Cinematic: The General Compass Box Blended Scotch Whisky

New technology is, in general always fun to purchase and play with. Rarely have I found myself buying a piece of new technology that is truly essential; how often does one really need a new camera, tablet computer or, indeed, TV.

However, this last month has seen two piece of, erm, essential technology arrive at Chez Harrison. The first really is an essential: after an inspection on a very aging boiler in my new house, it was deemed by people in the know, who wear proper stout work clothes and carry actual tools, including a real gas-safety monitor, that my current boiler was a silent assassin; not the stylish sort you’d read about in a Nordic noir novel, but a clunky, British elderly sort who was capable of accidently pulling off the perfect crime. Less Stieg Larsson, more Tales of the Unexpected.

Now, I’m not sure many of you would think of a simple boiler, the heartbeat of a house, as a piece of technology. That is, until you see these modern-sorts which one can now purchase. My new boiler comes with a digital remote control, meaning you basically have a thermostat in whichever room you choose to inhabit of an evening. Some of the posher versions even come with an app to allow you to switch the heating and hot water on and off, from your mobile phone or tablet. I know, I know... this is the future, right??

The second piece of new technology which I’ve picked up, is a TV. I think most people would say that a TV isn’t an essential piece in the jigsaw of life but it has managed to ensconce itself firmly into the fabric of our culture and play a major role in our free time.

Buying a TV these days is not as simple as it used to be. 20 years ago, it was simply about size: how big do you want it. And if you want a really big TV, you’ll have to put up with something the size of a small car, parked in the corner of your living room.

In the 21st century, in the telly showrooms of the world, questions arise such as the refresh rate speed; LCD vs LED; 3D capability; do you want a ‘smart TV’ (I take it that means it has been to University for three years and can hold its own at a middle class dinner party...) and so on.

Some of these technological leaps, such as HD and the skinny nature of many of today’s screens are a vast improvement on the technology from previous years. But no matter how many aspects of technology we throw at the small screen, television is simply not the experience that cinema delivers.

Cinema is something else; the big screen, the huge surround sound, the comfy chairs, the sticky floors... it all adds up to an experience which we know and love.

There is something comforting about the cinema, but (it seems to me anyway) that, save for 3D films, the vast leaps forward in technology which we have seen in the world of TV, haven’t quite been applicable in the cinema, with the ‘experience’ relying far more on just that: experience. Visiting the cinema doesn’t seem to feel any different for me now, as it did when I was 12. It is still exciting, visceral and, to some degree (and compared to modern telly), old fashioned. But ultimately, very comforting indeed.

It is this comforting quality of being old-fashioned, antique if you like, which really sets apart the whisky in this post.

Constructed from a complicated mix of two parcels of pre-blended stock, which was allowed to mature for a very long time (33 years and, apparently 40 years) before the good people at Compass Box discovered them and decided that bringing them together into one single, uber-blend was a good idea.

And indeed it was:

The General – Compass Box – Blended Scotch Whisky – NAS – 53.4% abv - 70cl - ~£200 here and here

Nose: A very big, rich nose which brings to mind the age-old tasting note of deeply polished wood, sandalwood, toffee, oak and freshly baked wholemeal bread.

Palate: A strong palate which gives meaty notes, ginger, pulled pork and BBC burnt-ends. A hint of fruity lime is overpowered by candied orange and Ryvita. With water, the orange turns to orange blossom and lighter, white flowers (Lilly) emerge. The robustness is lost but replaced by a lovely floral delicacy, with the grain element becoming more lively.

Finish: Orange creams and banoffee pie. Again, with water, much more delicate but an increased spice on the finish.

Overall: this is a very interesting whisky, full of flavour and very old style, well aged malt and grain. The flavours of all the old-skool are there, and very comforting they are indeed.

Technology? Na, thanks. I’m off to the cinema for the sights, sounds and the smells which I hope never change as I carry on the journey into middle and old age.

The Wonka Of The Whisky World: Compass Box

Well, here we are again. Yet another year begins and, would you believe it, we're approaching the middle of the first month already. Sort of. Hush my mouth, we're really only eleven days in. Barely scratching the surface, really! Or should that be 'barley scratching the surface'...?

Right, with the contender for 'worst pun of the year' already made in only our second post of 2013, it's time to start to talk seriously about the year ahead. We've already heard rumours about interesting bottlings to come from a wide variety of different distilleries and blenders, but no matter what is pulled from various warehouses across Scotland (and let's not forget the rest of world, please) and put in a bottle, there is one vital aspect that still underscores the whole of the whisk(e)y business and that is quality.

In 2012 we've seen more bottles than ever released, and at increasingly higher prices (see: Supply And Demand 101) but, ya know, I actually think the quality is getting better. Even Aldi and Lidl are taking their whisky seriously nowadays. Who would have said that a few years ago about two shops which openly claim to be aimed at the shopper on a budget... amazing really. So as we enter our sixth year of writing about this fantastic product, we look forward to sharing our journey of discovery with you and to continue what we set out to do right at the start: educate, entertain and inform.

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Rumours of interesting bottles will always abound on the internet and until someone from a company, PR house or retailer actually tells us something is coming, we often take any whispers with a large pinch of salt. Especially those press releases which magically seem to appear each year on the first day of April...

However, there is one company who specialise in unusual bottles. When you hear a rumour about a possible release from this indie whisky house, you just hope it's true. The Wonka of whisky, Compass Box has been churning out amazing blended whisky since its inception in a West London kitchen in 2000.

Thirteen years later and this creative bunch have turned their hand to pretty much everything they could get away with, within the confines of the ever-changing Scotch Whisky Association regulations (and even some outside of it); this lot are real 'punks', in the purest sense of the word.

But not only do Compass Box have a focus on constructing fantastic liquid, they also have a real eye for art, too. The packaging designs chosen to house the whisky are just fantastic and the boxes which these bottles wear, sublime. Let's take a look at a new release from The House Of Compass Box, by way of an illustration:

Compass Box - The Entertainer - Blended Whisky - 1000 bottles only - Selfridge's exclusive - 70cl - 46% ABV - £84.99 here

This comes in a box and with a label which looks like Magritte and Duchamp have had a fight in workshop in early Nineteenth Century Vienna. To say this is a stunning piece is beyond doubt. But as we all know, whisky is not just about the packaging. How does this stuff actually taste?

Nose: A big hit of butterscotch and fresh daisy, there is also a wisp of peat smoke and oodles of vanilla. Just like opening a bag of Werther's Original by the fireside.

Palate: Deliciously delicate at first, with firey peat coming in to back up the mellow start. Tasted marshmallow melts over hot buttered crumpets and a hint of walnut praline gives some additional depth.

Finish: Vanilla. Peat smoke. Cinnamon. In that order. In equal measure.

Overall: This is incredibly drinkable whisky. With a drop of water it opens up to become really very moorish. Very well constructed a liquid.

This whisky is a creation specifically for the good people at Selfridges (who, ironically, don't actually sell fridges. Unlike John Lewis, who do) where it is exclusively available. Quite a timely release here in the UK; with a Downtown drought on, we have had to quench our thirst for costume drama with a new series that kicked off this weekend called Mr Selfridge, all about the inception of the great store and, I'm sure, some poetic licence on the odd love story of the workers therein.

Just 1000 bottles of this blend have been produced, retailing at £84.99. I wonder if Mr Selfridge was a whisky drinker himself. If so, I'm sure he'd have been proud to have this in his shop. And not just for the box.

18 Under 30 Part 17: Compass Box Asyla

Will someone turn the (Christmas) lights off when they leave?  

It seems that now all of us have survived the so-called Mayan Apocalypse, festive relief has truly set in across the globe and most of us decided to skip off work today, in search of a few last Christmas bargains they can get their hands on before settling back into a week of pure indulgence.

That is certainly the case for the Caskstrength office anyway -  Harrison, decided to clock off last Friday (Bah, Humbug indeed)  and headed for Scotland (alright for some, eh) whilst I ably manned the phones and the company Visa card -  keenly perusing the internet for whisky porn bargains.

And as part of our ongoing 18 Under £30 series, I've sought out another cracker, this time from our pals at Compass Box.

John Glaser and his team have, for over a decade, been putting together some excellent blended whiskies, including sublime grains and essential malt-based bottlings - all under the maxim, 'Above All, Share & Enjoy', which is a sentiment we wholeheartedly second.




So if you fancy something a little bit different over Christmas, remember the versatility of a quality blend: straight up, over ice, with sparkling water or as part of a cocktail, bottlings like Great King Street (£23.99) and the richer, more complex Spice Tree (£37.32) will serve you very well indeed.  However, our 18 Under 30 wouldn't be complete without this little offer: Compass Box Asyla for under £30!

Compass Box - Asyla - Blended Scotch Whisky - 40% 70cl

Nose: Some seriously fruity notes of fresh orchard fruit (red apples, plums) wrestle with some distinct melon freshness, a blast of sweet grain and a waft of subtle smoke.  

Palate: Sweet at first, with plum jam, some sliced apple, sweetened breakfast cereal, vanilla notes and again just a wisp of smoke.  Balanced, yet bold enough to punch through in a long drink or cocktail.

Finish: Lingering notes of vanilla and a little liquorice/anise spice, alongside some malty bread.

Overall:  One of the core Compass Box range and easy to see why - Asyla is well blended, stupidly easy to drink and as we mentioned above, extremely versatile.   Blending at its best. 

Compass Box Asyla is available for under £30 here and here.

For Peat's Sake

Damn it. The sun is shining outside, it's Good Friday, I've already consigned a wheelbarrow full or junk from the house to the garage and it's not even lunchtime yet.

But whilst I would usually use this quiet time of reflection, pre-fry up, to consume something a little lighter in weight, say a cup of Earl Grey tea, or maybe if i'm feeling daring, a lively Bloody Mary, a particular bottle has been sat at my desk for the past two weeks and it's high time I reviewed it.

The bottle in question is called Peat's Beast. According to the bottle, it is 'an intensely peated single malt Scotch whisky, un-chill filtered, as it should be' and is also 'a ferociously full-bodied single malt packed with a big bite of untamed peatiness.'

OK, so we've got one thing straight- it's a peated whisky. Its age and origin are unknown and apart from the wonderful Gerald Scarfe-esque illustration on the label, there is little information to hand, other than it is very light in colour.

The sun is still brilliant outside and before i've even uncorked the bottle, the house has just become very smoky, due to my neighbours having a small (yet unnervingly unruly) garden fire, so not the best of circumstances to try this beast. But whilst most of South London wash their cars or listlessly push hover mowers over their unkempt lawns, which is the usual Good Friday practice, i'm going to scale a peaty precipice - or something like that.

Peat's Beast - 46%

Nose: Bung cloth, moist oaky staves (like sticking your nose in a fairly used Hogshead), some dry sherry, spent matches, cream sofa and a hint of wood smoke. Dig a little deeper and some smoky bacon notes emerge, but it is not as ferocious as some of the big hitting Islay monsters, such as Ardbeg's Supernova, or Bruichladdich's Octomore. In fact, rather than a roaring fire, it is more like the dampened embers of a bonfire the day after a rain soaked firework display.

Palate: What the nose lacks by way of peat, the palate comes up with . It is youthful, harsh, aggressive peat smoke at first, not oily on the palate, but quite thin. There is also a huge dusting of white pepper, malted chocolate, some musty, mossy notes and then a little sweetened apple juice on the death. A little unbalanced, but peaty nonetheless.

Finish: The smoke lingers for a while, replaced with more peppery notes, dying down and leaving more of that burnt bonfire aroma/flavour in the mouth, like you've just gulped down some smoky-but-moist November air.

Overall: Peat's Beast may not be the big hitter you're looking for- if - and I repeat, if you are already an aficionado of big peaty whiskies, but to the uninitiated, this will certainly do the trick. In the arena of big-tottin' peated bottlings, Douglas Laing's Big Peat probably goes that extra yard in the smokestack stakes, but in my opinion, both pale into the background compared to Compass Box's Peat Monster, which has an additional complexity underneath all that smokiness.

Think i'll go off to enjoy a glass of light and refreshing Rosebank in the garden now... Oh, no.. wait...

Vats All Folks!

Regulation ties, Regulation shoes,

Those regulation fools

With the regulation rules.

Just keep on breakin' the rules

C'mon get ready to rule

Just keep on breakin' the rules

It seems very apt that you join us tonight and find us quoting the lyrics of a band, who to so many represented throwing off the shackles of oppressive authority: be it at work, at home or a higher power indeed. As straight down the line as they may be, AC/DC were unquestionably operating on a no frills, no bullshit policy.

The world of music is full of rule breakers - some with a genuine agenda to challenge convention and authority for the greater good - remember Rage Against The Machine? Gigs pulled by the authorities, peaceful protests ending in police tear gas dispersion tactics and tense stand-offs with politicians. In 2009, they even held off the full frontal assault from the dark-forces-of-the-bland-and-the-mediocre in claiming the Christmas no.1 from The X Factor.

Of course the whisky world is full of folks who challenge convention and probably occasionally break the rules, but we're probably not at the tear gas stage yet.

Artisinal whisky makers Compass Box notoriously clashed with 'The Man' - i.e, the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) when Spice Tree was deemed to be 'illegal'. The following is an extract from the the Compass Box website, which brilliantly points out how absurd the whole episode was:

'Working with friends like the famous Dr. Jim Swan, I borrowed a technique commonly used by winemakers and I began experimenting with secondary maturation of whisky in casks with new oak barrel inserts inside them. I was effectively using a quality of oak that is never used in Scotch whisky.The results were extraordinary! Why, I began wondering, are the winemakers getting all the good wood? Why don’t we use this kind of oak to mature Scotch whisky?

Well, we did. And this is where “The Spice Tree” came from. Our inaugural batch of just over 4,000 bottles was sold out in five weeks (we thought it would last five months!) And our second batch, released in April 2006 was entirely pre-sold to our importers before we bottled it!

However, the SWA did not like it. I tried to explain to them that we had studied the law and believed that what we were doing was well within it, not to mention a positive quality step forward for the industry. “Quality,” I was told by the SWA, “is completely irrelevant.” They had their interpretation of the law, which held that what we were doing was not “traditional”, so that was the end of the story, as far as they were concerned.

Not much we could do at that point, with a gun, (figuratively speaking) pointed at our head.'

Of course the rest is history and Spice Tree is still in production, (yay!) albeit with a different and apparently 'agreeable' technique.

But that's not the end of the story, concerning da rules. back in 2009, Parliament decided to take out Statutory Instrument 2890 - The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.

The rules are far too long-winded to go into detail with here, so for another brilliant explanation from Compass Box's John Glaser, click here:

What we will tell you is that from 23rd November (today) the term Vatted Malt and Vatted Grain (ie a vatting of different single malts or grain whiskies) has been deemed illegal to use on the label of a whisky bottle. The new permissible phrase is as follows:

'Blended Malt Scotch Whisky' or 'Blended Grain Scotch Whisky'.

Now, we know what you're thinking. 'Isn't this awfully like Blended Scotch Whisky and therefore, more confusing than using Vatted Malt?

The SWA's argument is that the phrase 'Vatted' is not something understood by the consumer, which we can't really argue with, but clearly this leads to a predicament, especially if your company makes both blended whiskies and blended malts.

So last night, to mourn the 'passing' of the term vatted, we found ourselves standing alongside a small gaggle of folks in the middle of Westminster Bridge, overlooking the House Of Commons. At precisely 11.59pm, Mr John Glaser conducted the very last 'legal' vatting of whisky for us to enjoy. A rather excellent vatting, sorry, blend (them's the rules now) of some rather old Speyside and Islay malts. Sublime stuff indeed - subtle smoke, fruits and sherry cask spice. Luckily John had set his watch via Big Ben time, so no need for the SWA to set their strategically poised snipers and rabid hounds loose on the assembled crowd, should the vatting have accidentally taken place at 12.01am.

The gathering was also the 'launch' for Compass Box's newest creations- Last Vatted Grain and Last Vatted Malt, of course bottled just before the ban came into place.

Despite the cold London air playing havoc with our nosing ability, here's our thoughts:

Compass Box - The Last Vatted Malt - 1,323 bottles - 53.7% -Single malts from Speyside and Islay

Nose: Huge dried fruit notes, some oaky dryness and a big waft of spice hit first, then a gentle sooty peat, which can only be classic old Caol Ila, although you didn't hear it from us. Perfect for a night like this.

Palate: The spiced fruits coat the tongue first, then the peat develops- but it so wonderfully soft, it just washes over with a gentle wave. This is seriously good Caol Ila in here, that's for sure. Fabulous.

Finish: Lingering wood spices, a hint of Creme Caramel and the remnants of the peat.

Overall: Every time, you have to hand it to Mr Glaser. To pick these casks and then vat them, (sorry, blend them) with such precision is a work of alchemy.

Next up: the last ever vatting of grain. We're told this came together from a mixture of '65 Invergordon, '79 Carsebridge, '91 Port Dundas and '97 Cameronbridge, all from first fill American oak, so you begin to get an idea of how exciting this is going to be.

The Last Vatted Grain - 297 bottles - 46% - various grain whiskies

Nose: Oh Hallelujah! It's like walking into a tropical fruit market. Mango, meets sweet pineapple, fat vanilla pods washed in bourbon, creamy cereal and slightly charred blood oranges.

Palate: The tour around the fruit market continues its stroll along the tongue - ripe pineapple, green bananas, vanilla custard tarts, and a little lingering nutmeg. Wonderful, light and beautifully balanced.

Finish: The creaminess of the nose returns to the finish and your mouth is left with the feeling of a midnight feast of crunchy nut cornflakes. Pretty damn accurate considering the time.

Overall: Again, a mastery of the vatter's, (sorry blender's) art bought to life for an all-too-short run of bottlings. If you can locate this - buy it now, treasure it for a moment as a relic of the past, then open it, whilst listening to I Fought The Law - whichever version you prefer; in our case the Dead Kennedys...

Blend Me Your Ears

Hot on the heels of our last post, I may have had a slight change of heart about a desire to distil in my shed at home. Those of you who keep an eye on UK news reports will have seen a story developing over the last few days about the illicit manufacturing of alcohol in the UK, prompted by an explosion at what appears to be a bootlegging factory in Boston, Lincs.

The BBC is reporting a HMRC spokesman as saying

“Yesterday's tragic events in Boston have underlined the risks that go with the illegal distillation of alcohol.

"In just over the last 12 months HMRC, working with other law enforcement agencies, has closed down three illegal stills and six men have been prosecuted for producing counterfeit vodka, resulting in prison sentences totalling over 56 years.

"Illegal alcohol undermines all honest alcohol traders whilst putting at risk the lives of those who consume and produce it."

(source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14151509)

That’s the Distillery Shed out of the equation then. I’m already scared that the gas cylinder under the BBQ is a ticking time-bomb... best leave the distillation to the experts, me thinks!

A much better option seems to be blending; a privileged granted to us and others by the chaps at Master Of Malt recently. Servicing ten blogs with a blending kit and letting us get on with it, the final result was chosen by the general public.

Having sat down and tasted all the blends, one thing is certain: they are all different. Some more so than others, but certainly each holds their own unique flavour profile. The winner has been announced here and you can purchase a bottle (or indeed a kit of all ten) to see if you agree with the result.

One thing that threads these blends together is the unanimous and resounding agreement that this process was a lot harder than we all initially thought. Many of us have been party to blending classes hosted by professionals or have even had a go at throwing together some bin-ends at home to see what we can produce... but having limited whiskies and being mindful of a price-point, this task was indeed challenging. Along with the distillation, I think I’ll leave the blending to the experts, at least for the time being!

A master at this craft is Compass Box’s John Glaser. Having started his boutique whisky company over ten years ago, the output from Compass Box seems to go from strength-to-strength. Recent additions to the range have focused on top end, premium releases under the banner of the Compass Box Signature Range with limited releases coming annually.

It is only now that Glaser and Compass Box have expanded their range with the launch of a new category, Great King Street focusing solely on blended whisky.

The first release under the Great King Street banner is their Artist’s Blend; available exclusively in 50cl bottles and, as always with Compass Box, with packaging that is sublime for something at this price point (sub-£24). Let’s see how this tries out:

Compass Box – Great King Street ; Artist’s Blend – 50cl - 43%

Nose: A surprisingly bright nose with hints of banana milkshake, vanilla, honeysuckle and cream soda. Some milk chocolate coco powder.

Palate: Initial hit of the foam banana penny sweets, then toasted marshmellow, some rich and creamy butter notes. A little bit of meringue with whipped cream.

Finish: Just a hint of spice which adds a good complexity but a delicate yet unctuous finish with more of the cream and banana but also some toasted crumpets and just a hint of cinnamon.

Overall: This is a great entry level blend but most pleasing of all is the versatility of it. At this price, the consumer shouldn’t be put off experimenting with this blend in different drinks, as well as trying it neat. My recommendation would be to try this as a Mizuwari with a little spring of mint thrown in. This should see you through the summer months in style!

As seen in Boston recently, it may be dangerous and difficult to distil alcohol, but taking other people's artistry to create something unique and tasty is a whole different skill set altogether. So here’s to the Still Man, risking life and limb to boil away alcohol from water. And here’s to the blender, for mixing these wonderful substances together so we can enjoy neat, or pick up their mantle and experiment with cocktails at home.

Speaking of excellent blends/mashups... the one below will take some beating....

Slainte!

What's In A Name?

What’s the most difficult thing about being in a band?

Is it learning to play your instrument?

Nope.

Is it writing some hit songs?

Nope.

Maybe it is your image. Working a natural style that no one has had before. Iconic yet easy. Surely, that must be it?

Nope.

The hardest thing about being in a band is, of course, finding a band name.

You can pour for hours over a copy of The Racing Post, mixing horses’ names with greyhounds. Today alone you could form a band called “Somewhere In Atlanta” or “Big Man Little Man”. Both names, I’m sure you will agree, of bands destined to stay playing in their local pub for the rest of eternity.

Another option is to use a website such as Random Band Name Generator. A genius idea for the ultra-lazy creative, the site gives you an option for a key word and away you go.

Our first effort yielded the following results:

Serious Of The Colony / Dart Verbal / Earl Of The Effect / Lovely Fetus / Ruthless Storm / Chafing Transport And The Wood / Pivotal Candle / Introduction Of The Lipstick / Bending Uranium And The Misspent Spoon / Dumpy Of The Fetal

Honestly. This is all true.

Now, transpose this problem to producing and marketing your own blend.

What is the hardest thing about putting together a blend?

Is the hardest thing getting hold of interesting, quality casks of good single malts?

Nope.

Is it working out, drop by drop, which of the subtle flavours to mix together to produce the ideal blend?

Nope.

Clearly, the hardest thing to do is to choose a great name for your blend. A task made even harder if you're not Scottish (no traditional Celtic imagery to call upon) or if your Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaddy didn’t own a grocers in Kilmarnock...

Well, step up to the plate Compass Box and take a bow for your wonderfully named blends:

Flaming Heart / The Peat Monster / Hedonism / Asyla / Lady Luck / Double Single.

All wonderful names, with fantastic bottles and lovely artwork (esp Lady Luck)

But we’re not here to talk about the quality of the packaging. I’ll leave that to other blogs. Let’s take a look at their whisky to see if it is equally as wonderful:

Double Single – Compass Box 10^th Anniversary Bottling – 53.3% - 876 Bottles only

Seriously, though. Check out that bottle shot. Beautiful.

This whisky has been brought out to celebrate 10 Years of Compass Box; two single casks, one malt, one grain. The malt is 18 Year Old Glen Elgin (which makes up 76% of the bottling) from a refill American Oak Hogshead and the grain is 21 Year Old Port Dundas from a First Fill American Oak Hogshead. Openness and honesty about your blend? That’s surely the way forward. Keeping it all hidden just makes us feel Blue.

Nose: Sweet kiwi fruit, a hint of banana, some pineapple and a touch of butter scotch. Light and well balanced.

Palate: Lots of hazelnuts and butter, with a hint of vanilla and grapefruit juice at full strength. With water the gentle pineapple notes are pushed through with wood / oak notes coming much more to the fore.

Finish: Crème Brulee and grapefruit juice neat, with water the finish is more pronounced vanilla pods and oak spices with hint of ginger

Overall: A very delicate, very easy to drink blend that used the Port Dundas grain to provide a launch pad for the refill Hoggy Glen Elgin to show off it’s butterscotch and grapefruit identity.

Now on to the second whisky we have from Compass Box, also to celebrate their 10^th Anniversary.

Flaming Heart – Compass Box 10^th Anniversary Bottling – 48.9% - 4,186 bottles

Again, look at the label. If I drank a whole bottle of this on my own, I’d fall into a tattooist and get this label as a tat on my arm. It is simply stunning.

7 single malt whiskies from the Highlands and Islands, including something from near Brora, something from near Caol Ila and something from the Isle of Mull...!

Nose: This whisky gives a real kick of smoke but backed with a richness and wisdom to not kick you in the teeth completely; kinda like Marianne Faithful, this whisky has seen a lot but has ultimately come out the other end richer for the experience with a real story to tell. There is everything going on in this nose. Smoke, walnuts, some juicy fruit chewing gum, baked potato, rich Christmas cake. It’s really very complex without screaming at you.

Palate: Earthy and salty gives way to an amazing rich brandy butter palate which dances around your palate with exciting verve and vigour grabbing cinnamon and cloves as it moves. A wonderfully rich mouth feel. Sweet and rounded with good hit of peat. Lovely, yet totally different to anything I’ve had in a while.

Finish: Red apples, peat and, yup more peat. Once the fire dies down there is some salt and red grapes. Long and warming.

Overall: This is how a blend should be: full of lots of different personalities. Too many blends are like a Mondrian painting for me, just blocks of different colours. This is a Jackson Pollock. Vibrant and unusual, yet somehow beautiful and structured.

There we have it. Compass Box deliver once more. Two very different blends, but suited to very different occasions. For me the pick of the two is Flaming Heart, a bottling which such a small company delivers with amazing consistency. The Double Single is light and delicate and the perfect pre-dinner whisky, but for the full impact of flavours and to totally confuse your senses, grab yourself a bottle of the Flaming Heart 10^th Anniversary while you can!

As for me... I’m off to get a tattoo.

An All-Points-Bulletin of Brilliance- A Day With Compass Box

The word Artisan is often applied to many gifted craftsmen and women across a variety of creative arts. From woodwork to pottery, the term conjurers up an image of a master at work, developing and honing the object of their attentions into something truly extraordinary.

Well a little while back, we got to hang out for the day with a true 'Artisan' of the whisky world. Mr John Glaser, the creative force behind Compass Box has been honing the art of great whisky making for the past decade - and this year sees the company trying out even more exciting, revolutionary ideas and recipes, wonderfully balanced with an unlikely sense of English eccentricity.

We say 'unlikely', as John (as many of you are already aware) is an American living in London, but take a visit to Compass Box's (fairly) recent HQ in the heart of London's leafy Chiswick and you'll be greeted by an office which fits somewhere between the zen tranquility of an LA beach house and one of Terry Gilliam's Monty Python animations.

Everything about Compass Box HQ screams (sorry, persuasively whispers) creativity; from the calming Jazz playing in the background, to the mantra-like inscription on one of the walls -

'Above All, Share & Enjoy' - an air of simplicity, which is perhaps lost on the large number of more corporate players.

John essentially started Compass Box from his apartment kitchen table (above a hairdressers) with a desire to create "something outside of single malts", focusing on one distinct mission statement; To become a boutique blending company using better casks, achieving a house style, whilst applying an artisan's approach.

And it seems to be working. From, as John puts it "traveling around with a ruck sack full of whisky" Compass Box has achieved considerable successes in not only the UK, but with exports to over 25 countries worldwide. Not bad for a team of just three people eh...

So what was the 'Eureka Moment' when it all clicked into place?

John explains that "It was the discovery of using first fill bourbon casks, which led to a richer, softer whisky- I wanted to take quality aged whiskies and then develop them even further in quality oak. Compass Box isn't particularly about single malts" he continues, " it's about us starting with one lead whisky and then complimenting it with perhaps two or three more."

So do you see this as a blending skill?

"Actually, I think it's probably the antithesis of blending" he laughs. "Blends are more like a symphony orchestra, with no particular lead flavour, whereas we're probably more like a Jazz quartet- certain things tend to stand out, with their own character."

John cites Clynelish as one of the important tools in the company's arsenal of flavour, the distillery which sits at the heart of his sensational Oak Cross bottling, along with Teaninich and Dalliuane. His creative touch is perhaps most apparent with this marriage of whiskies, which uses oak casks developed by a small mill in France, that produces some of the highest quality cooperage oak in the world. John continues that "It was our work with this mill that led us to experimenting with secondary maturation of malt whiskies in casks fitted with new French oak heads. This is something no one else in Scotland does."

This innovative technique gives the whiskies much greater character and complexity, before they are married for up to a year in further oak.

Here's our notes on this excellent bottling:

Compass Box - Oak Cross- 43%

Nose: Superb sweet, fruity aromas, reminiscent of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Soft cereal notes, buttery vanilla, a hint of waxiness and toasted grain. Superbly balanced between the three main component distilleries (Clynelish, Dailuaine & Teaninich)

Palate: Very rich and mouth filling- barley sugar, a hint of grapefruit, crystalised ginger and Demerara sugar. In essence, rich, buttery and sweet. Absolutely sensational.

Finish: Lingering notes of sweetness, watermelon juice and really clean barley.

Overall: A brilliantly put together whisky, which serves as a refreshing aperitif, especially in the barmy British summertime. We'd recommend this as the starting point into the many great Compass Box whiskies.

John gave us a quick demonstration into the (quite frankly disturbing) effects of adding caramel colouring into whisky (Compass Box of course use none of the dreaded stuff in their whiskies) and it surprised us just how small an amount was needed to effectively take something like a lightweight 4th fill whisky up to a rich and deeply coloured 'Faux Fill'. The results aren't just noticeable on the eye either, take it from us!

We also got to try two of the other standouts from the Compass Box collection, Peat Monster (the company's best seller) and Spice Tree which again demonstrates just how forward thinking John and his team are.

Spice Tree is perhaps the company's most controversial bottling, because of its innovative production techniques. In 2006, they were almost forced to stop making it- absurdly, the SWA decided that secondary maturation of the whisky using casks with 'inserted inner French Oak staves' was not appropriate, on the grounds that it had never been done before, despite being a technique used by winemakers for the last 30 years. But effectively being dubbed an 'Illegal Whisky' can have its advantages and the bottling quickly became the stuff of legend, selling incredibly well and creating a huge demand for more.

And thankfully, more has been created, this time developing a new (and apparently legitimate) technique of using casks with differently toasted french oak cask heads, to obtain the rich spicy profile of the original Spice Tree. The label is also suitably avant garde- apparently the creative brief was to produce something resembling the LSD infused thoughts of Bjork... already a big thumbs up from us...!

Compass Box - Spice Tree - 46%

Nose: Wave upon wave of sweet Demerara sugar, fruity and dry vintage Cognac notes, heather honey and sliced green apple, maybe even a hint of fresh melon thrown in for good measure.

Palate: A lovely coating mouthfeel, with an initial spiciness, cinnamon, nutmeg and fruity, juicy green apples coming to the fore. With a little water, the palate starts to explode with a dizzying array of sweetness- some raspberry jam, a dusting of icing sugar and a lovely rich oaky base. Another triumph in the balancing stakes.

Finish: The fruit lingers on, with absolutely no dryness creeping in, giving a very satisfying fresh but complex, spicy aftertaste.

Overall: Spice Tree achieves all the objectives of well matured whisky, ie depth, lightness, sweetness and richness but delivers it in such an unusual and exciting way, your mouth eagerly looks forward to the next sip long before you've finished the first. It just has a real air of innovation about it, or to put it into Monty Python terms... And Now For Something Completely Different! It's certainly two fingers up to the pen-pushing bureaucrats and long may that continue.

As we leave John, Chris and Gregg to more experimentation, it is patently obvious that the whisky industry needs more mavericks like Compass Box. In a world where lighter spirits are grabbing the headlines with their youthful attraction, whisky almost needs to work twice as hard to compete for the same attention in the contemporary market place. It is worrying that the policy makers have a tendency to frown on innovations such as Spice Tree, but as Compass Box have proven, when you create something which is unique, perception challenging and... just downright drinkable, the results speak for themselves.

If you'd like to get more information on Compass Box and their range of great whiskies, check out

www.compassboxwhisky.com