Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year (2003 Edition)

Dufftown Distilleries Walk with Michelle - Dufftown 9/3/2019

Nose: soil, dirt, earth, peaty but not particularly smoky, pu-erh tea, forest floor, swamp Palate: funky, undergrowth, floral notes, spicy, dead leaves, hints of honey, medicinal, thick, viscous, rain in a bog. Mellows out over the tasting, more subtlety and subdued sweet notes and small hints of menthol, followed by still overwhelming peat. Finish: doesn’t linger, hints of juniper and herbs, minty/menthol Epitome of peaty but not smoky

Have read many glowing reviews on this and found it at Specs for 70$ so went for it. Non chill filtered and 96.6 proof this stuff rocks! Poured neat the nose is wonderful. Salt cured bacon and smoke from an electrical short circuit are first to arise. Malt and seasoned wood follow along with vanilla frosting and cake batter. Soft mouthfeel leads palate of smoke, golden toasted marshmallows and salty malt with varnished oak. It is quite savory and the balance is excellent. Finish is bbq pit smoke with wood chips and drying malt with hints of roast coffee. The flavor is rich but falls off more quickly than I would prefer. Still this is complex and delicious so Im gonna try to put this guy away for limited use. If you like Islays (this is Speyside but more an Islay profile) get this you wont be sorry..........94/100........much more refined than the standard Lap/Ard and bottle seems to just get better longer its opened

Perfect balance of peat and sweet

This was my first crack at the famous Peat Week by Balvenie, and good lord have I been missing out. This is absolutely amazing peated scotch that gives the Islay’s a run for their money. Nose: Spicy barrel notes with heavy peat, smoke and cigar ash hints. The underlying scents include dark fruits (raisins, plums, and savory red apples). The back end gives into a silky creaminess. Taste: Pretty much identical to the nose. The finish lasts forever and has a milk chocolate creaminess with a minty vegetal note lingering 30 seconds or more after you have swallowed. Absolutely wonderful. A bit pricy, but at 14 years old it makes sense. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one in the future.