Bottled at 46%, Natural colour and Not chill-filtered. Named Best Blended Malt Scotch at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2015.
In 2005 Compass Box released a new whisky called ‘The Spice Tree’ in which the blend of single malt distillates had undergone a secondary partial maturation stage in casks containing additional, flat French oak inserts.
2 of 3: The SWA felt that the use of such inner staves in the whisky maturation process was in contravention of the Scotch Whisky Regulations and threatened legal action.
3 of 3: Undeterred, CB worked with cooper friends in both France and Scotland to develop a new, hybrid oak cask that would allow them to achieve similar results, but in a way that would be acceptable to even the most conservative of observers.
Nose: Get sweetness straight away on the nose, lots of nice vanilla. Reminds me a lot of bourbon. Quite oaky and there’s pear drops in there too. There’s loads going on here, candy shop sweets now appear with those deep sugary aromas, there might be those foam bananas too! Love foam bananas! I get the spice but not overpowering, I’m getting the sweetness, vanillas and candy more.
Palate: The palate is sweeter than I expected, pleasantly surprised. There’s a spiciness there for sure, but coated with a buttery brown sugar and maple bacon! Lots of honey going on, not the sugar syrup crap you get in supermarkets, but the proper floral, complex raw honey.
Finish: Medium sweet/spicey finish that leaves you wanting more!
Overall: Lovely sweet oaky nose with background spice, quite Christmassy actually! Palate a surprisingly subtle sweetness with honey, vanilla and baking spices
Some exerpts from last nights triple Compass Box tasting:
