Balvenie 14 Year Old / Week of Peat / Story No.2 Speyside Whisky

Priya Sharma — Peat from Speyside? Count me in

9/10

I was skeptical about a peated Balvenie but this completely won me over. The smoke is gentle and sweet, more campfire embers than Islay bonfire, with honey and orchard fruit still shining through. At 48.3% it's got enough punch to hold up with a few drops of water. One of the more interesting things Balvenie has done in years.

Clara Johansson — Good but pricey for what it is

7/10

Nice whisky, don't get me wrong — warm vanilla, a wisp of peat smoke, baked apple. But at nearly ninety quid I keep thinking I could grab a Talisker 18 for similar money and get more complexity. I drink it neat and it's pleasant every time, just doesn't blow me away the way I hoped a 14-year-old peated Speyside would.