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    Home » Blended Scotch & Whiskey

    Published Jan 25, 2019 · Updated Apr 16, 2022 · by Tammy Spencer · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Compass Box Whiskymaker's Blended Scotch Lineup

    Jump to Reviews

    The Whiskymakers at Compass Box blend scotch with specific intent. Taking good wood casks and marrying whisky from all over Scotland, They produce expressions that are more than the sum of their parts.

    Compass Box Blended Scotch partial lineup in bottles on a counter.this …

    I like learning.

    There…I said it, loud and proud. Whether it’s towards a degree (and not to brag, I have several), or just a new cooking technique, I just love to learn new things.

    When I can combine my love of learning with something I’m passionate about (like baking and whisky), I’m especially gratified.

    That’s why I was so happy to go to the Compass Box Scotch Whiskymaker's Whisky School.

    Let me explain…

    Jump To: hide
    Learning about scotch
    Compass Box Whiskymaker's Blended Scotch Lineup Tasting
    Compass Box - Hedonism
    Compass Box - The Spaniard
    Compass Box - Juveniles
    Compass Box - Delilah’s XXV
    Compass Box - Peat Monster
    Compass Box - Flaming Heart
    Final thoughts
    Related Tasting Notes

    Learning about scotch

    When I research a particular lineup for a review post, I generally head to the company’s website and poke around to see if there’s something to learn there.

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    Usually I see information about the distillery’s history and philosophy about what makes their products unique, along with details for their individual expressions.

    Sometimes the distillery goes into more depth about their process, and my favorite sites are the ones that go into depth about the entire whisky-making process.

    Compass Box Blended Scotch motto painted on a wall.
    "There are no rules. Simply share and enjoy." - John Glaser (photo credit: Compass Box)

    When I visited the Compass Box website, they had a series of videos where their founder and whiskymaker, John Glaser, explained about blending scotch whisky, the importance of wood and cask selection, and how they come up with the different expressions of Compass Box blended scotch.

    These short yet informative videos do a great job of explaining what is blended scotch and how it’s a unique category of whisky unto itself. Here’s a brief summary of what I learned…

    • The importance of good wood…70% of flavor comes from the cask, so the types and styles of those casks are paramount to flavor
    • Marrying different types of scotch together is more than just mixing them. It’s blending with specific intent, then putting the mixture back into wood casks to allow the flavors to rest and mature before bottling
    • You can use whatever types of scotch that you want to create the new expression, single malt whisky or grain whisky, peated or unpeated, etc. The idea is to enhance the blend by targeting the characteristics you want to feature from each component regardless of what those components are and/or where they are from

    There’s a lot more to the videos, and I encourage you to take a few minutes and take them in.

    Okay, class dismissed…let’s get to the tasting!

    Compass Box Blended Scotch lineup in bottles on a counter.
    Our full Compass Box lineup for the tasting

    Compass Box Whiskymaker's Blended Scotch Lineup Tasting

    At Gordon’s DTX, January 16, 2019

    Compass Box - Hedonism

    43%ABV
    All grain (no single malt), ex-bourbon cask, average age 17-23yr
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: vanilla, light nose, cream
    • Taste: thick body, creamy, vanilla toffee, light baking spices
    • Finish: light cinnamon, very light white pepper
    • Comments: sweet, flavor lingers

    Compass Box - The Spaniard

    43%ABV
    48% sherry, 25% red wine, French and American Oak
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: herbs, berry fruits, greenery
    • Taste: lightly smoky, plums, cereal grains, caramel, cream
    • Finish: cream and plums, cherries
    • Comments: fruit forward in nose and taste, really lovely
    Compass Box Blended Scotch Hedonism and Spaniard in bottles on a counter.

    Compass Box - Juveniles

    46%ABV
    ⅓ each BenRomach, Clynelish, Strathmill (Highland Single Malts)
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: heathery smoky, clover, cereal, hay
    • Taste: med body, cereal, hay, clover, light campfire smoke
    • Finish: grain, almost pine
    • Comments: clean, light ash, uncomplicated

    Compass Box - Delilah’s XXV

    46%ABV
    Limited edition, Oloroso sherry, started with previous batch
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: hay, vanilla toffee, oatmeal
    • Taste: light berry fruit
    • Finish: fades to hay, cereal
    • Comments: nose eventually matches taste, confusing at first
    Compass Box Blended Scotch Juveniles and Delilah 25 in bottles on a counter.

    Compass Box - Peat Monster

    46%ABV
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: iodine smoke, beach breezes, light oak
    • Taste: bright beach campfire, vanilla fudge, oak shavings, thick body
    • Finish: oak and smoke
    • Comments: nice peat flavor

    Compass Box - Flaming Heart

    48.9%ABV
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: plums, leather, cinnamon light citrus
    • Taste: beach smoke rises, baking spices, ripe plums
    • Finish: ripe plums, ash, ocean air
    • Comments: it’s got a lot going on, layered, interesting
    Compass Box Blended Scotch Peat Monster and Flaming Heart in bottles on a counter.

    Final thoughts

    My favorite takeaway from researching this lineup of Compass Box blended scotch was that there is no one way to enjoy whisky. Whether you take it neat, with water, with ice, in cocktails, with food, is totally up to you.

    Just like how everyone’s palate is unique, how you like to drink scotch is right for you, end of story.

    I’ve been schooled, now so have you!

    Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!

    Tammy

    Related Tasting Notes

    Scotch comes in different styles. There's single malt scotch, blended scotch, and peated scotch. Here's where you can find a blended scotch I've reviewed in a lineup.

    • Blended Scotch & Whiskey

    More Blended Scotch & Whiskey Tasting Notes

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    • Random whisky reviews from individual notes

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    Hi, I'm Tammy! My fascination with baking comes from my love of science and the magic of bringing together ingredients to produce something yummy. Coupling that with my appreciation of scotches and bourbons, I love to bake stuff, jot down my whisky tasting notes, and share my experiences with you!

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