cocktail.  The palate is fruity and malty in equal parts.  The finish is mostly malty with some cereal and cocoa.

This one is bright and fruity.  It's not overly complex but is nicely drinkable, a good edition to the Balvenie lineup and a perfect lighter whiskey for those hot summer months (along with Bladnoch).  Keep in mind, as a single barrel release, barrels may vary.

 

2012 Holiday Gifts: What not to get.

Last week I published my list of whiskey gift recommendations for the holiday season. This week, I want to take some time to tell people what not to get for their spirit loving friends.

The Rabbit Electric Cocktail Mixer ($20) (image from Metrokane). For the past month or so, this has been advertised in full page ads in the New York Times Magazine. According to the ad copy, "Measure the ingredients of your favorite cocktail into the Rabbit Mixer, add ice and press the start button. Sit back and enjoy the mixing show."

This thing may be the saddest statement I've ever seen about American consumers. Is this what we've come to? Are we so lazy that we can't even work up the energy to shake a cocktail? Even if there was a reason someone couldn't shake a cocktail, say that had severe arthritis of the elbow or something, my guess is most people who are into cocktails already have a machine that mixes things for you...it's known as a blender.

If you know someone just getting into cocktails, consider a Boston shaker for $2.75 and use that extra money for ingredients. Come on people, get up and shake that cocktail.


Whiskey Stones ($20). The idea of whiskey stones is to cool your whiskey without diluting it. You put these cute little rocks in the freezer and then add them to your whiskey. Now, I don't typically drink my whiskey on the rocks, so this clearly isn't for me, but even if I did, would I really need a $20 item just for this purpose? Does ice melt so quickly that your drink is diluted before you finish? And isn't the point of ice to dilute as well as cool? If you really wanted to drink cold, undiluted whiskey, why wouldn't you just put the bottle in the fridge or freezer? There, I just saved you $20. You can thank me later.

The Balvenie 50 ($30,000). (image from Scotch Malt Whisky). This new release from Balvenie looks on track to become the whiskey equivalent of fruitcake for the 2012 season. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's great Scotch, but like most whiskey lovers, I'm assuming I'll get dozens of these. Then I have to think about who I can regift them to or whether I can pass them off at the office "white elephant" party. For everyone who was thinking of this as a gift, instead, consider getting 120 bottles of the excellent Balvenie Tun 1401...or a Toyota Camry.

Happy holidays!

The New Batch: Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 6

This spring, I was very impressed by the first US release of Balvenie Tun 1401. That Batch (Batch 3) is still on some shelves, but Balvenie has now sent another release to the US: Batch 6, so I thought I'd compare them.

Whereas Batch 3 was composed of a blend of seven bourbon cask aged whiskies and three sherry cask whiskies, Batch 6 is composed of seven bourbon cask and two sherry cask whiskies.


Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 6, 49.8% abv ($250)

The nose has those really nice sherry notes with mixed berries. The palate is a drier sherry that trails off with some baking spices, including cloves and allspice. Then there is just a wee bit of iodine and some medicinal notes more reminiscent of a coastal malt.

This is quite different from the first US release, Batch 3, which was fruitier. It's still a great whiskey though perhaps not as transcendent as Batch 3 was.

See the LA Whiskey Society Review of Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 6.

Ton of Love for Balvenie Tun 1401

While I will occasionally sip a Balvenie, it's never been a distillery whose whiskies I seek out. I've just never had a Balvenie that's gotten me excited, until now. Balvenie Tun 1401 is a vatting of seven bouron cask whiskies and three sherry cask whiskies (a tun is a large vat used for blending). There are, thus far, four batches of the 1401 for four different markets. Batch 3 is exclusively for U.S. distribution. There is no age statement on the whisky, but Balvenie has said that Batch 3 is "similar to" Batch 2 which went to Europe, Asia and South America and was made from casks "mostly from the 1970s with one from the 1960s and one from the 1980s."

Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 3, 50.3% ($250)

The nose is very rich sherry with berries. The palate is lush and massively fruity with pears and sweet sherry notes and the finish has prunes and figs. This is a really nice sherried malt. The sherry is out front but not overwhelming; it's masterfully balanced and really a pleasure to drink. I'm not a huge sherry head but I really appreciated the balance and fruit on this malt.

People are quickly catching on to this one and it's starting to get picked off. If you want one, I would act quickly.

Whiskey Wednesday: The Balvenie Guys (and Gals) Come to LA

Last week I attended Balvenie's tasting to kick off their new 17 year old Madeira cask whisky. Balvenie is, of course, one of the most popular Scotch whiskies in the US, loved for its smoothness and drinkability. Balvenie fans gathered at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills to sample the Balvenie range, including the 12 year old doublewood, 15 year old single cask and 21 year old port wood, as well as the new Madeira cask. The Madeira cask is a limited edition, annual release of Balvenies aged in different types of barrels (it was preceded by a rum cask). A large complement of Balvenie brand representatives were on hand to answer questions and engage in whisky-related banter, including veteran Global Ambassador David Mair, local representative Andrew Weir and the inimitable Dr. Whisky.

From my tastings at the event (disclaimer: event tastings are not as rigorous as my normal home-tastings), I found the Madeira cask to have some nice malt and some nice sweetness lasting into the finish that likely comes from that Madeira cask. Overall though, if I had to pick my favorite Balvenie, it would still be the 21 year old port wood, followed by the 15 year old single barrel. The port flavors of the 21 integrate well into the malt to give it some real heft and the 15 year old single barrel is a good, punchy whisky.

On the shelves, the 12 year old doublewood goes for around $40, the 15 year old single barrel is $50, the 21 year old port wood is $190 and the new Madeira cask is $120.

Thanks to all of the Balvenie folks who made the event possible. And a note to other distilleries: this free event had a great turnout and was filled with many whisky novices who will probably be buying a lot of Balvenie in the next months. Come to LA and let us taste your whisky!