N: My initial impression was this has a lot of bourbon character. Lots of honey and toffees mixed in with a good dose of citrus and white pepper. You really smell the wood on this in the form of sawdust and dry hay. But theres sherry here too!
P: Dry and a bit astrigent. Starts fruity with lemons and other sour fruit. Dry wood, wine and whiffs of smoke add depth.
F: Sweet and savory
This was tasted against the Tun Batch 3. Suprisingly enough the noses had a similar sweet profile. Batch 3 was more syrupy sweet while Batch 5 was more honeyed. Both had great noses. I did get a plastic off note on Batch 5 that I wasnt fond of. But it wasnt consistent. I thought Batch 5 was tasty but not as complex as Batch 3.
n: Almost the same has the Batch 3 that I had head to head, so why not copy the notes: Dark fruits. Plums, Cherry snow cone syrup. Rich, strong, and fantastic.
p: Very nice. Oakiness and wood polish. The finish is a bit disappointed and fast but only in relation to my high expectation for the Tuns.
This one doesn't measure up to the greatness of Batch no. 3, but it's still great whisky. And a testament to David Stewart's expertise -- the three versions of 1401 I've tasted have all been pretty similar tasting and all great stuff. This one lacks a little of the punchy spice and depth of Batch 3, with an oakier finish. More similar to Batch 5.
N: Lighter and more delicate than previous batches. This has gentle hints of damp clay on a gray, slightly rainy autumn morning. A faint hint of leather, but it's balanced upfront by the lighter and sweeter fruit notes. This batch shows some light passionfruit, a faint hint of peach, soft wood, a gentle bit of tobacco. The maltiness develops after a bit and some toffee shines through. Sherry notes emerge after even more time, giving hints of ripe red fruits.
P: Nice mouthfeel, lightly oily. A bit of sweetness led by oranges with a hint of toffee behind it. A light leathery quality; think of a Coach store. A little lemon perks it up; there's a hint of ripe cantaloupe adding some body. Light vanilla creaminess and some very gentle malt. A touch of tobacco and white pepper adding pice. Some wood adds a little firm body to this palate.
F: Drier on the finish than the palate would suggest, tobacco and white pepper with oak that runs slightly bitter upfront and stays that way.
Definitely one to sit with and let evolve - as always, Tun 1401 doesn't disppoint. The nose evolves with new surprises, the palate is a great mix of sweet and creamy. Unfortunately the finish has a little bit of off notes in the bitter wood, but it's better than a bunch. Definitely lighter than batch 3, similar to 5 (though I remember that being more spicy).
The nose has those really nice sherry notes with mixed berries. The palate is a drier sherry that trails off with some baking spices, including cloves and allspice. Then there is just a wee bit of iodine and some medicinal notes more reminiscent of a coastal malt.
This is quite different from the first US release, Batch 3, which was fruitier. It's still a great whiskey though perhaps not as transcendent as Batch 3 was.
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