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| This might look like Neil (top) and Joel (bottom), but really it's the movie poster. Honest. |
There are elements to writing
where, sometimes, inspiration just doesn’t hit. Reporting fact, you can’t go
too wrong: you already have a narrative of facts set out in front of you, the
skill is ordering it for the reader, to make it make sense, even if there is no
conclusion. With creative writing, you’re faced with a blank page and off you
go. If there is nothing there, then there is little else you can do than wait.
And wait. And wait some more.
How does one get around this
blank slate, this empty void, this deserted page? Well, if you’re the brilliant Coen brothers, the movie
writers/makers/producers (and a second nod in as many weeks for one of the
Coen brothers, Joel, who is also a writer on The Simpsons) then, when faced
with this situation, you write a movie about it. Which is exactly what happened
when, mid-way through writing their film Miller’s Crossing, the pair were hit
with writers block. To clear the creative dam, they wrote Barton Fink, a story
about a holywood scriptwriter inflicted with the same problem.
"We're only interested in one thing, Bart. Can you tell a story? Can you make us laugh? Can you make us cry? Can you make us want to break out in joyous song? Is that more than one thing? Okay!" – Jack Lipnick, Barton Fink
Often, it can feel a little like
this, when sitting down to write this blog. We’re lucky- we have facts we can
report. But who wants a repetition of what’s written on the label of a bottle? If you want
that, go and read the label on the bottle. We have tasting notes- that’s always a help. But
writing the rest... that can be a real challenge at times.
However, let’s face it, the best
stories told are by the whiskies from the casks. Be they three years and a day
old, or somewhere approaching four decades of age, these are the true
story-tellers of the business; they’re the raconteurs who will leave you
wanting more, posing questions and generally leaving you thinking that you’ve had a wonderful
time. They are the true marketers, the true brand ambassadors, the stars of any
tasting. Simple, yet complex at the same time, it is their richness of
experience which you have paid for, their headline slot the turn for which you
wait.
The release of the new Balvenie
Tun 1401 seems to have become an annual staple in the whisky calendar, and what
a good thing that is. Not a duffer yet in the already eight strong line of releases, it
started with just 300 bottles of the Batch 1 (now an true ‘investment grade’
whisky, whatever that means) which we reviewed here (even looking at each of the invidivual casks which went in to it) and this week saw the release
of the latest batch.
The Tun holds around 2000 litres
and each batch is created my their Malt Master, David Stewart. As this is made
up of 12 casks, the most yet (ranging from the 1970’s up to 1991), with three
of the casks being European oak and the rest coming from America, it’s outturn
is around 2500 bottles worldwide.
The Balvenie – Tune 1401 – Batch 8 – 50.2% abv - £220 available here
Nose: A big nose crammed with rich apricot jam, honey, freshly cut
ginger, toffee, cinnamon and liquorice. It is a heavy nose; big and rich and
befitting of a well aged whisky.
Palate: Ginger cake, very rich and oily honey. Hints of Four Roses
single barrel bourbon coming through (big red cherries and hot strawberry jam)
with fresh vanilla pods. Some cinnamon.
Finish: Toffee apples, spices and that honey note again.
Overall: This is not a slugger of a dram. The Balvenie makes some
very quaffable whiskies (their doublewood is a whisky you can pretty much throw
the cork away on, and their new 15yo single barrel release, reviewed here, isn’t
far behind) but this is a totally different beast: still very much The
Balvenie, but it is big and rich and demands you take time over it. The sort of
dram you want to take a lot of time over. It also develops well with water, so
if you do get hold of a bottle and decide to open it (go on, it’ll be worth
it!), then please, please, please.... find some time to enjoy this dram.
Tun 1401 batch 8 is whisky which has a
simple story; it lets the liquid do the talking. Throughout this range there is
continued excellent consistency from The Balvenie. There is a reason why these
are popular at auction: they’ve managed to get the balance between
collectability and drinkability absolutely spot on.
Get in the queue now for batch
9...
