Review by: zSolaris
Distillery: Balvenie.
Region: Speyside.
Age: 14 Year. Distilled in June of 2002. Bottled in 2017.
ABV: 48.3%
Cask Type: American Oak
Price: Sample courtesy of /u/_asipper.
Color: 1.0, Deep Copper. Non-Chill Filtered.
This sample was reviewed blind. The label was marked “Justice” but no hints were given beyond that it was a malt whisky.
Nose: It’s a fun mashup of a very light peat, lemons, and dandelions. Lemon is the most dominant note here, mainly freshly squeezed lemon juice note. The combination also kind of reminds me of Ricola cough drops.
Palate: That Ricola note really takes hold on the palate. The main note is of a lemon hard candy with wild honey and some wild flower notes. There’s some warm toasted malt barley as well.
Finish: Medium to long in length. The bit of peat comes out here after hiding away in the palate. Charcoal grilled lemons is the main centerpiece and deliciously so. There’s a note that reminds me of nurungji (scorched rice / 누룽지) but made with barley instead of rice.
Guess: I’ve never had peated (or unpeated for that matter) Glenturret but for some reason I want to say peated Glenturret. It definitely comes off like a peated Highlander or Speysider more than an Islay or otherwise. Age wise, I’m going to guess it’s 10-12 years old and 46-50% ABV.
Reveal: Balvenie Peat Week 14 Year 2017 Release (2002)
Conclusion: No way I was ever gonna guess that one right! Balvenie’s peated releases seem to fly off the shelves and I can see the appeal. While it isn’t mind blowing, it’s definitely a lovely marriage of a lighter, fruitier style with peat. The balance throughout this one was quite nice with that lemon note from start to finish really tying things together. Perhaps there was more I missed but the Ricola note of lemon hard candy, honey, and some flowers was so prominent in my mind that it was hard to see past that. The charcoal grilled bits in the finish along with the scorched rice-like notes really helped make this so it wasn’t just another light and fruity whisky. Not bad, not bad at all.
Final Score: 81.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
