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One of the best batches in the 1509 series and all of the NAS, but still the 1401 is my favorite because the more sherry.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/on-location-balvenie/ Sold as a 'guaranteed investment', we are offered this at an exclusive 'distillery-only' price. First of all, let's see what it's like. Notes are short in keeping with our brief time in Balvenie's tasting room. N: OK this is something rather special but let's be cautious and not get carried away by expectations and group hysteria. The one key descriptor I noted was 'French white unsalted butter' amongst the plethora of other delights. The abv sets this apart from the others though the family resemblance is clear to see. T&F: Yep, all good. Rich, full-bodied. Plenty of nods of agreement around the room. Everyone's getting a little twitchy. Peeps wrestle with their individual budgets and justify to themselves purchasing a bottle or two. C: Excellent whisky though it needed to be significantly more emotive to justify £250, even as an investment. Let's see where prices are now four years on,.... Hmm, available from £295. I maintain to this day that if Balvenie bottled the 12yo Doublewood [not single cask] at high strength [say 56%], we'd be going nuts over it.

N- Soft floral with juicy orange. Zesty and caramel. Feminine. P- Bold and elegant wood spiciness with rich tangy honey, creamy and citrusy. F- Medium length. Gingery warm remains. — at Whisky Live Singapore.

Oranges & Mandarins I had been no less than 4 years since I last tried the Balvenie Tun 1509. I thought that was great. By now even the 6th batch has been released. But allow me to try the second one. The tun 1509 is four times the size of the famous run 1401. This second batch, which appeared in 2015, was created with 23 American oak casks and 9 European sherry casks. I wonder if David Stewart – by now enjoying his pension – outdid himself again. Oranges and mandarins is the first thing I detect, drenched in dark honey. That is followed closely by lots of nuts, wild flowers, apricots in their own juice and a note of vanilla. Hints of gooseberries with a pinch of white pepper and some ginger. Pretty zesty, in fact. After a few moments, some apple sauce appears. After breathing for a while, it even sports some barley sugars and a salty note. Very nice, complex and inviting. Beautifully creamy on the palate. Again the oranges come first, but after the second sip the apricots, mirabelles and sultanas rear their heads. Next to ginger and white pepper, I also get cinnamon and a bit of salt. Maybe even some quinine. Hint of tobacco leaves. Lightly bitter, but the fruit dominates. The finish is long, warm, spicy and almost syrupy. Honey and citrus until the end, but the oak has the final say. Very good stuff. Just as good as the first batch. You can still find it, but it will set you back some 300 EUR.

The best Bourbon barrel whisky with a small amount of sherry I had so far ...

A great, round whisky with a high level of flavor. I like it. # # Blind tasting

Very pleasant, sweet but not cloying, the perfect degree.

A good dram where the alcohol is well implemented and has a certain complexity but honestly at this price (300€) I was expecting a bit more. I also had the Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 7 which was much much better than this one. Skip this one and look for different batches or completely different drams

A very high-quality, carefully worked out mole, everything is polished to a shine, the main roles here are bourbon derivatives, sherry somewhere in the backyard, shades and frames; in general, a sense of quality product, the work of the master, although in comparison with the first batch, it still clearly loses.

this is my second tun. after the first one that I have been offered at balvenie where I probably was a bit distracted I have been looking forward to enjoy another one in my familiar environment. it´s not a stellar dram but a very good one and I cannot understand malt fellows that rate it 80/100. for me it´s a straight 90/100 although I wished they could make it a little more affordable.

Excellent and complex malt that shows many different nuances of the barrels used.

Without matching the "sister barrels", this batch 2 is missing something ... In direct comparison to its predecessor # 1, this is almost youthful. I will spend the days "blind" with both in a direct comparison, but 300 € are not justified here!

I am picking out small things but in general I would say (as I did before) it’s a very good whisky! The nose wins it from the taste. This Balvenie Tun 1509 batch 2 is a very good vatting, although I must say the Balvenie Tun 1401 I tasted before was much better. I would not be surprised if some of the other batches are better too. In comparison with the earlier tuns this is falling behind. I would look out for other batches or the tun 1401 releases.

It starts with a fine elegant nose. Very soft and pleasing, but unfortunately without the right climax. He is much stronger on the palate and in the finish. The bourbon barrels dominate, but the sherry casks bring spiciness and a slightly darker fruitiness. A good whisky, but I expected more.

TOTAL SCORE 91 (92) points.

A very good whisky, too bad the price is not up to par.

Some say... That there are at least 20 year old whiskys in it. High expectations from this Balvenie, but unfortunately, for me personally, it failed to live up to it. Overall not a bad whisky, could have had a little more sherry influences. The finish for a 20 year old was very short. Considering the price of 300+ euros a disappointment. Was able to buy this bottle for € 240.00 with the whisky club (Dec. 2018), also too expensive for this amount.

The complexity and the straighforwardness of this whisky makes the 90 mark in my opinion. Just superb. Tasted at Whisky Live Paris 2015.

Totally has the Balvenie profile and no flaws. But compared to batch #1 it noses and taste brighter and younger so I have to score it 2 points lower.

Good bourbon barrel performance

Did I expect more? Yes, I have, but the Balvenie Tun 1501 is an incredibly good whisky!