Bea's Birthday Booze: Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 5

David Stewart's Tun 1401 series scrambled my whisky brain. Eleven-ish years ago, I had the opportunity to try three of the Tun 1401 batches, and I almost stopped reviewing whisky as a result. The quality of each batch was so stratospheric that I questioned all of my whisky ratings up to that point. It was Tim (a.k.a. Mr. Scotch and Ice Cream) who encouraged me to keep going, to absorb the Tun encounters into my overall whisky experience. So I took the sensei's advice and here I am so many years later.

In 2017, my Batch 3 review ended with a mere 91-point score, which could get me kneecapped in some whisky circles. Today I will review Batch 5. While not as lauded as some of the other batches (I'm looking at you #3), it is still a Tun 1401. As per a now-404ed official page, its ingredients were...

"......4 sherry butts distilled in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975 and 5 American oak casks from 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1991......"

...which makes one of the batches with the highest ratio of sherry casks. Had the mix not included the 1991, Batch 5 would have been a 36 or 37 year old whisky. Having received the full details on a different batch's casks, I have no doubt that at least one of the 40+ year old casks in #5 had dropped below 40%abv. That's not a problem for me if the end result is delicious.

pic source

Distillery: Balvenie

Ownership: William Grant & Sons
Region: Speyside (Dufftown)

Age and Maturation: see notes above

Outturn: 2862 700mL bottles
Release Year: 2012

Exclusive to: Europe

Alcohol by Volume: 50.1%

(from a purchased sample)

NOTES

The nose begins with old musty casks in a damp dunnage, ocean brine, raw hazelnuts, and raw walnuts. Figs, eucalyptus, and very dark chocolate materialize after 30 minutes. Hints of guava and toffee arrive near the 45 minute-mark.

The palate starts off much more savory and salty than I'd expected. Very dry sherry, like manzanilla perhaps? Dunnage, tart limes, and jalapeño oil fill the middle. And in the back, surprising notes of tar and kiln keep returning.

It finishes with a note-perfect mix of citrus (grapefruit and blood orange) and sea salt, with Brazil nuts and kiln smoke lingering even longer.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

No dilution for this one. Sorry folks. This was bottled at an excellent drinking strength, and I've gleefully taken advantage of that. Because I find myself preferring the Amontillado and Manzanilla side of the sherry spectrum, this batch hits all the right spots on the palate. Figs + guava + dunnage on the nose? Yes.

At the end of this long day, I've paired this Tun with my beloved 33yo Bunnahabhain, and the experience has made for a lovely personal celebration of my younger daughter's birthday. Though I'm sorry to say the Tun 1509s just can't compete with the 1401s, I do hope Balvenie's current and future blenders can catch the Stewart magic someday. Having pristine 37 year old casks on hand would probably help.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ????
Rating - 91

Bea's Birthday Booze: Seventieth Anniversary Malt 41 year old 1967 Duncan Taylor

Duncan Taylor & Company registered their cask brokerage business in 1938, and after passing from Scottish to American to Scottish ownership, they celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2008. To mark the occasion, their blenders created a vatted malt from two casks of 1967 vintage single malt, one from Glenfarclas and the other from Highland Park. At full strength, that combination turned out 375 bottles of 46.3%abv whisky. During a lovely quiet Taste Off this week, that 41 year old malt served as the aperitif to the Port Ellen that I reviewed on Wednesday.

Distilleries: Glenfarclas and Highland Park
Regions: Speyside and Orkney
Bottler: Duncan Taylor

Type: Blended Malt
Age: 41 years old (1967 - 2008)
Maturation: ???
Outturn: 375 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 46.3%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose starts with a mix of rope, brine, apple skins, and lemon cake in the front; barley, cinnamon, and rye bread in the back. After 40+ minutes, the whisky develops subtler notes pear juice, guava juice, and musty old cask.

Menthol, black walnuts, and toasty oak greet the palate first, followed by raw almonds, mint leaf, Good & Plenty candies, and tart apples.

The finish registers sweeter than the palate with sugary apples, apricots, and Good & Plenty. Bitter tobacco, bitter chocolate, and iron appear in later sips.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A very modest whisky to bottle for the occasion, this 41yo is so gentle next to the 25yo Port Ellen, reading even lighter than its ABV, that I cannot bring myself to dilute it any further. I have a feeling that one of these casks was getting woody, while the other still offered a bit of youth, because those two sides separate here and there throughout the tasting. But it would still be a very nice everyday drinker, as one can appreciate the whisky's lack of bombast.

Availability - Secondary market?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 86

Bea's Birthday Booze: Port Ellen 25 year old 1982 Signatory, cask 2846

My baby Beatrice turned SEVEN years old on Sunday. I can't fully process that reality through any of the dusty chambers in my frontal lobe. When I watch her hurry up the concrete steps into her elementary school, smiling at someone inside the building, lugging her backpack packed solid with the many provisions of a child of divorce, skirt hem bouncing around her pale knees, only then do I realize this is 2024. Outside of that moment, I only seem to live in some detached zone where the years merge, my body increasingly fights against breaking stasis, my hearing worsens, and my tolerance for nonsense lessens.

So here's some Port Ellen, because things change.

Distillery: Port Ellen
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Port Ellen, Islay
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Age: 25 years old (11 Nov 1982 - 16 May 2008)
Maturation: refill sherry butt
Cask number: 2846
Outturn: 234 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 59.3%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

No one makes noses like this anymore. Mesquite-smoked pork and almonds. Kiln chimneys. Nocino, cloves, and blood oranges. Frangelico and mint chip ice cream. Hints of menthol and nut roast. The palate starts with jute rope, tar, black walnuts, and herbal bitterness. Luxardo cherries, grapefruit juice, mint, and peated mango arrive later. The long finish offers heavy smoke, mango juice, honey, and a bright bitterness.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Limes and lemons push the kiln smoke back a bit in the nose. Ocean air and a hint of milky chocolate appear next, followed by pipe tobacco, pipe smoke, and almond butter. The palate has a pristine mix of bitterness (wormwood and coffee) and juices (mango and blood orange), with quiet touches of hazelnuts and mint leaf in the background. The finish holds onto those blood oranges, hazelnuts, and wormwood bitterness, with a little more smoke arising.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Stellar. Though the angels enjoyed this cask, consuming more than two-thirds of its contents in 25 years, they left behind la crème. The vibrancy of the nose and palate nearly overwhelms, whether the whisky is served neatly or not. It's gorgeous stuff, best enjoyed slowly, though the temptation to consume it all is difficult to silence. (If you doubt my superlatives, check out this fellow's review; he's had a few more PEs than I.) Now, onto more old whisky...

Availability - Secondary market?
Pricing - 🤐
Rating - 92

Teaninich 16 year old 1993 SMWS 59.39

(Teaninich cluster homepage)

Scotch Malt Whisky Society called this cask "Gateway to Narnia" because someone over there thought the whisky smelled like an old wardrobe. If a whisky producer can fashion that note in a whisky, they can call it whatever they want. Of course another SMWS noser found only acrylic paint, and "Bob Ross's Stained Pants" doesn't have the brightest ring, so C.S. Lewis it is.

That's some good intro right there.

Anyway, this cluster shambles further back into the past with this 1993 refill hogshead (yes, again) that disgorged some high-octane single malt. At 59.7%, it may be the hottest pour in the cluster. Time to see if my delicate palate survives.

Distillery: Teaninich
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Northern-ish Highlands
Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 16 years old (Feb 1993 - 2010)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask number: 59.39, "Gateway to Narnia"
Outturn: 255 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 59.7%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose's first note, potpourri, thankfully vanishes within a minute. It's replaced by a whole mishmash of notes: cloves, raw almonds, bananas, cologne, saline, plaster, strawberry jam, and grapefruits. The palate is more focused. It starts with plum skins, dried leaves, and a hint of peppery smoke. It gets tarter (out-of-season blackberries?) with time, while also gaining a bold herbal bitterness. It finishes tangy and peppery, with subtle herbal and mineral notes in the back.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Much better nose here, with a mix of barley, raw walnuts, raw almonds, orange peel, and a hint of palo santo. The palate almost mirrors the nose, but adds a Heath Bar and a hint of the herbal bitterness. That bitterness glows into the finish merging well with tart citrus and cracked pepper notes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Unconvinced about this whisky when neat, I'm quickly sold once it's diluted. It reminds me of Monday's official 17yo, with their related styles. No more pretty flowers, darkness is creeping in. And now I am intrigued, with no idea what happens to Teaninichs when they get considerably older. Will they continue in this earthier direction, or add fruits, or let oak smother it all? After a happy diversion next week, I will continue the cluster with "considerably older" Teaninichs.

Availability - Sold out during the first Obama administration
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87 (once diluted)

Teaninich 19 year old 1999 Old Malt Cask 20th Anniversary

(Teaninich cluster homepage)

Staying in 1999 — a good year for film and me — this cluster hops over to Hunter Laing's celebration of the Old Malt Cask brand's 20th anniversary. Said celebration was actually in 2018, but this Teaninich was distilled in '99. The whisky was, yes, also from a hogshead. I hope it has a bit of the previous '99 Teaninich's darker side, because that fit in well with my palate. Or at least, please whisky gods, let this be more about the malt than the cask.

Distillery: Teaninich

Ownership: Diageo
Region: Northern-ish Highlands

Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Series: Old Malt Cask

Age: 19 years old (July 1999 - August 2018)

Maturation: Hogshead
Cask #: HL 17090

Outturn: 284 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 50%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

No darkness here! Plenty of fruit on the nose, though, starting with tart apples, kiwis, pineapples, and lemon juice up front. A few gumballs roll around in the background. Around the 30-minute mark, new notes of baked apples and cinnamon move to the fore, and a hint of cumin shows up in the back. The palate is sweet and malty. Toffee, milk chocolate, and almond butter, then a cayenne bite, and a lemony kiss-off. Lemons and toffee remain in the sweet, tart, and salty finish, with hints of cherries and cardboard in the distance.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Those few drops may have broken this whisky. The nose goes nearly silent, with only vanilla, bananas, and ginger beer remaining. The palate is very simple as well. Just oak spice, toffee, and vanilla. Some of the tartness returns to the finish, along with bananas and ginger beer.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A sweetie-pie of a whisky, this Teaninich could be quite the crowdpleaser when neat, where the malt stands tall. The bright, fruity sniffer wins me over as well, lifting this 19yo from decent-casual-drinker status to a hmmm-pretty-good level. (Perhaps that makes more sense than a number grade?) The less said about the diluted version the better, as the standard Old Malt Cask strength of 50%abv suits the whisky well. The price wasn't horrible either.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - around €90
Rating - 85 (neat only)

Teaninich 17 year old 1999 Diageo Special Releases 2017

(Teaninich cluster homepage)

This week, the Teaninich cluster heads back to the '90s with a trio of single malts that have more age on them than the first eight members of this series.

Leading off is a 17yo from back when Diageo's annual special releases were still kinda special and didn't lean so heavily into cask fuckery. In 2017, the spirits conglomerate issued their only Teaninich special release to date. And the whisky came from 100% refill hogsheads! Of course the price was well over $300, thus many bottles remain on shelves seven years later, and occasionally a few go on sale for almost reasonable prices.

I almost bought a bottle this year, but couldn't convince myself to dish out over $200 for a 17 year old whisky. It also would have been a blind buy, a practice that has not consistently produced positive results for me. Instead, I went in on a bottle split. So here I go, actually drinking the whisky.

Distillery: Teaninich

Ownership: Diageo

Region: Northern-ish Highlands

Age: at least 17 years old (1999-2017)

Maturation: Refill American oak hogsheads

Outturn: 5,352 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 55.9%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose begins a bit austere (almost 9 months since I last used the A-word!), with stones, brine, fennel seed, and halvah. But it opens up by the 30-minute mark, offering pineapple, dragonfruit, toasted barley, apple skins, and a hint of smoked almonds. The palate offers surprises, with hints of black walnuts, soil, and iodine in the background; grapefruit, cayenne pepper, limes, and umami up front. It finishes sweeter and tangy, with lots of peppery notes and that umami touch.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Seaweed and dried herbs now lead the nose, with marzipan, toasted marshmallow, grapefruit, and a rosy hint following. The mouthfeel thickens well here, while the palate dishes out more tartness than sweetness, with broad doses of umami and herbal bitterness as well. It finishes tart and peppery, with a lingering note of orange pith.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though not peated, this whisky has an herbal/earthy side that sets it apart from the other Teaninichs in this cluster thus far, and in the best of ways. It's darker, less perky. It fights a little bit, then offers depth. I hope some of the remaining cluster pours have some of this (perhaps older?) style, and aren't overpowered by oak. This is a bottle I would happily buy, at half its price.

Availability - Retailers around the First World
Pricing - USA: $280-$380; Europe: $250-$400; Japan: $300-$350
Rating - 87

Two curious 2006 Teaninich hoggies from Cadenhead

(Teaninich cluster homepage)

A parcel of 2006 Teaninich casks once called a Cadenhead dunnage its home until the bottler released them all(?) out into the world between 2016 and 2018, all at 10 or 11 years of age. I reviewed a sample of one of these casks, two-and-a-half years ago, and loved it. And now I have samples of two others, one exclusive to the US and the other to Poland. Apparently the Polish cask is magical:

BEHOLD, the first hogshead to have ever produced 480 bottles! Impressive, considering that hogsheads hold 250 liters at the start of the maturation process. I need to get me a magical hogshead to fill with my 401k balance.

The American cask is less magical, but it's another Teaninich hoggie with a serious Angel's Share, losing almost 30% of its contents in just 11 years:

Today, the two will face off! The Magical Polish Hog vs The Thirsty American Angels!

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Teaninich 11 year old 2006 Cadenhead, for BestWhiskyMarket Poland, 55.7%abv

NEAT

The nose starts off very pretty, with floral apple skins, flower kiss candy, grapefruit gummy bears, Rainier cherries, and guava. It gains some fun edges, like Tapatio, fennel seed, and lemongrass, with time. The palate is very very hot and tight, with bitter citrus, serrano chile oil, nectarines, simple syrup, and a floral hint. It finishes hot as well, with bits of lemons, serrano chile oil, sugar, and some bitterness.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Hmmm, different nose now. Light blue Mr. Sketch marker, cinnamon red hots, and roses, with hints of cocoa powder, vanilla, and orange candy in the background. The citrus gets sweeter and tarter in the palate, and the floral note remains. It gets bitterer and more mineral with time. That mineral note stays for the finish joining horseradish bitterness and lemon candy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Yes, one shouldn't expect a normal whisky from a magical hogshead, and this one thus delivers. The neat nose is quite lovely, but the neat palate runs hot and bland. Dilution improves the palate, but scrambles up the nose. Because whisky is made for drinking, the diluted version works better, and perhaps more water may help it further. But still, it's falling into this cluster's pattern of B- whiskies.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - €60-ish
Rating - 82 (diluted)

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Teaninich 11 year old 2006 Cadenhead, exclusive to the US market, 56.4%abv

NEAT

This has the apple + guava combo on the nose too, then adds banana pudding, bubblegum, and toasted grain notes. Some coriander sneaks in later, as do some plasticky notes. The palate is less hot, but bitterer, and also rather tight. A similar chile oil is present but it meets up with charred beef, barley, and lemons well. Devoid of sweetness, the finish leans on chile oil and lemon oil.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or >1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

More toasted oak spices appear in the nose, like cloves and fruity cinnamon. A hint of the guava merges with lemongrass, and a hint of cologne. Lots of toasty oak in the palate too. Vibrant ginger powder and tangy citrus meets up with herbal bitterness, and very little sweetness. It finishes with ginger, lemons, and a simple bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This one works better for my nose and palate overall. Its lack of sweetness reads better than in the Polish cask, and the toasty oak notes (from this nearly clear whisky) play well with the other characteristics. As you may see from the notes, these two sibling hogsheads share a style, and one can really sense it when drinking them side by side, something I enjoy about Taste Offs like this. Between the two casks, I'd go back to this one a second or third time before returning to the Polish release.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $80-ish
Rating - 83