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The Balvenie Distillery

Posted by whiskeywench on

Our goal wasn’t to take a tour, but rather to explore the distillery and hopefully get my hands on a bottle of The Balvenie Peat Week 17 Year. Let’s get into it!

Located in Dufftown, in Scotland’s Speyside region, The Balvenie shares a campus with Glenfiddich. Both are owned by William Grant & Sons, making them sister distilleries, with The Balvenie being the smaller of the two. Fun fact: During my 10K Dramathon run, The Balvenie was one of the distilleries we ran through on our way to the finish line. So, it was nice to return and take it all in at a much slower pace!

The Balvenie’s visitor center is quite small, and when we arrived, it was just my husband and me. To be fair, we were there early in the morning. I asked about the Peat Week 17 Year, but unfortunately, they didn’t have any available. The attendant confirmed that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find. However, I remembered seeing a bottle at Glenfiddich when we were there for the Dramathon. When I mentioned it, he explained that because they’re sister distilleries, Glenfiddich also carries Balvenie whiskies. He also shared that if we wanted to sample any of their expressions, Glenfiddich would be the place to do so.

So, here’s my takeaway if you’re planning a visit: The Balvenie is a beautiful distillery and worth stopping by, but if you’re hoping to enjoy a tasting, you’ll want to head over to Glenfiddich, which is literally just down the road. It’s an easy walk or a very short drive.

And if you’re searching for a particular Balvenie bottle that isn’t available at their visitor center, don’t rule out checking Glenfiddich. You just might get lucky!

As for me, I didn’t leave empty-handed! I ended up finding and purchasing The Balvenie Peat Week 17 Year at Glenfiddich after all.

I’m a huge fan of peated whiskies, and what I love about this expression is how beautifully balanced it is. Unlike the more heavily peated whiskies you typically find from Islay, the peat here is more subtle, bringing together notes of smoke and sweetness in a way that just works. It’s unlike anything else I’ve tasted from The Balvenie, and I absolutely love it! So naturally, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring a bottle home. More on our visit to Glenfiddich coming soon!

Cheers!

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend people to try it and make up their own minds.

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