Actually, the coolest thing about this bottle might be the bottle itself, and the tin. I couldn't even summarize all of the material here, but there is some fascinating insight into The Balvenie's process. The side of the tin even includes a graphic of the organic composition of the peat in the Scottish Highlands compared to Islay, which accounts for some of the difference in flavor. According to the graphic, almost 50% of Islay peat consists of phenol, which produces a medicinal character, while the Highlands feature a much larger share of non-phenolic, earthy, peat. The two have roughly equal shares of "guaiacol" peat, which produces sweet and spicy notes. That contrast in composition makes sense in light of the different flavors that the two types of peat produce. I love the fact that this bottle gives information that even experienced scotch drinkers would not know, but which we would find valuable. This whisky is ochre in the glass -- just lovely. Don't expect anything close to the Islay punch coming from this whisky, even if Balvenie refers to it as "heavily peated." The initial notes are all sweet: frosting sugar, the quintessential Balvenie vanilla, and apple. It's a well-balanced, albeit at times insubstantial, nose. Those powerful vanilla and apple aromas are wafting off the glass because that's what you're about to taste. The cereal, malt sweetness also expresses itself here, and again that earthy, terrestrial peat tethers the palate and prevents it from being too thin. Some spiced honey threads in and out of the experience. The finish is mildly drying, and once more the dominant flavors are apple and vanilla frosting. There is peat here, but not at a level that I'd consider heavily peated.