The Balvenie Peat Week 37/52 2002 Vintage Aged 14 Years

48.3 % ABV. Matured exclusively in American oak.

Non Chill Filtered.

This review is of my first bottle of a Peat Week that had been open for nearly 2 years, with the final hardy pours of the bottle being used for this review.

Color: a deep gold.

Nose: not much alcohol at all. Mostly sweet cereal and yellow tropical fruit, with very little peat and a hint of oak vanillin. Barely the faintest hint of peat, no smoke. It makes me wonder if the bottle being opened for over a year allowed the peat influence to mellow and fade.

Palate: medium plus viscosity, oily goodness for a long lasting finish of fruit, custard and gentle oak tannin. Along the way, rich vanillins from the wood are prominent, helping the tropical and summer fruits of apricot, tart peach, pineapple and perhaps even banana amuse the taste buds. Highland peat sits very mildly in the background, providing a little warmth to the finish. No burn neat.

Adding a few drops of water released a good whiff of perfumed oak and vanilla cookie sweetness one associates with an ex-bourbon casked whisky. The sweet cereal was more pronounced with the water added, as were the oak and vanilla with perhaps some ginger up front. These elements joined the fruit. I believe the finish and overall flavor was enhanced by the minimal water added.

This is a brilliant example of how good The Balvenie is when they release their whiskies at higher ABV levels. The flavors that David Stewart and his minions elicit are so very good, one wonders why they ever go below 46% ABV. This is a wonderful whisky, with the spirit and the cask doing their magic together over a pleasantly long period of time. I am delighted that I wanted to add a splash of water and was pleased with what it did. The whisky was very nice neat, but even richer and more stimulating to the senses with the small amount of water added. And on the highest note, there is another bottle on the shelf for another time!

Slainte Mhath!