Whisky Focus - The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 2, 3 & 4

The Balvenie Tun 1401 available for the first time outside Scotland.

I had the pleasure of tasting The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 1 when it was released back in 2010 and I thought it was an outstanding dram. Most of you are probably not familiar with it, that's because it was a small experimental release (only 336 bottles) which was exclusively available only at The Balvenie’s Speyside Distillery.

The good news is that the experiment has proved so popular with single malt enthusiasts that The Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart has has created a 2nd and soon to be 3rd & 4th batch and all will be available this time without the need for a trip to the Scottish Highlands.

To create The Balvenie Tun 1401 batch 2, Malt Master David Stewart transferred seven bourbon casks and three sherry butts of Balvenie single malt whisky which he specially selected from across the ages (the oldest is a 1967 cask, the majority of casks being from the 1970's and the youngest being a 1989 cask) to a specially selected marrying tun – number 1401. Tun 1401 is a traditional oak marrying vessel which is cared for by the distillery's onsite team of coopers. Three months later emerged an exceptionally complex single malt Scotch whisky.

David Stewart comments: "We’re fortunate to have some very old and high quality whisky maturing at The Balvenie Distillery. The Balvenie Tun 1401 is the result of a careful marriage of some of our best and the result I’m happy to say is a real treat for the senses."

Silky smooth on the palate, The Balvenie Tun 1401 has a delicious complexity characterised by a floral sweetness, and citrus orange peel notes underpinned by tones of vanilla, honey and mature oak. The finish is mellow, rich and warming.

Hand-bottled at The Balvenie Distillery in Speyside, The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 2 has an ABV of 50.6% and is limited to just under 3000 bottles and will be available from specialist whisky shops in the UK, Europe, Asia, and South Africa, RRP of £150.
 

Video - Creation of Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 3

Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 4
Made for travel retail and is still marrying inside Warehouse 24, where it will stay until the end of the 2011. Mr Stewart normally allows three months for the marrying period, but batch four will marry for a total of four months.

How do the batches differ?
When asked how he expects the batches to differ, Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart said, "…the batches do have some similarity but if one were to line the four batches up for sampling, which I haven’t done yet, we might be surprised by the differences that there are. I think that each has this citrus orangey flavour which seems consistent…"
 

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