Review: The Entertainer by Compass Box

Posted on 12th Apr 2017 by Steve Prentice

The Entertainer by Compass Box – 46% abv

Info: Released over four years ago, The Entertainer by Compass Box is an exclusive whisky to Selfridges, so a slightly more unusual Compass Box dram to find. 1000 bottles produced.
Colour: Bright and fairly light gold, summery.
Nose: A slightly older nose to this, but fairly strong and powerful. There’s hints of over ripe citrus fruit, Christmassy fruit cake, toffee caramels, hints of gentle smoke and just a pinch of herb. With a little more time to open up there’s some creamy vanilla notes, and some mossy dunnage-style damp wood. Selfridges and Compass Box are very much trying to recreate a nose found in whiskies from yesteryear.
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Review: Three Year Old Deluxe by Compass Box

Posted on 10th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Three Year Old Deluxe by Compass Box – 49.2% abv

Info: Is the Three Year Old Deluxe by Compass Box slightly tongue in cheek? Oh yes I think so! Good for them. 0.4% total liquid volume in this blend is 3 years old, the entire rest of the bottle is lots older, but because of EU regulations they can’t say how old. Unless you ask them directly, which you should (drop them an email and they’ll tell you the recipe!).
Colour: Bright, clear and golden.
Nose: Quite a lot of this whisky is from Clynelish distillery, and you can tell, it’s quite a familiar nose (if you know your Clynelish), it’s definitely got that north highland coastal, heathery tang to it. Behind it is malt, oak, and small, gentle peaty hints with spices.
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Review: Spice Tree Extravaganza

Posted on 9th Dec 2016 by Steve Prentice

Spice Tree Extravaganza – 45% abv

Info: Spice Tree Extravaganza, sees former banned bottling The Spice Tree reinterpreted with the use of “older components” and a “significant portion” of Sherry-cask matured aged malt whisky. 12,240 bottles, no colouring, no chill filtration.
Colour: Fully golden with autumnal hints.
Nose: The nose is, as you’d expect, spicy! Wood spices galore. With some air you start to get lots of other wonderful aromas, malt and citrus and summer fruits with cream.
Palate: The palate is upfront with spice and oils, it covers your tongue with a tingly spirit that stops getting too spicy that it overpowers you and remains really enjoyable. Wood oaks and sweet fruity malt is there along with a creaminess and hints of char smoke.
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Review: The Circus by Compass Box

Posted on 17th Aug 2016 by Steve Prentice

The Circus by Compass Box – 49% abv

Info: Blended scotch whisky consisting of various parcels of blended scotch whiskies, grain whiskies and Benrinnes, all from sherry butts. 2,490 bottles worldwide. 49% abv non chill filtered and no colouring.
Colour: Autumn gold, hints of orange rustiness.
Nose: The instant relaxing old style nose that puts you at ease and lets you know something good is coming. Lashings of gentle, balanced and well integrated sherried tones along with old, well matured oak notes. You’ll want to keep smelling this for quite a long time. Some creaminess, along with dried fruits and hints of nuttiness.
Palate: At first it’s almost quite fresh, but it very quickly then releases the older whisky tones on to your palate with their oils and medium level wood spices from the sherry butts. The sherried malt is sweet, well balanced and easy going with a warming autumnal character which covers your palate.
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Review: Enlightenment by Compass Box

Posted on 15th Aug 2016 by Steve Prentice

Enlightenment by Compass Box – 46% abv

Info: Enlightenment is a blended malt from Compass Box consisting of Clynelish, Glentauchers, Balblair and Mortlach. 5,922 bottles. 46% non chill filtered and natural colour.
Colour: Straw gold.
Nose: Malty and summery, with a good depth to back it up. It’s fresh and vibrant, hints of green apple, pear and vanilla.
Palate: Fairly waxy and thick with oils, there is a pinch of soft spices and gentle sweet tones with the green apples and orchard fruits there amongst the malty goodness. Citrus hints and touches of cream.
Finish: Fresh and vibrant, fairly long because of all the oils in the malt, with vanilla tones lasting out to the end with just a hint of tannins.
Water: A drop of water doesn’t take anything away, the soft spices stay, and maybe a hint more of the orchard fruits are released along with a slight toffeeiness.
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Review: Compass Box Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary

Posted on 8th Dec 2015 by Steve Prentice

Compass Box – Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary – 48.9% abv

Info: First released in 2006, Flaming Heart was the first whisky to combine the rich, complex spice of Scotch aged in new French oak with the evocative peat-fired smoke of Islay malt.
Colour: Ripe corn to light gold; no colouring (or chilling) here.
Nose: There’s a light to medium smokey peat note there, amongst bourboney fruits and hints of honey and wax polish.
Palate: Thick, oaky and peaty… yum. There’s a good set of berry fruits at the front, followed up by an earthy clean peat with a good sweetness behind it to make it really enjoyable.
Finish: Slow, long and really warming on your chest, a good tickle of gentle spices to keep the dram going. Crushed berry fruits, raspberries and smoke.
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Review: This Is Not A Luxury Whisky by Compass Box

Posted on 7th Dec 2015 by Steve Prentice

Compass Box – This Is Not A Luxury Whisky – 53.1% abv

Info: Inspired by René Magritte’s famous 1929 painting The Treachery of Images. Lots of Glen Ord in it.
Colour: Orangey golden.
Nose: Instant hints of old oak and dunnagey warehouses all mixed with seville marmalade, berry notes and some spices.
Palate: Nice and thick oils which cover your mouth in spices which get to a level that they’re fun but not overpowering. It’s enjoyably approachable, even at cask strength. There’s a gorgeous gentle sweetness running through it, hints of toffee.
Finish: The finish shows the most layers to me, fresh, quality old casks, a cola cube, spices, tannins and oak. It’s long and massively enjoyable.
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Review: Compass Box’s Hedonism Quindecimus

Posted on 15th Jun 2015 by Steve Prentice

Hedonism Quindecimus – Compass Box – 46% abv

Info: This limited edition blended grain scotch whisky release from Compass Box was created in celebration of the 15th anniversary of their Hedonism blended grain whisky (which was their first bottling!). Made with a selection of grain whiskies of various ages from a number of different distilleries.
Colour: Bright light golden, nice and natural.
Nose: Similar to the colour suggestion, it starts off light and bright, but soon backed up by layers of nicely aged grain… there’s oak notes and hints of old leather. It takes a moment for the lighter alcohol vapours to evaporate leaving a smooth, buttery, rich nose behind with plenty of nuttiness and some minty hints.
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Review: Compass Box The Lost Blend

Posted on 24th Nov 2014 by Steve Prentice

Compass Box – The Lost Blend – 46%

Here’s some of the PR info, and after that you’ll find my notes and thoughts…

The Lost Blend is the new limited edition release from award-winning Scotch Whiskymaker Compass Box. This marriage of three single malts is a homage to their long lost (and much loved) Eleuthera whisky, and boasts the same unique smoky fruity style. After 10 years of searching, whiskymaker John Glaser was finally able to track down the unique whiskies he required earlier this year. The result is The Lost Blend.

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Review: Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend

Posted on 23rd Nov 2014 by Steve Prentice

Compass Box – Great King Street Glasgow Blend – 43%

There’s a new Great King Street blend on the streets. Here’s PR info and then below that find my notes and thoughts…

Glasgow Blend is the second permanent whisky to be introduced to the Great King Street range of innovative, small-batch Blended Scotch whiskies from Compass Box.

It is made from approximately 67% malt whisky from the regions of Islay, the Highlands and Speyside and 33% Lowland grain whisky from a Fife distillery.