The whisky makers 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!
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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 Blended Scotch Whiskymaker's Whisky School.
Let me explain…
Learning about blended 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.
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.
When I visited the Compass Box website, they had a series of videos where their founder and whisky maker, 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…
Blended scotch basics
- Importance of good wood: 70% of flavor comes from the cask, so the types and styles of those casks are paramount to flavor
- Blending with intent: 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
- Use different scotch types: 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!
My Tasting Notes
Compass Box Blended Scotch
At Gordon's DTX, January 16, 2019
Compass Box Hedonism
43% ABV; All grain (no single malt), ex-bourbon cask, average age 17 to 23 years
Type: Scottish
Keywords: Blended Scotch, Bourbon Cask Finish, Scotch, Whisky
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Vanilla, light nose, cream
- Taste: Thick body, creamy, vanilla toffee, light baking spices
- Finish: Tight cinnamon, very light white pepper
Comments
This expression is sweet with lingering flavor.
Compass Box The Spaniard
43% ABV; 48% sherry, 25% red wine, French and American Oak
Type: Scottish
Keywords: Blended Scotch, Scotch, Whisky
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Herbs, berry fruits, greenery
- Taste: Lightly smoky, plums, cereal grains, caramel, cream
- Finish: Cream and plums, cherries
Comments
It's fruit forward in nose and taste, and really lovely.
Compass Box Juveniles
46% ABV; ⅓ each BenRomach, Clynelish, Strathmill (Highland Single Malts)
Type: Scotch
Keywords: Blended Scotch, Scotch, Whisky
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Heathery smoky, clover, cereal, hay
- Taste: Medium body, cereal, hay, clover, light campfire smoke
- Finish: Grain, almost pine
Comments
It's clean with light ash, and uncomplicated.
Compass Box Delilah's XXV
46% ABV
Type: Scottish
Keywords: Blended Scotch, Oloroso Cask Finish, Scotch, Whisky
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Hay, vanilla toffee, oatmeal
- Taste: Light berry fruit
- Finish: Fades to hay, cereal
Comments
The nose eventually matches taste, so it's confusing at first.
Compass Box Peat Monster
46% ABV
Type: Scottish
Keywords: Blended Scotch, Peated, Scotch, Whisky
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
Keywords: Blended Scotch, Scotch, Whisky
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Plums, leather, cinnamon light citrus
- Taste: Beach smoke rises, baking spices, ripe plums
- Finish: Ripe plums, ash, ocean air
Comments
This has got a lot going on - it's layered and interesting.
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!
I hope you like this review! If you've tried any of the expressions and have your own tasting notes, please leave a comment. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
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