Must Buy

The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 5
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

52.6% ABV
$400
Website

What the Distillery Says*

For the 2018 release, The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 5, David C Stewart MBE carefully selected 29 casks – 10 traditional American oak barrels, 8 sherry butts, 8 sherry hogsheads, and 3 refill American oak hogsheads – from the distillery’s precious aged stocks. All were transferred to Tun 1509, which sits in Warehouse 24, for several months before bottling. Tun is a rare interpretation of the marrying process and allows our most mature casks of various vintages to come together to create a unique expression of The Balvenie that is greater than the sum of its constituent parts.

Tasting Notes – Rich and intensely fruity on the nose. A spicy outburst on the palate, then sweetened with a deep sherry character. Lingering and luscious with dried fruit and elegant oaky notes on the finish.

* Technically, the above is what I gleaned from the bottle itself or other sources. Strangely enough, if you visit The Balvenie’s web-site, it includes a page for every Tun 1509 batch . . . except this one.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich and thick, chocolate, toffee, blood orange, berries, loads of soft spice with ginger, cardamon, figs, dates, honey, leather, pipe tobacco, oak, and an earthiness with loads of complexity.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, treacle with cinnamon icing, cocoa, berries in cream, dark fruits with some orange thrown in, roasted walnuts, oak, hints of ginger and clove.
Finish:  Long with spiced dark fruit, dark chocolate, and drying with spices.
Comments:  This is f@#$king lovely. A truly complex dram, perfect for sipping and pondering. An expensive bottle for sure (and a big thanks to Richard for the generous sample!), and with that the question always comes up as to “Is it worth it?” Nearly impossible to answer, as value and enjoyment are such individual concepts. The price isn’t unreasonable, but I’ll admit that does hold me back from giving this a solid ‘Must Buy’.  I will tell you that tasting this was absolutely an experience. It is well crafted and incredibly nuanced. I haven’t had any of the other batches to compare, but if you’ve got the means and are a fan of The Balvenie’s lineup, I’d definitely seek an opportunity to at least try it for yourself. That’s the only way to determine if it is “worth it”.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask
Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years

47.8% ABV
$115-$130
Website

What the Distillery Says

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask has been matured exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt for at least 15 years. The term ‘Single Barrel’ conveys the unique nature of the single malt whisky, which has been drawn from a single cask of a single distillation.
Limited by nature, each heavily toasted European oak Oloroso sherry butt will yield no more than 800 bottles of Scotch whisky.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Dried fruits overlaid with a gentle nuttiness
TASTE: Rich with elegant oak and subtle spice
FINISH: Long, sherried finish

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick sherry, balsamic vinegar over spongecake with dark fruit, walnuts, almonds, floral notes with subtle smoke and oak; water brings out more orchard fruit notes.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, fruitcake with sherry, cinnamon, nutmeg, subtle clove, oak.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with notes of dark fruit.
Comments:  This has some very intense flavor for a sub 50% ABV dram. In fact, the first time I had tried this at a friend’s house, I expected it was cask strength – not that it drinks hot (it doesn’t) but just the flavor intensity. It takes water well, and maintains a great mouthfeel. I picked this up in early 2020 for $115, and felt that was a bargain for a 15 year single malt of this quality. As a single barrel, I don’t know how much variation there is. This is the first I’ve owned, and I think I’ve only sampled from two others – and thought all three of those were really delicious.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy