April 2014

Compass Box Hedonism

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Hedonism by Compass Box Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
43% ABV
$90 to $110
Website
Hedonism-Box-Bottle
What the Blender Says:
Hedonism is our unique and award-winning blended grain Scotch whisky. We produce it once or twice per year, depending on our ability to source the quality of casks we require. Rare and old, it’s something special for both the collector and the new whisky enthusiast.

Rare, Old Scotch Grain Whisky
Hedonism is unusual in the Scotch whisky world: a blended grain Scotch whisky. It is very rare to see 100% grain whisky bottlings, in Scotland. Going back 100 years, grain whisky brands were more common, but they were overtaken in popularity by the big brands of blended Scotch, which comprised both grain whisky and malt whisky. Today, most Scotch grain whisky gets blended into the big brand names, typically at young ages. For Hedonism, we search for old casks of Scotch grain whisky. And we only produce Hedonism once a year, when we find casks with the right flavour profile.

Rich, Sweet, Alluring
When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning: a rich, sweet, alluring whisky, redolent of vanilla, pastry cream and coconut. You’ll find all these things in our Hedonism bottlings. We believe that great Scotch grain whisky is the little-known treasure of the Scotch whisky industry.

Flavour Descriptors
Elegant flavours of vanilla cream, toffee, coconut.

Recommendations
As an aperitif, serve with a small amount of chilled water. Late in the evening, serve neat. Also makes a great whisky sour.

Distillery Sourcing
Will vary according to batch but typically whiskies from the following distilleries: Cameron Bridge, Carsebridge, Cambus, Port Dundas or Dumbarton. 60% East Lowland Single Grain (Caramel) and 40% West Lowland Single Grain (Vanilla, Coconut, Creme Brulee).

Wood
100% first-fill American oak barrels or rejuvenated American oak Hogsheads.

Bottling Details
43%. Not chill filtered. Natural colour

What Richard Says:
Nose: As soon as you open the bottle you get a whiff of alcohol based skin treatment like Tend Skin or something. Fortunately, that fades quickly into a light, sweet creaminess.
Palate: Pina coladas and vanilla fudge. Creamy and slightly sweet and oily. An almost dulce de leche flavor.
Finish: The is sharp. It’s there and then not. This isn’t a slow fading encore. There’s also a little chalky chocolate note. It’s kind of like unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder.
Comments: I’ve had a love affair with Hedonism for years. It was my first introduction to scottish grain whiskies (and Compass Box) back in 2002. It’s still as lovely as I remember it. Batches change a little bit over time as stocks are available but John Glaser does an excellent job at holding the style. A dram not to be missed!
Rating: Must Try

Compass Box Hedonism Read More »

Compass Box The Peat Monster 10th Anniversary

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box The Peat Monster 10th Anniversary Blended Malt Scotch
48.9% ABV
$100-$120
Website
PeatMonster10th-Bottle
What the Blender Says:
Ten years ago we created a bespoke blend of very peaty single malts for the owners of the Park Avenue Liquor Shop in New York. We named it “Monster” and for the label graphics we used a 19th century illustration of a bizarre and strangely beautiful creature that appeared to us to capture the idea of the whisky.

It sold so well that when it became endangered we decided to share the idea with the rest of the world. We appended “The Peat” to the front of “Monster” and breathed fresh life into the beautiful beast. It has gone on to become our best-selling Compass Box whisky.

In 2013, let’s celebrate ten years of sharing the joys of the craft blender’s art, of inspiring others in the industry and of enjoying the balanced, peaty charms of this creation. Heavy peat and smoke, combined with notes of malty richness.

For this special bottling, we have produced a special recipe of The Peat Monster, maintaining the smoky, heavy-peated intensity of the classic bottling and adding a bit more malty richness through the use of some very special, quite odd casks of peaty Highland single malt.

Availability
Limited Release of approx 5,700 bottles. Bottled in September 2013.

Flavour Descriptors
Intense aromas of peet-reek, smoke, seaside character and burnt ropes, with a subtle apple-fruitiness in the background. The palate is full, round and tremendously complex. Water brings out a spice-laden, sweet vanilla character, as well.

Recommendations
A fantastic late-night digestif malt whisky.

Distillery Sourcing
Islay single malts distilled on the south shore of the island and in the village of Port Askaig. Balanced with a rich, smoky Highland single malt and a fruity oily malt from the village of Brora.

Wood
Primarily a mix of first-fill and refill American oak, plus approximately 2% new French oak for finishing.

Bottling Details
Bottled at 48.9%. Not chill filtered. Natural colour.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Restrained and lighter than the regular release. This smells like an herb fire with fresh green herbs. Medicinal and heavier on the iodine. There is a back note of ginger snaps too.
Palate: Delicate with a bit of apples and citrus. A citrus reduction drizzled on a vanilla apple cream brulee.
Finish: Warming slowly with old campfire smoke and a little peppery bite around the edges.
Comments: As good as the regular Peat Monster is this is much better. All the things I didn’t like in the regular version are remedied. The flavors, complexity, and balance are all also ratcheted up.
Rating: Must Buy

Compass Box The Peat Monster 10th Anniversary Read More »

Compass Box The Peat Monster

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box The Peat Monster Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV
$55 to $65
Website
ThePeatMonster-Box-Bottle
What the Blender Says:
For those who love big, rich, smoky-peaty whiskies, this is for you. Peat Monster combines smoky and peaty single malts from the island of Islay and the Isle of Mull with rich, medium-peated Speyside whisky. The result is a balanced, highly drinkable peaty blended malt Scotch whisky.

For those who love big, rich, smoky-peaty whiskies, this is for you. Peat Monster combines smoky and peaty single malts from the island of Islay and the Isle of Mull with rich, medium-peated Speyside whisky. The result is a balanced, highly drinkable peaty blended malt Scotch whisky.

Flavour Descriptors
Peaty, smoky malt with hints of fruitiness; a balanced whisky with great depth and complexity.

Recommendations
A fantastic late-night digestif whisky. Excellent with blue vein cheeses.

Distillery Sourcing
Made from a marriage of 57% Islay SIngle Malt (Smoke), 34% Highland Single Malt (Smoke, Maltiness), 29% Island of Mull Single Malt (Peat).

Wood
Refill American oak.

Bottling Details
Bottled at 46%. Not chill filtered. Natural colour.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Here’s the monster! Large but balanced doses of smoke, soot, tar, and brined capers.
Palate: Here’s where the monster sleeps. As aggressive as the nose is, the palate is more delicate. It’s a little chewy with notes of blood oranges and fresh hay.
Finish: The monster returns! Quickly the finish hits you a little hot but a dash of water will calm the beast. There’s a big does of peppery spices that lingers.
Comments: If you’ve followed the blog here for a while then you know I’m a champion of the unsung blend. I feel it has been sidelined to it’s single malt brothers. You’ll also probably know that I’m a big fan of John Glaser’s work at Compass Box. With those two things reiterated I’m going to go against my own grain on this one. Peaty whiskies, and I do like them, I tend to prefer as a single malt. I just haven’t had many really peat-centric blends that I would pick over a single malt from Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, etc. The Peat Monster is no exception. It’s a fine dram and it’s make up and balance stand out among peers but I’m not loving it. It’s really the finish. The nose and palate are a great interplay but the finish to me is unbalanced, too hot, and way to much pepper smacking you in the face.
Rating: Stands Out

Compass Box The Peat Monster Read More »

Compass Box Spice Tree

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV
$55 to $65
Website
SpiceTree-Box-Bottle
What the Blender Says:
Our storied malt whisky The Spice Tree is made from Highland malt whiskies which we age in custom-made casks fitted with new French oak heads. We source this oak from a mill in the Vosges which produces some of the highest quality cooperage oak for winemakers. The result is a big malt whisky of richness and spice-like complexity.

The Second Coming.
First launched in 2005, we were forced to discontinue production under a legal threat by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) for our pioneering use of the highest quality French oak inner staves. This, despite rave reviews from consumers, trade and press. We agreed to disagree with the SWA and halted production (for the full story, see www.compassboxwhisky.com). Over the following three years we developed a new maturation process which yielded similar if not superior results to our previous method, and this new process is something the SWA can’t take any issue with. The Spice Tree was then relaunched in September 2009.

The Whisky & The Method.
As in the past, The Spice Tree is made from 100% malt whisky sourced from northern Highland distilleries, (notably and primarily malt whisky distilled in the village of Brora). The primary maturation is in a mix of first-fill and refill American oak.

What is different is the secondary maturation. Rather than using inner stave inserts, as we did for the original Spice Tree, we rack the whisky into barrels with heavily toasted new French oak heads. We have created a method for getting a super heavy toast on the cask heads which imparts a flavour profile similar to the flat staves used for the original Spice Tree. We use oak with three different levels of toasting on the barrel heads, thus allowing us to blend the resultant whiskies to create additional layers of complexity. This secondary maturation lasts as long as two years.

The Spice Tree is a very rich whisky, suitable for after-dinner sipping, as an accompaniment to certain cheeses and, especially, in cocktails.

Flavour Descriptors
Big, sweet aromas of clove, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. The palate is full, round and sweet, with the spice and vanilla complementing the core distillery characters and leaving a long finish.

Distillery Sourcing
Made entirely of Highland single malt whiskies from the villages of Brora – 60% (fruitiness), Carron – 20% (meatiness) and Alness – 20% (perfume).

Wood
Primary maturation: first-fill and refill American oak. 20%
Secondary maturation: custom barrels with heavily toasted new French oak heads sourced from 195 year-old Vosges forests. 80%

Bottling Details
Bottled at 46%. Natural colour. Not chill filtered.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Meaty with what reminds me of hard candies in exotic fruit flavors. Honeysuckle and orange blossoms are there if you wait a while for them to unfold.
Palate: Rich, creamy, and mouth coating followed by a swift kick in the teeth! Orange marmalade, toffee, and pumpkin pie spice.
Finish: Dry, spicy (as you’d expect!), leathery, and drawn out. Woody but not overly so.
Comments: What I like most about this is the exercise in understanding wood influence between this and Oak Cross. You’ll notice a blend that is all but identical except for the proof and wood. For me this dram is an intellectual exercise. It’s a great dram, don’t get me wrong but not my favorite of the Compass Box line. I think it also plays a little second fiddle to Oak Cross. Not that it does anyone any good but I also like the original version better.
Rating: Stands Out

Compass Box Spice Tree Read More »

Compass Box Oak Cross

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Oak Cross Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
43% ABV
$55 to $60
Website
OakCross-Box-Bottle
What the Blender Says:
We call this whisky Oak Cross because it offers the best characteristics of both American and French oak aging. A rich, medium-bodied blended malt Scotch whisky, Oak Cross combines vanilla characters from American oak and spicy, clove-like characters from French oak.

Innovative New Oak Casks
We work with a small mill in France that produces some of the highest quality cooperage oak in the world. It was our work with this mill that led us to experimenting with secondary maturation of malt whiskies in casks fitted with new French oak heads. This is something no one else in Scotland does. The result is whisky with more character and complexity. We use this technique on about 40% of the whisky in Oak Cross and it results in a superior finished product.

Flavour Descriptors
On the palate, notes of clove and vanilla accent a sweet maltiness and subtle fruit character.

Recommendations
Suitable as an aperitif served with a chilled water in the winter months. Full enough to serve as a summertime digestif. Excellent match for many cheeses.

Distillery Sourcing
Made entirely of Highland single malt whiskies from the villages of Brora – 60% (fruitiness), Carron – 20% (meatiness) and Alness – 20% (perfume).

Wood
All the whiskies are aged for their primary maturation in a mix of American oak cask types. The marrying casks are a mix of first-fill Bourbon barrels (60%) and our proprietary “Oak Cross” casks made of American and new French oaks (40%).

Bottling Details
Bottled at 43%. Natural colour. Not chill filtered.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Heather, grape jam covered toast, and a back note that’s a little meaty.
Palate: Surprisingly sweet. Peaches and cream, raw cane juice, and candied pineapple.
Finish: Woody and dry like an over handled California Chardonnay and then a big whump of spicy pepper and wood that lingers a while ultimately turning almost minty.
Comments: I’m a bit perplexed. I remember this always being my least favorite of the core Compass Box range but tasting it again after several years I don’t know why I felt that way. This is delicious.
Rating: Must Try

Compass Box Oak Cross Read More »