Compass Box Hedonism Felicitas
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
53% ABV
$170-$180
Website
What the Blender Says
Hedonism Felicitas pays tribute to the whisky that launched our business 20 years ago. ‘Felicitas’, meaning a particularly productive or happy state, seemed apt when reflecting on such a milestone.
This latest special Limited Edition is intended to convey the good fortune and happiness we feel, having met and worked with so many remarkable people during our first two decades. As a celebration of this important anniversary, this whisky is for them.
The largest single component was distilled in 2001 at the Port Dundas Distillery and is full of wood spice, toffee and honey. A third of the recipe was made in the 1980s at the Strathclyde Distillery, providing vanilla cream and orchard fruit notes. Barrels filled with spirit from the North British Distillery in the 1990s complete the recipe and lend passion fruit and cardamom notes.
Hedonism Felicitas is at once vibrant and stately: the higher bottling strength concentrates its luscious depths without any loss of the disarming gentleness for which aged grain whisky is rightly praised.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: Natural colour | Light 5 micron filter, not chill-filtered | July 2020 | A limited edition of 2,226 bottles
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Creamy coconut intertwines with notes of caramel, vanilla and almond. Apple and greengage add a delicious weight with a soft finish packed with creamy toffee.
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich and creamy, freshly baked cheese Danish, caramel, raw honey, tropical fruit, nougat, nutmeg, exotic wood and floral perfume.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, apple Danish, gentle baking spics, toffee, hazelnuts, coconut macaroons.
Finish: Long, thick with vanilla, light caramel and slowly drying.
Comments: Hedonism is a bit of a delicate dram, as you’d expect with grain whisky – so I appreciate the higher ABV on this one. This definitely takes Hedonism up another level, and I couldn’t shake the thoughts of freshly baked pastries (more cheese Danish on the nose and apple on the palate). Takes water like a champ, but doesn’t need it. Absolutely delicious neat.