Now with a tasting having been involved… So may as well record sample notes for those I’ve not done a small write up yet.
Ah, Compass Box or as some call it: “The Clynelish Fan Club”… Seriously pretty much everything they do has Clynelish in it. Also all their recipes are posted on their site or can be found out by simply emailing their front email. As a company they’re great and hugely innovative in blending space. Frankly, they have pioneered the concept of ‘interesting blended whiskey with a story’ instead of ‘generic blend for consistency’ as is most of the scotch industry used to be. Also generally speaking, since their blends come effectively in ‘editions’ they will vary slightly batch by batch or year to year.
Quick Impressions of what not been previously covered by https://www.aerin.org/?x=entry:entry190705-072717 :
Great King St. Artist Blend
Clynelish contents 38%, with 47% being from Cameronbridge Single Grain.
The palate alternates between being malty and lightly sweet, and iis consistently peach/pear forward. Very tiny bit of smoke remaining from Clynelish but oak and and vanilla coming from the grain. Great drink, not too heavy, but a little bit on the softer side due to grain inclusion of course. Great nose too, though it’s mostly Clynelish-dominated which throws it into mis-balance with the sweeter, fruitier palate. Unfortunately being a mix of malt and grain, this excels at neither. Thumbs up but it’s not a ‘chase it to the ends of the earth’ pour. Stock in the cabinet for guests and happily drink at a bar or with food, or even during a good conversation @work, but don’t make your experience only about the whiskey. It’s an enhancer, not a centerpiece.
Score: C+
Great King St. Glasgow Blend
Clynelish contents 2.6%, with 35.2% being from Cameronbridge.
Sorta meatier, heartier, smokier version of Artist’s Blend, more malt and more smoke to support each other. Palate is some sherry sweetness, rich fruits and savoriness. At the end of the night, peated whiskeys aren’t my thing and this also settles into slightly metallic aftertaste suggesting quite young peat in the mix. Pretty much it’s a peated and more flavorful version of Artists blend to maintain some of the balance. Even more than the other Blend, the inclusion of single grain doesn’t provide it any favors as it dilutes malt aftertaste and lets smoke dominate somewhat. Is it great? No. Is it good? Yes, for what it is. Not my favorite because young peat. Repeating myself from the previous review: “Stock in the cabinet for guests and happily drink at a bar or with food, or even during a good conversation @work, but don’t make your experience only about the whiskey. It’s an enhancer, not a centerpiece.”
Score: C
The Spice Tree
Clynelish contents 14%
Yay a proper malt! Ginger and some light baking spices surrounding the core of fruity maltiness. Solid, tasty great drink. Low peat doesn’t hinder it and some residual smoke from Clynelish enhances the flavor if anything. Reminds me somewhat of smells of a good wood shop. The combination of oak and wood and some bits of leftover lacquer is very much what I’m getting out of my glass. At the same time the flavors and smells aren’t overwhelming either. Decent aftertaste that’s very much inline with the primary palate, lasts for a while and, seems to get better as more ginger and other spice notes come and go in waves. Tiny bits of bitterness on the initial palate, origin of which I cannot quite place, lower the overall enjoyment and the more I am tasting my glass the more noticeable the bitter notes are as my palate adjusts to this pour.
Score: B-
The Story of the Spaniard
Clynelish contents 0%…
Of all the samples in the tasting, I’ve been looking forward the most to this one as I made no secret that I’m a fan of red wine barrel finished whiskeys. Surprisingly, there’s no Clynelish. What it does have, is a mix of different distilleries aged in sherry and red wine casks, ostensibly all from Spain. The nose is very rich and creamy and sweet and very sherry forward. A rare note on proof, while being 43% abv, it smells richer and heavier than what the proof number suggests it should. On the other hand, the palate is surprisingly thin when compared to the nose. It’s still full of sherry sweetness and some red wine notes and spices… but after the luxurious nose, the palate is almost a letdown. Long and delicious finish isn’t though. Lots of tasty notes in this one that continue from the nose. If you’re a fan of sherry and sweet malts… this may be one to try for you. Don’t hesitate to get a bottle and make your own opinion. The only real letdown is the proof as it dilutes the palate.
Score: B
Flaming Heart 2015 Limited Edition
Clynelish contents 24.1%… Scotch Noob does a fantastic review of this bottle here: https://scotchnoob.c … g-heart-5th-edition/
A little bonus review addition, as I happened to have a bottle of this, separately from the tasting samples. Aside from this being a peated whiskey… this has all the benchmarks of an outstanding pour, the age transforms peat smoke into much more complex smoky flavors as it does with all old peat. Since I’m a sucker for sweet (old) peat, this thing is great! Sweet, a little savory and smokey, notes of some zesty sourness are in there to balance out the savory. It would pair fantastic with either cheese or chocolate. This is essentially vanilla, oak, aromatic campfire without smoke going into your eyes kinda experience. Very elegant and well balanced with neither flavor overwhelming the other. An excellence of study in blended peat and layers that it can produce when blended with a light touch and masterful hand. Quality components don’t hurt either.
Score: B+
Overall:
Forget about the stigma of blended whiskeys when it comes to Compass Box products, while there are always winner or losers in any company releases… Compass Box have been consistently putting out releases that have not been any less than ‘good’ and spiraling into ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ for their limited edition releases, though those do depend whether or not any consumer really enjoys that particular flavor profile or not. Either way. They’re all great bottles. Give them a try, yada yada. Some acceptance of peat is required though due to proliferation of Clynelish or other peated whiskeys in almost everything they do.
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown