Welcome to day 5. Yet another hit but this time a blender how doesn’t love Compass Box? for a blender its rare to have hit after hit and at such affordable pricing and I am sure you will agree this one is also a banger. Unfortunately this is a special one so unless you have a way to get a bottle you probably wont taste its like again but there will always be another one around the corner so lets think positive and dig into this dram
Whisky
Country: Scotland
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Producer Description (From the back label of the bottle!):
“The city and the wilderness: two compelling spaces for the imagination to wander around. And few spots combine the appeal of both like Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Here you can find metropolitan comforts, but with something of a Wild West mentality. We have chosen to reflect this dualism through the whisky you hold in your hand, created with Andrew Ferguson of Kensington Wine Market to celebrate the store’s 30th Anniversary.
“Pour a glass and experience a whole basket of ripe peaches and golden apples from the farmers’ market, flavours delivered by single malts from the Mortlach and Teaninich distilleries, aged in active American oak barrels. They duke it out with the whiskies from the Caol Ila and Ardbeg distilleries, single malts from Scotland’s wild west coast. Like a ranger from the mountains, they stride into town with the scent of campfire on their clothes.
“Lush and fruity; complex and smoky – the city skyline and the Rocky mountains brought together in one whisky. Whether or not you are able to beat a path to Calgary in 2022, we hope you will join us in toasting Kensington Wine Market and 30 years committed to bringing delicious wines and spirits to Canada.
“John Glaser, Founder & Whiskymaker, Compass Box”
The Full Recipe
- 37%* 20 year old Caol Ila from refill ex-Bourbon barrel
- 30%* 20 year old Teaninich from first fill ex-Bourbon barrel
- 23%* 19 year old Mortlach from re-charred ex-Bourbon barrel
- 10%* 17 year old Ardbeg from re-charred ex-Bourbon barrel
*Funny story about the recipe for this whisky, it has a margin of error… At the time of blending, one of the necessary components could not be added in precisely the right volume, though how much it was short was not entirely clear. This necessitated a bit of improvisation by Whisky Maker James Saxon to tweak the profile back on course. So while there is no doubt about the quality of this whisky, we can’t be 100% confident of the precise volume of each of the four components in the blend!
Tasting Notes
Nose: oceanside campfire the next morning; malt; nail polish, old apples, hay?
Taste: smokey grain and wood, someone shouting the names of fruit, smoke, cheap smokies
Finish: sea salt, memories of smoked fish skin; onion powder, basic whisky(TM)
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