Balvenie – Stories The Week of Peat 14 Year Old (70cl, 48.3%)

The Balvenie Week of Peat is a 14 year old Speyside single malt in a 70cl bottle at 48.3% ABV. It belongs to the Balvenie Stories series and replaces the earlier Peat Week bottling, with the same distillate. Its story concerns Ian Millar, the distillery manager, who visited Islay and came back keen to experiment with what he had learned. The distillery ran smoky spirit for just one week. The Highland peat used has a higher share of non-phenolic material, giving an earthy smokiness without the salty, maritime notes of Islay whiskies. The nose is gently smoky and lightly floral, with caramel sweets and honey. The palate is velvety, with smoke, citrus, oak, vanilla and blossom honey. The finish is soft and smoky, with creamy vanilla sweetness.