Balvenie The Week of Peat 14 Year

Here I go again, giving another peated whiskey a try. Look; to be fair my first ever truly peated whiskey was Lagavulin. I went in knowing nothing about that distillery or how a peated whiskey should taste and came out the other side convincing myself that peated whiskies aren't my thing. But to be fair: Balvenie is one of my all time favorite distilleries. I love almost everything they produce and generally its one of my go-to brands when I'm out with friends and looking to satisfy the urge for a good, honest, neat pour. The smell conjures up images of an open flame: wooden campfire with some type of meat slowly turning on a spit. Its similar in character to Lagavulin but where that nose was overpoweringly smoky, on the verge of making my eyes water; Balvenie 14 Year Week of Peat is much more gentle with its approach. This whiskey tastes of peat smoke through and through but doesn't assault your senses in the way Lagavulin does. The smoke gently rolls on, carried by a sweet nuttiness I don't often get from Balvenie. Reminds me of a gentle background of honey roasted almonds. The smoke fades off of the finish. Slowly dissipating from the tongue and leaving a slight aftertaste of warm vanilla cookies? How delightful! Lately my life has been dominated by Bourbons. But this was a delicious and nice change from my "sweet tooth" selections. This is truly a peated whiskey I can get behind.

Very oily, makes for an interesting mouth feel. I like it, but could see it as a turn-off for some. Very long lasting, but pleasant finish. A fairly robust and rich smoke. Salty tastes come through.

Evokes: the perfect, moist, roast chicken. Oily, smoky, a touch soapy, and beautifully smooth.

Tons of peaty smoke. Sweet and slightly floral with a bit of sea salt.