Balvenie 14-year-old

This whisky starts of really nicely with sweet peat and vanila, but a clear note of perfume and soap in the finish makes it really hard to appreciate this offering for me. Maybe I got a faulty bottle, but at this pricepoint I'm not willing to gamble on it and get me another one.

Recently introduced. It's a quality dram, but I'd rather have the Sweet Toast 12 year instead, which is also being rolled out as we speak. I usually associate Balvenie with their softer, fruity style of whisky, and I am glad to have tasted this peated version, but if I am looking for a decently priced peated whisky, I'd rather drink the standard Lagavulin 16, which seemed a bit more cohesive for me.

It's interesting how this has some Ledaig-esque qualities integrated with the Speyside peatiness.

As far as I can remember only the 2nd Balvenie I tasted; after the 12y double wood, of which I was not over impressed.

Quite balanced and drinkable, very nice

Tasted in Beinwil 2023

.

I think Balvenie just proved that I can make peat too (as for how well I make the rest of the product, that's another matter)! Also, when you add water to around 40 degrees Celsius, the aroma becomes more open, but because the sweetness is diluted, the bitterness becomes more pronounced. However, you can also feel the more distinct citrus and lemon peel notes in the bitterness. Notes date: 20230205 Reference price (based on rating): CNY 600

Simple, fairly one-dimensional smoker. Quite neat, but not anymore either

Smell: Unexpectedly powerful peat, arguably quite heavy, with a hint of sea salt, reminding me of some bourbon-oriented Laphroaig I've had. Shredded tobacco, salted lemon, sweetness from bourbon barrels, as well as insignificant dust and inaudible chemical (lipid?) smell. Entrance: A bit mediocre sweet water in a peaty bourbon barrel. Very mouth-piercing, showing his alcohol level. Although the bitterness is well masked by the peat and sweetness of the bourbon barrel, I can still catch it. There is also some tobacco, shoe polish and pepper. End rhyme: It is peat at the beginning, and then it has a bitter taste, with a bit of bitter sweetness of traditional Chinese medicine and a slight coolness of mint. I think Balvenie just proves: peat, I can also make it (how well the parts other than peat are done is another matter)! In addition, adding water to around 40 degrees will make the fragrance stretch, but because the sweetness will be diluted, the bitterness will become more obvious, but you can also feel the more obvious citrus and lemon peel from the bitterness.

Simple, fairly one-dimensional smoker. Quite neat, but not anymore either

Definitely the worst Balvenie I've ever tried. Sweet, very simple, no complexity. I perceive the smoke as rather disturbing. Balvenie and Peat - no, better not, they don't go together.

Balvenie 14-year-old The Week of Peat 48.3%abv Smell: potion, salt, a little fruit vinegar, fine dust, wake up for ten minutes, weakened peat, oak, flour, green pepper, apple juice, cream cake, salted fish 85/100 Taste: Disinfected water, salted fish, fishy, seaweed, sea water, oak, table salt, some sweetness, soot, sugar water, flavors other than peat are difficult to recognize 85/100 Body: Full and oily, concentrated 87/100 Ending rhyme: long, charred sea fish, black charcoal, wood chips Overall: 85.5/100, good body, but obviously, the reason why I didn't get a high score is that I don't like this kind of main peat-flavored wine, but it is still undeniable that it is done well, at least not very rough.

Positive surprise. Nice balanced interplay of smoke, sweetness and fruitiness. Strong whisky, the 48% are well chosen.

Quick hit review. Whisky calendar - Day 20. Peated Speysiders are a bit odd, as they lack the briny and coastal touch of their Islay cousins. Farmy peat smoke, vanilla and whiffs of horse stable emerge on the nose, mixed with lemon, cauliflower and earthy notes. The honeyed arrival is followed by stewed pears, white pepper and peated caramel (ever heard of that?). Weird, but tasty. Butterscotch and more honey prevail in the simple finish, while the peat retreats. A stranger in a strange world. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Tasted it yesterday with some friends. Not my style Balvenie, I'm glad i've tasted it so I don't have to buy a bottle anymore.

Accidentally bought ... Already smoke when opening - only now read label. Anticipation arises. In a nutshell: If I always acted like this, I would only have good whisky in my cupboard. As an Ardbeg fan, I am thrilled because he has power and steam. I will immediately buy a second bottle.

2020-11-14

As we all know, Balvenie doesn’t usually make peated whisky, but when it does, it often turns out to be something not banal at all. So it happens with this 14 y.o. which is part of the series “The Balvenie Stories”. The starting argument is that the result is far from being a mere peat addition to the usual sweet and woody profile of the distillery, as in this expression the peat is present from start to finish, yet not overwhelming and well integrated with (mostly) fruity and herbal notes. The ashy and overall subtle smoke works as a constant but shifting background to a bright sequence of sweet fruits (pear, peaches), green apple and vanilla, with just a touch of pepper. It looks quite clear that for this expression Balvenie pursued an “elegant” side of peat, achieving a fairly good balance in taste, even if less powerful than (for instance) its 2003 Peat Week of the same age. Anyway worth a try, also considering its reasonable price.

Quick review. Advent calendar 20.12. I've had a few Balvenie but never tried the peated. Not sure what to think of this. At it's price level I would not have been disappointed if I had bought a bottle, but now that I've tasted it I think I would have spent my money elsewhere if I was looking for a "peater".

03-11-2024

Aroma-Moderate；Palate-84/100; Aftertaste-Med-Long

Exciting dram. The fine smoke goes surprisingly well with the Balvenie. Don't cover it up. Successful experiment in my eyes.

Fully open only on taste - great earthy peat character. Great for Friday

medicinal peat, vanilla, iodine, quite coastal, tobacco, marzipan, ok

Surprisingly little peat on the nose.

This is actually pretty good, not top of the line but better then I expected. Finish lingers for a pretty long, nose is really nice, palate lacks behind... There is that unpleasant soapiness and bitterness that let me down

A pleasing aromatic good malt; From Balvenie rather unusual; not cheap, but very successful!

Nose : wood, butter, lemon, vanilla and smoke. Taste : vanilla and wood. Finish : Spicy, disappear slowly with power.

Tasted blind on 06-18-2021 in Wustrow.

Nose: Peat, Smoke, Medicine cabinet Taste: The peat disappears and is replaced by Pepper and metal Finish: Pepper and metal

Smoke, dried fruit compote, a lot of fruit, a little alcohol, quite sweet but also intense.

Balvenie Weak Peat: an entirely unnecessary addition to the product range.

Sweet notes of honey and vanilla combined with an orange peel and a mineral peat smoke completely different from that of islay. On the palate, notes of hazelnut and pepper are added. medium short finish. A good whisky.

Amber color. A lot of oiliness.

Not a special, not a Balvenie profile. In my opinion Balvenie is not constructed for a peated whisky in my opinion. There no integration between sweetness of honey and smoke. Too much medicinal notes that arises forward, leaving behind the rest of aromas. Too much medicinal.

Quite penetrating nose with a lot of salty peat, sour lemon and malt. Also in the palate the medicinal peat is leading with some subtle fruitiness and spiciness behind it. In my opinion it is not a good idea to combine the round and subtle balvenie character with maritime smoke, this does not integrate so nicely.

A lovely smoky Balvenie, which is in good balance. A little weak on the nose, but really nice on the taste and a lovely finish.

For the first time in 2017, when the bottling "Peat Week" with the year of burn 2002 came on the market, we get it this year under the label "The Week of Peat" as part of the 'Balvenie Stories'. It does not always have to be Islay? Is it enough to experiment with smoky distillate for a week? Of course, something can succeed. In this case, too? Let's try it!

Macerated, vegetable and moist peat, acidic limit. We are more in a swamp with reeds and small ponds than in a real peat bog. Marriage with delicious fruits, grapes, yellow plums, light vanilla. In the mouth, the peat is less strong, it is mainly the fruits of the orchard: pear, apple, damson. Big return of smoked peat in the finish, with grills and charcoal, smoked ham, it feels like a barbecue. This finish is very long, quite tasty, wood and cola. A very appreciable curiosity, which is especially noticeable in the finale, which I found really good. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-balvenie-14-yo-week-of-peat.html

Mellow sweetness with a complex light peat. Quite tasty. Shows true Balvenie style despite of the peat. Nice to see Balvenie experimenting with peat.

Nose: The aroma is rich with notes of tropical fruits, namely passion fruit and creamy toffee. Taste: Sweet vanilla forms a creamy taste with notes of apples and mangoes with a hint of orange in the background. Finish: The finish lingers with a vanilla-oriented character. Overall: Mouth-coated and fruity with excellent balance, this is an excellent new release from the chaps at Balvenie.

A mellow but respectable peated offering. It does what it says on the tin – there’s all the honey sweetness of normal Balvenie, just with peat. Comparing it to the travel-retail-exclusive 14yo Peated Triple Cask, I think this whisky is peatier but maybe a bit less complex – more casks is more better, just ask Jura!

Very well balanced. Peat smoke is very well balanced by citrus, oak vanilla and honey.. The smoke is delicate but stays in the mouth for a long time.

Caolvenie Last year The Balvenie launched the series ‘The Balvenie Stories’, consisting of three bottles: the 12 years old The Sweet Toast of American Oak, the 14 years old The Week of Peat and the 26 years old A Day of Dark Barley. I will try the 14 years old peaty one that has a price tag of 65 EUR. Balvenie distils only one week per year with peated barley, hence the name of the release. Cut a just ripe banana in slices, squeeze a juicy lemon over it, crumble some hazelnuts, throw in a vanilla stick and a spoonful of acacia honey and wrap all this is a jacket of peat and shake it in a sack of hessian cloth et voilà: that’s the nose of this Balvenie. Could just as well be a young Caol Ila, which is my way of saying that I really like it. It is nicely creamy and immediately softly smoky with Brussels waffle, vanilla, nuts, citrus peel and even a salty edge. Stock fish! This is very good (and yes, it reminds me again of my favourite Ileach, so what?). The finish is wonderfully long on black pepper, citrus and smoke, with a sweet bubble gummy note at the death. Aficionados of Balvenie might find this a weird malt – because it’s quite atypical, of course – but those who love a peaty dram will like this one a lot, I think.

Out of all of the Balvenie’s I’ve tried, this one is far and away the best. The blend of smoke and sweetness in this scotch is perfect, and while different than the Islay peat, this Speyside peat is not lacking at all. You will get sweet fruit and floral notes, pleasant smoke, and a much smoother finish than most Balvenie single malts. This is an excellent scotch that makes you want to go back for an extra dram!

Good, elegant and refined style of Balvenie is not raped by the peat.

Very strange and unpleasant taste. This release leaves a negative imprint on Balvenie. I don't want to dig into this, but let's figure it out anyway. The smokiness of the malt here is clearly arbitrary and obviously insignificant. Anyone who tastes this whisky blindly would say that this is someone's homemade aged distillate. Smokyness is heard in the aroma like burnt leaves, and in the taste it perversely looks like an unpleasant burning, nasty perfumery. I'm glad I took a sample and didn't buy a whole bottle even though I've been chasing it for a long time. N:21 T:18 F:19 B:18

The smoke on the nose is subdued, but so are the typical Balvenie Speyside notes. On the palate then significantly more smoke and a lot of power. But the Speyside notes go under. It was worth a try. In the end, however, the following applies: Schuster stick to your last.