Compass Box Tobias & The Angel
Blended Malt Whisky
47.6% ABV
$500
Website
What the Blender Says
Made from just two parcels of whisky, which we are unlikely to source again at these ages, Tobias & the Angel is a culmination of two decades of whiskymaking.
We have a long-held reverence for the whiskies of the Clynelish and Caol Ila Distilleries. Ever since Eleuthera, which we created in 2002, we have understood that these two distillery whiskies complement each other exquisitely.
For the label artwork, so great is our esteem for the whiskies in this blend that we looked to Renaissance painting for inspiration.
We’ve chosen TOBIAS & THE ANGEL , a beautiful painting produced at Andrea del Verrocchio’s studio in Florence during the 15th century. As was common at the time, however, TOBIAS & THE ANGEL showcases the talents of several artists. For example, the little dog with its graceful and minutely-observed curls of hair, and the gleaming fish carried by Tobias, were both painted by a young Leonardo da Vinci.
We love the symbolism of the naïve boy and the divine angel. To us this represents the relationship between aromatic smoke, a hallmark of Caol Ila Distillery, and the ethereal fruitiness and complexity of Clynelish.
TOBIAS & THE ANGEL is our latest study of these two unique flavour profiles, and the effects of their combination. Due to the age of the single malts involved, it is also our rarest and most precious. We hope that those able to acquire a bottle might share its contents with other whisky lovers; the Angel to their Tobias.
FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS: Distant bonfires underlay ethereal herbal and fruit characters, the result of extended maturation.
DISTILLERY SOURCING: A heavenly partnership of Clynelish Distillery and Caol Ila Distillery.
BOTTLING DETAILS: Bottled at 47.6% | Not chill-filtered | Natural colour
RECOMMENDATIONS: We believe this whisky will be best appreciated sipped at bottling strength. However, you may enjoy it any way you like.
What Gary Says
Nose: Rich, smoky earthiness, herbal with fennel and lemongrass while sweet with vanilla, apricots, mangoes, and faint chocolate.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruit salad with peaches, stewed pears and cherries all drizzled lightly in caramel, earthy notes with pepper spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, a bit of a vegetal note, peat smoke and a bit of toffee.
Finish: Long with peat smoke and toasted marshmallow lingering.
Comments: This is a deliciously complex dram – one I want to savor and pick apart every sniff or sip as it seems to keep showing me something new. A bit of water amps up the fruit notes on the nose, and does the same on the palate while tamping the earthiness, and giving it a bit of waxiness. I had the absolute pleasure of sampling this over the course of a couple of weeks, and doing so in a side-by-side setting with the preceding blends Eleuthera and The Lost Blend which I was fortunate enough to have bottles of. That was a lot of fun to experience the progression moving from Eleuthera, which is a fine dram in its own right, to The Lost Blend – where it is quite similar but more rich and complex, to this which was more than a bit more complex. This is comprised of parcels from Clynelish (24 yrs old) and Caol Ila (34 yrs old) in 51% to 49% ratios respectively. If those ages are accurate, it is interesting that the older malt flipped here – as Eleuthera’s components were 15 yr Clynelish with 12 yr old Caol Ila. For a whisk(e)y geek, I would absolutely encourage you to try to find an opportunity to try this – but the price is such that I couldn’t say anyone ‘Must Buy’. Personally I’ve never spent this much money on a bottle, but I’m incredibly thankful and fortunate that Richard acquired one and generously shared it. He shared his take on bottles in these higher priced tiers – not thinking about them simply as whiskey, but as an experience. From that perspective, if you’ve ever enjoyed a $100 (or more) meal – consider that lasts only for a few hours over one evening, whereas you could enjoy perhaps a dozen such evenings with a 2 oz pour of this gem. Or fewer while sharing the experience with friends. This is definitely one I’d savor for an entire evening.