A Bold New Bottling From A “First Growth” Distillery 2002 Balvenie 14 Year “Peat Week” Single Malt ($99.99) “Balvenie’s next step on the path to single malt royalty and another sign of a distillery in full ascension.” – David Driscoll, K&L Assistant Head Buyer
Balvenie’s adherence to both age-stated malts and transparent production details, along with what is clearly a crowd-pleasing style, has put the brand into a unique position: it’s equally popular with those in-the-know and those who really don’t care about knowing. That’s definitely a great place to be in today’s market as many in the industry think the brand is well on its way to becoming the next Macallan—a first growth in the single malt Scotch pantheon of malts. With the new 2002 Balvenie 14 Year Old “Peat Week,” the Speyside distillery has strayed a bit from its smoke-free character, but to make an overtly peaty, Islay style whisky would be out of character for the brand and it’s definitely not the character of the whisky (despite the fact that Balvenie describes it as “heavily peated”). What David Stewart and the gang have produced, however, is a vintage-dated whisky, produced entirely from the one single week of peated whisky distillation at Balvenie back in 2002 (the first peated run in more than fifty years at the distillery) that perfectly expresses the ease, grace, and utter drinkability of the Balvenie house style. Aged entirely in American oak barrels, there’s no sherry influence like the brand’s Doublewood expressions, but rather lush golden grains, honey with sweet barley, peaches in syrup, and vanilla extract. Faintly, underneath all those lovely aromas, is just the tiniest hint of peat, accenting the soft and supple mouthfeel with graceful brush strokes of campfire smoke and smoldering brush. Made in limited quantities, our staff is head over heels for the new Balvenie “Peat Week” as is clear from the reviews below. We think it’s Balvenie’s next step on the path to single malt royalty and another sign of a distillery in full ascension.
For more on this exciting new release, check out our recent Spirits Journal post.
2002 Balvenie 14 Year “Peat Week” Vintage Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)
This limited edition Balvenie is the result of one single vintages production distilled entirely in the year 2002. David Stewart and Ian Millar began experimenting with peated whisky years ago and in order to avoid tainting the standard Balvenie spirit they allocated an entire week exclusively to peated whisky production. Each year the distillery produced a tiny amount of these peated whiskies, so each bottling is by it naturally very limited. This particular bottling, the first available stateside, is not chill filtered and aged exclusively in American Oak casks.
David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 01, 2017
What attracted me immediately to the 2002 Balvenie was the subtle and haunting nose. Aged entirely in American oak barrels, there’s no sherry to be had here. Instead you get a noseful of lush golden grains, honey with sweet barley, peaches in syrup, and vanilla extract. Faintly, underneath all those lovely aromas, is just the tiniest hint of peat. The second thing that I loved about the whisky is that it’s all finish. The mid-palate flavors are where the peat picks up (30 ppm) and remember we’re dealing with Highland peat here, not Islay peat. There’s a compositional difference between the two and the resulting flavors are profoundly different (if you remember the old Glenmorangie Finealta). There’s no brine or medicinal character here, just soft brush and faint campfire smoke in low levels, hanging onto the underbelly of the malty core. Everything about the drinking experience is understated until you get to the end, and then: whoooooosh! A wave of rich vanilla and sweet smoke comes racing through your nostrils and over the roof of your mouth, lingering for a solid five minutes after lapping up onto the shore of your lips. With the 2002 Peat Week, Balvenie has proven to me yet again that it can excite experienced drinkers while still maintaining a big tent approach. Nothing about this whisky is difficult to understand, but there’s so much to unlock for those who enjoy the analysis. We’re witnessing the ascension of a great distillery in peak form.
Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 07, 2017
This is a very good single malt. In the nose there is a medium amount of peat with some nice malt aromas. In the mouth it is soft and pure with interesting malt flavors that are balanced out with some smoke. The smoke flavors do not dominate but are integrated with the malt. The Balvenie Peat Week is easy to drink and enjoy and should please single malt fans.
Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 07, 2017
I had a few interactions yesterday in which I was attempting to describe and explain to customers about the new bottling from Balvenie and I admit I was struggling. One interaction in particular was a challenge because the customer wanted me to compare it to other whiskies. I had to try and explain that this one was simply different, delicious but different. In some ways this is clearly a Balvenie, I get the rich vanilla, grassy hay, and nutty notes on the nose, but with a savory herb and sweet peat component. The whisky is full bodied and has wonderful richness to it, but then there is this scrub brush campfire note that twines throughout it that does not taste like almost anyone else’s peated Scotch. It is neither salty, nor briny, and the smoke is gentle, but definitely present. It is a seriously intriguing bottle and although I am not sure where to categorize it, I will happily continue to drink it and think over that question.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 05, 2017
Gorgeous. Matured exclusively in American Oak and it shows. The vanilla and caramel on the nose is crystal clear. I often find myself thinking about precision in wine, but not whisky. The nose here is exact. There is a beautiful fresh peaty quality and homemade cookies straight from the oven. It’s an aroma to get lost in. The palate is full and rich in a way I don’t expect given the pale straw color and nose, luscious even. Finish is gently sweet and smoky. Make me a BBQ sauce that tastes like this and I’ll make you rich. A special bottling from Balvenie’s heavy peating week at the distillery.
Chantel Carroll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 02, 2017
This Scotch was everything I wanted it to be, and then some. What an amazing and rare treat. Integrated smoke, subtle vanilla, and sweet malt on the nose. The palate was rich with caramel, salinity, and toasty grains. It then finished with fresh stone fruit and honey. The characteristics were so gracious, yet blended together so well. This Scotch is a reminder of why I love this Spirit, so much!
Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 01, 2017
One of the best whiskies I have tasted in some time, this is a rare peated offering from Balvenie, where they set aside one week each year to heavily peat their barley for such bottlings. On the nose there is mentholated smoky sweetness, barley and oak. On the palate, the peat smoke is so well-integrated it is almost absorbed completely into the flavor profile, which has a sweet, savory malt base. It is so good, round and complete that I anticipate the bottle emptying very quickly, despite its hefty 49% abv level.
Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 01, 2017
Wow this is pretty cool. I figured I knew the Balvenie whiskies inside and out but to be honest this is my first experience of the “Peat Week” bottling. From the wealth of information on the tin this particular batch was distilled the same week I met my (to be) wife…and we’re now just about to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! I love how this bottling combines the soft, round approachability of Balvenie with a beautiful smoky note that is subtle and not overpowering. Maybe the elegant integration of the smoke is due to the different source of peat (Highland vs. Islay) or perhaps it’s just the skill and know-how of the folks at Balvenie. Either way this is a crowd pleasing malt that is sure to make lots of people happy…whether you’re looking to geek out on the incredible transparency provided by the distillery about these single batches or just looking for something to sip in the evening as summer turns to fall.
