Scottish Whisky

Compass Box Juveniles

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Juveniles

46% ABV
$120-140
Website

What the Blender Says

For over 30 years, Juveniles Bistrot à Vins in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris has been a crossroads for winemakers, spirits producers, writers and various sorts of affable hedonists from all over the world. Tim Johnston opened the restaurant in 1987. And in 2014, his daughter Margaux and her husband Romain joined him.

Compass Box and Juveniles share a similar approach to great food and drink, seeking out integrity and not taking things too seriously. Both our businesses are obsessed with quality and provenance. Both like to do things in their own way.

These common traits have made Compass Box and Juveniles good friends since the very first meeting between Tim and myself years ago. We have collaborated with Tim on Juveniles whiskies several times.

For this limited edition, Tim asked us to create something “…bright, smooth, not smoky…an assemblage perhaps between 12 and 15 years old…”. We’ve tried to give him all that and much more. This assemblage (we love Tim’s use of this wine word to describe whisky blending) is comprised of single malt whiskies from four distilleries, each bringing a distinctiveness to the whole.

However you choose to enjoy it, Tim and I say… Slàinte!
JOHN GLASER — Founder & Whiskymaker

FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS
You’ll find notes of barley sugar, pear drop and vanilla, complemented by an ethereal underlying herbal character.

AVAILABILITY
Release of 14,894 bottles worldwide. Bottled September 2018.

RECOMMENDATIONS
This is a whisky that would be a delight served with ice or slightly chilled before a meal, with a cheese course, or on its own after dinner.

BOTTLING DETAILS
Bottled at 46%. Not chill-filtered. Natural colour.

LEAD BLENDER
John Glaser

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, floral honey over perfumed malt, hay, almond essence and over-ripe pears.
Palate:  Sweet creamy mouthfeel with vanilla and honey; sharpens with a hint of ginger and tart peaches over pepper spice.
Finish:  Long and delicately drifting with a subtle spice note trailing.
Comments:  Another really great whisky by the fine folks at Compass Box. Lovely, sweet, rich yet delicate, and dangerously drinkable.

Rating: Must Try

NOTE:  Their web-site has downloads with the breakdown (image below), as well as a link to request more information.  Per their request, I won’t publish the additional details here, but they are happy to provide them if you inquire.  We here at Whisk(e)y Apostle are BIG fans of their transparency (oh – and their whisky is pretty great too 🙂 )

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Rock Oyster

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Rock Oyster Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

46.8% ABV
$50
Website

What the Producer Says

Prise open a rock oyster and you’d be lucky indeed to find a pearl. The real treasure though is the hidden, tasty delicacy inside, rich with the flavours of the sea. Bottled at 46.8% alcohol strength and traditionally without colouring or chill-filtration, this Small Batch bottling has a truly maritime and oceanic character of sea-salt, sweet peat, smoke, honey and pepper. Containing the finest Malt Whiskies from Scotland’s Whisky islands, including those distilled on Islay, Arran, Orkney and Jura, it’s no wonder our Master Blender Fred Laing says “If I could select just one dram to transport the Whisky enthusiast to the Islands of Scotland, it would be this Rock Oyster.”

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Anticipate wave soaked rocks and a salty oceanic, fresh influence. A hint of peat smoke, and an enticing sweetness.

PALATE: An initially subtle palate that carries soft and rather sweet peat paralleled with smoke, honey, damp ash and develops with liquorice and late pepper.

FINISH: The maritime is neatly replicated on the long, moreish finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Strolling along a Scottish coast; soft sea mist with iodine, subtle peat, damp hay over a hint of dried fruit.
Palate:  Soft and smooth entry with honey and barley sugar that builds in intensity; sweetness evolves to a citric, sour candy note as peat and pepper spice join in.
Finish:  Moderately long with lingering peat and freshly cracked pepper.
Comments:  I really dig the nose on this whisky; while there isn’t anything I dislike in the palate – this is one where I enjoy nosing more than drinking. If you’re a fan of that medicinal, peaty, salty Islay style – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed..

Rating: Stands Out

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The Arran Malt Single Cask Sherry 2014 Spring Release

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Arran Malt Single Cask Sherry Cask
2014 Spring Release

53.2% ABV
$100 – $120
Website

What the Bottle Says

This was a single-cask bottling that Richard picked up in Tennessee in April 2015, and Gary is now kicking himself for not picking up.
Cask #217
Bottle 183/562
Bottled 2/5/2014
Distilled 2/17/1997

What Gary Says

Nose: Damn this nose is thick! Full of BBQ sauce, molasses, smokey oak, tangy dark fruit with hints of balsamic.
Palate: Promised & delivered – lovely thick, chewy mouthfeel, rich with sherry sweetness, bitter chocolate, and nutty spice.
Finish:  Long, with the dark fruit memory slowly fading while dropping pepper spice along the way.
Comments:  Wow this is a fabulous bottle! I remember when Richard picked it up, and now tasting it REALLY wish I’d have grabbed a bottle. I don’t get BBQ sauce that often, but on three different tastings I noted (and underlined) it here. Unfortunately as a single cask, likely no chance of finding this bottle – but if I stumble upon some bottling of aged Arran in sherry, I’ll definitely give it serious consideration.

Rating: Must Try

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Compass Box The Double Single 2017

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box The Double Single – 2017 Release

46% ABV
$160 – $180
Website

What the Blender Says

‘Less is More’– Anon
How many components are required to create true
complexity in a Blended Scotch Whisky?

For Double Single, instead of using many tens of component whiskies we have used just two – one single grain whisky and one single malt whisky (hence the name). Both are beautiful liquids in their own right, but we believe they are elevated above the sum of their parts when combined in the correct proportions.

Such thinking runs strongly counter to the blending strategies evident in the larger, commercial Blended Scotch releases that dominate the whisky market worldwide, where many dozens of components can often be found within a single blend. So why do things differently?

We believe that when using components of the highest quality, less is often more. That the interaction between a single grain and a single malt can be every bit as good – better even – than either a more complex blend or the component tasted on its own. Above all, share & enjoy.

FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS
In The Double Single we have combined single malt whisky from the Glen Elgin distillery and single grain whisky from the Girvan distillery. The elegantly complex, ethereal malt whisky character is balanced on a decadent cushion of rich, sweet, vanilla-tinged grain whisky character.

AVAILABILITY
Limited Edition release of 5,838 bottles worldwide. Bottled March 2017.

BOTTLING DETAILS
Bottled at 46%. Not chill-filtered. Natural colour.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The combination is a deeply satisfying yet versatile whisky, perfect served as a rich aperitif before a winter’s dinner, or as a rewarding post-prandial any time of year.

LEAD BLENDER
John Glaser

72% malt whisky from Glen Elgin, aged in re-charred ex-bourbon hogshead
28% grain whisky from Girvan, aged in re-charred ex-bourbon barrels

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick honeysuckle, vanilla spongecake with baked apples, apricot marmalade, slightly nutty with notes of worn leather.
Palate:  Thick and viscous mouthfeel as the nose suggests, honey custard with exotic orange, fresh apples and cooked pears with a dusting of cinnamon.
Finish:  Fairly long with a bit of spice and vanilla as it trails off.
Comments:  This is a lovely, although nuanced dram. For me, this is one I like to spend some time with, coaxing the different elements out with a couple drops of water periodically.
While the majority of this is malt rather than grain, it has that gentle subtlety that you find with older single grain whiskies (and some older single malts as well). I’ve been a fan of almost everything John Glaser has done, although I generally prefer the more robust offerings. But if you’re in the mood for an elegant, pondering pour – this is pretty delicious.

Rating: Stands Out

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Glen Moray Classic Port Cask Finish

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Glen Moray Classic Port Cask Finish

40% ABV
$30
Website

What the Distiller Says

This light and fruity expression is finished for eight months in Port pipes from Porto Cruz, the N°1 Porto company in the world. The spirit picks up intense embellishments of summer fruit, dark chocolate and cinnamon and a distinct pink hue.

NOSE: Toasted vanilla and light oak, rich dried fruits.
TASTE: Refreshing spice with a citrus lemon tang. Caramelised sweetness with cinnamon.
FINISH: Lingering, with sweet spice and delicate oak.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet young malt, hints of plum with a sour cereal and port wine note, hints of berries in cream and leather.
Palate:  Sweet, round waxy mouthfeel, smooth with only a scant hint of dark fruit in the back.
Finish:  Short, damp, and fleeting.
Comments:  Following up after a port-finished bourbon, this was far less satisfying. This is the first Glen Moray bottle I’ve bought, and for $30 – I went in with fairly low expectations. The nose was promising, and had me hopeful I had discovered a diamond in the rough, but the palate was a let down. Nothing off putting in this dram – I won’t be dumping the bottle (may experiment with mingling this with something else), but won’t be picking up another either.

Rating: Average

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