Last Monday the guys of the Milan Whisky Festival organized yet another excellent tasting at Mulligan’s, historic meeting place of whiskophiles in Milan. The parterre, as always on these occasions, was respectable, as you can see from the picture here… We were there, as always we took home our samples, and now here we are to give you an account of what we drank. Let’s start with Balvenie Tun 1401 batch #2, a vatting of 10 barrels (three of sherry, seven of bourbon) of whisky distilled between 1967 and 1989: eight barrels are from the 70s, so malts of a certain age definitely prevail… The name of the bottling, at the time available only in the distillery, comes from the vat where – precisely – the distillates to be bottled are mixed: it seems that 1401 is David Stewart’s favourite, and we trust him. Let’s see how it behaves in the glass.
N: it suddenly shows signs of greatness: it changes constantly, also because of the refined marriage between different casks. Immediately you can smell that there is some ‘old’ whisky: the orgasmic notes of beeswax and damp wood form the backdrop of a stage with a thousand actors playing. There is a spectacular sweetness (white chocolate, vanilla, freshly baked cake…), yellow fruit (but also red, in a range from apple to apricot jam and raisins), sweet spices (cinnamon sticks, very light), a delicious malt scent… Good, very good, indeed: excellent.
P: you cannot say that the palate is completely consistent with the nose: it replicates the sensation of ‘old wood’, but this is not supported by as much sweetness, and indeed it turns on the bitterness of the tannins. Propolis, rhubarb, chamomile… A very robust infusion of herbs. There is, however, some sweetness: honey, vanilla again, but more on the sideline; it’s striking how can you taste the malt. Apricot notes.
F: bitterish (rhubarb, again), woody and lots and lots and lots of malt. Coconut?
To a nose that would go well over 90 points corresponds a less satisfying palate: among the ten barrels, there are some that certainly gave too much woodiness to the distillate (hey, it’s the same thing Serge says!). Anyway, it’s an excellent Balvenie: if you can get close to a bottle, treat yourself to the experience of smelling it… You won’t be disappointed. Our rating is 88/100.
Recommended soundtrack: Atoms for peace with Thom Yorke – What the eyeballs did.
