Whisky : Balvenie 14 Year “Peat Week” 2018 Edition 

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 48.3%

Cask : American Oak

Age : 14 Year (Distilled 2003, Bottled 2018)

Nose : Classic Balvenie honey, caramel, and apple notes, but rolled in hay and lit on fire.  Meaty smoked ham, lumber supply store, putty, and burning compost take this in a surprising direction.  Camphor, dried grassy hay, and faint manure ride a fruity undertone.

Palate : Light body with lovely fruits, spice, and burning pine logs.  Green apples, cracked pepper, resinous pine, campfire, and light citrus.  Beautiful herbal pine smoke builds across the palate— tobacco, menthol, and musty log cabin come through on the back end.

Finish : Medium length with low intensity— mild smoke, dried apple cores, and herbs.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Cozy Cabin

Something Better : Octomore 10.4 (similar resinous/pine, more maritime/spice)

Something Similar : Caol Ila 5 Year; The Maltman (similar burning pine, more meat/bbq)

Something Worse : Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 Year (similar musty wood/garden, more citrus)

Notes : I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this dram.  I am not been terribly hot on Balvenie— too much green apple and honey for me.  While this had some of those notes, they provided a background for a wonderfully herbal smoke and hints, at least on the nose, of funky pasture.  This was just weird enough that I really dug the overall flavor profile.  

The only thing really holding this back is a rather light mouthfeel, though I think most casual drinkers will appreciate just how welcoming that made the bottle.  I also reckon the price of this bottle, ~$100 in my parts, is a bit too much of a premium.  This would be an excellent pickup if it were a bit cheaper, there are a lot of great bottles that do some similar things for a price level down— thinking of most Port Charlottes with herbal/pasture funk, or the thicker smoke/vanilla on Laphroaig Quarter Cask.  Ultimately, while I found this bottle to be a lot better than I expected, I am not sold on the premium that it seems to demand.