Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year (2003 Edition)

A pleasantly deep honeyed color with an orange hue. Not much viscosity – thin and generally lacking legs. Orange juice, medicinal smoke, clover honey, watercress, raw barley, and a hint of mushroom. A clear sweetness that pulls things together. Nosing stays sharp regardless of how much you return to it, but definitely still pulls you back in. Some petrichor brings familiarity and comfort. Opens with sweetness building back into the orange juice, followed by bitter rind. Honestly getting sweet orange bitters (Fee Brothers?) before the underlying phenols blossom. A touch of cooked carrot and coriander, but generally a persistent, tangy sweetness. Bell pepper. A bit like burning grassland. Some playful floral notes and honey show themselves throughout. Honestly the freshly-cracked bottle started a little too sharp, but that settled out in pretty short order after a quarter of the bottle was gone. Can’t say this was explicitly worth $100, but it is a quality dram – well made and pretty tasty, and I'd say it is unique vs. Islay peat albeit in subtle ways. I know I won’t see this edition again, but I also won’t be afraid to take the plunge on future releases given what this one offered.

Nice earthy smoke, with loads of creamy honey sweetness. Not overly complex, but is delicious in its simplicity. If you love peat, but sometimes don’t want your peat to be particularly challenging, this is for you.

Nose: Wood smoke, vanilla, light peat, floral Palate: Herbal/green, fruity, orange, oak & spice, vanilla Finish: Sweet, floral, charred Overall, this is a creamy and peppery dram with a very dry, ashy aftertaste.