Balvenie – 17 Year Old - The Week of Peat (70cl, 49.4%)

Balvenie – 17 Year Old - The Week of Peat is a single malt whisky from Balvenie (Speyside). Aged 17 years, bottled at 49.4% ABV, 70cl. The Balvenie Distillery is a large distillery located in Speyside, neighbouring Glenfiddich and Kininvie. The distillery was built by William Grant in 1892 shortly before production began just a year later. Capacity at Balvenie was doubled in 1957 meaning the addition of two stills was much needed. A further two were later added, to make a total of 8 stills in 1965 to keep up with the increase in production capacity. With the launch of their Doublewood single malt in 1993, Balvenie became one of the first distilleries to have their single malt be put through a second maturation in a different cask (known as finishing). Balvenie is now operating 9 short-neck stills and is one of the fastest-growing brands in the single malt industry. The Balvenie Week of Peat 17-year-old is a classic Balvenie with added smoky, peaty notes. Distillery manager Ian Millar installed a peat burner at Balvenie and since 2002, the distillery has dedicated one week each year to run heavily peated barley through the whisky-making process creating a distinctly different Balvenie. The result is a classic Balvenie expression balancing sweet peat smoke with notes of citrus and honey.