Compass Box Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
48.9% ABV
$100
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What the Blender Says:
‘Every great achievement is the victory of a Flaming Heart.’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Since we launched the Compass Box Whisky Company back in 2000, we have always aimed to experiment, to innovate and to explore where others wouldn’t in the world of Scotch. No whisky is a greater example of this ambition than Flaming Heart.
First released in 2006, Flaming Heart was the first whisky to combine the rich, complex spice of Scotch aged in new French oak with the evocative peat-fired smoke of Islay malt. It created a genre-defying style that was mouldering, spicy, complex – and so popular that we re-released it three more times in the years that followed.
In this our fifteenth year, we felt compelled to revisit this unique style one more time. Our anniversary release is a huge, layered, long-lasting mouthful of a whisky to enjoy late into the night. Brooding, indulgent and older than ever before, this is a whisky born of oak, smoke and fire – with a big heart all of its own.
Availability: Fifteenth Anniversary Limited Edition release of 12,060 bottles. Bottled in July 2015.
Flavour Descriptors: A unique interplay between spice, sweet and smoke characteristics. Sweet fruits and wood-smoke on the nose. Fat and full-bodied on the palate with a spicy sweetness and a brooding complexity that is rich, sweet and addictively decadent.
Recommendations: This is a whisky for late nights, for after dinner, for camping under the stars. Drink it neat or pair with rich cheeses, fine cigars or your favourite rock song turned up to 11.
Bottling Details: Bottled at 48.9%, Not chill-filtered, Natural colour
What Richard Says:
Nose: A rich earthy and oily smoke rises out of the glass backed by a sweet fruitiness.
Palate: A rich citrus and stewed stone fruit sweetness punches out of the gate mixing with a slightly burnt vanilla cream. Soon the palate is transitioning though a spicy black peppercorn and chipotle spiciness into a lovely campfire sooty smoke.
Finish: This one just settles in for the long haul. “Long, lingering finish” only begins to give you a clue. That smokey palate is more subtle on the finish and fades like an elegant guest making the rounds of goodbyes on his way to door at the end of the party.
Comments: Wow! As much as I liked the last Flaming Heart edition I think I like this one even more. This really is a stellar example of John Glaser’s art. Even those who like scotch but maybe shy away from the smokier expressions might want to give this one a try. It could be a gateway toward the smokier drams.
Rating: Must Try