Compass Box The General

According to Compass Box, The General is a combination of two blended whiskies, each of which had been blended when very young and returned to casks for further aging.  One lot was 33 years old, and Compass Box is not disclosing the age of the other.  They included both bourbon and sherry cask aged whisky.  This bottling came and went pretty quickly, but there may still be some on the shelves.

Compass Box The General, 53.4% ($300)

The nose on this is really nice with fruity malt.  The palate has vanilla and malt with a creamy mouthfeel. The finish is floral with hints of malt.

This is a really nice whisky and very typical of Compass Box with its fruity, flowery notes.  It's very versatile and tastes much more like a single malt than a blend.  While I really liked it, it would be hard for me to justify paying for it at that price (I got a sample from a friend).  There are certainly whiskies of comparable quality that are much cheaper.  Still, it's always fun to try the newest creation from Compass Box.

Burning Organs: Compass Box Flaming Heart Fourth Edition

The 2010 release of the third release of Compass Box Flaming Heart was one of my favorite whiskeys of that year.  Last year, Compass Box released a fourth edition of Flaming Heart.  The third edition of this blended malt whiskey was made primarily from whiskeys distilled at Clynelish, Tobermory and Caol Ila.  According to Compass Box, the fourth edition is composed of:

Single malt whiskies from distilleries located in the Northern Highlands, Islay, Speyside and Islands. Primarily from the south shore of Islay and the village of Brora (Highlands).

The village of Brora is Clynelish (also a major component of the third edition).  The south shore of Islay would indicate Laphroaig, Lagavulin or Ardbeg.  Of the three, Laphroaig is probably the most likely.

Compass Box Flaming Heart Fourth Edition, 48.9% abv ($90)

The nose is really nice with peat and seaweed and some malt notes behind them.  The palate is sweet peat with some fruit notes as well (canned pears) and has a nice, oily mouthfeel.  The finish has nice coastal notes.

Taking this head to head with the third edition, I'd say it's peatier but a bit less complex.  The third edition was notable for its balance and complexity.  The fourth edition is more squarely in the peated camp, with more traditional coastal notes.  My guess is that it either has more of the Islay malt or the south shore Islay they are using in place of the third edition's Caol Ila is more dominant, which makes sense given those bold, south shore Islays.  Either way, both flaming hearts are good whiskies.

While I like the romance of the name Flaming Heart, I thought I would suggest some names for John Glaser to consider on future Compass Box labels:  Smoking Spleen?  Burning Liver? Combustible Esophagus?  Come on John, throw me a bone.

See the LA Whiskey Society Reviews of Compass Box Flaming Heart Fourth Edition and Compass Box Flaming Heart Third Edition.

Compass Box's Newest: Great King Street Artist's Blend

John Glaser of Compass Box has long been known as a rebel and innovator. He nearly single handedly brought the vatted malt back to prominence and was an early champion of grain whiskey. While Glaser has also made traditional blended Scotch in the past, he is now making a serious push to rehabilitate the long derided category with a new series: Great King Street.

The first release in the Great King Street series is the Artist's Blend. Per the Compass Box web page, the Artist's Blend is composed of:

• 51.4% Lowland Grain Whisky


• 23.2% Northern Highland Malt


• 17.7% Northern Highland Malt


• 7.7% Speyside Malt

This doesn't tell us that much about the specific distilleries. Many of the big grain distilleries are in the Lowlands, but we do know that Compass Box previously used Port Dundas grain whisky for last year's Double Single. And knowing Compass Box, it's probably a pretty safe bet that one of the Northern Highlanders i Clynelish.

The various whiskies are aged in American Oak casks, French Oak casks and sherry butts. The abv is 43%.

Compass Box has done two big things right in marketing this. First, they've priced it very competitively, second they've released a half bottle. Locally, the 750 ml bottle is going for around $40 and the 375 ml for $22.

Tasting

This has a really wonderful nose. It's very fruity with grapes and cherries and white wine notes. The palate is rich with vanilla, fruit and oak and just a bit of sherry toward the end and lasting into the finish, though the finish is on the short side. Upon tasting, I'd say there is definitely some Clynelish in there because it has some of that Clynelish richness.

It's got a certain lightness and a feint grainyness that let's you know it's a blend, but a really good one, not hugely complex but a real easy drinker. Something you don't need to think too much about but that would be pleasant anytime (and probably do well with ice, soda and such), and I especially appreciate the 375 ml option.

Based on this, I'm interested to see where Compass Box will go with this series.

Whiskey Wednesday: Your Flamin' Heart

I wanted to open the year on a high note by reviewing a great whisky. The third edition Flaming Heart is the latest brainchild of John Glaser at Compass Box. I have to admit that I have not always been as big of a Glaser acolyte as some in the whisky world. While I admire his innovative streak, his whiskies haven't always lived up to the hype. But this edition of Flaming Heart, released as a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the founding of Compass Box, won me over.

Flaming Heart is a vatted or blended malt, meaning it is a blend of single malts from different distilleries. One of the great things about Glaser is that he is pretty open about the composition of his blends. According to the fact sheet on Compass Box, it is composed of:

Single malt whiskies from seven distilleries located in the northern Highlands and Islands. Primarily whiskies from distilleries located in the villages of Brora (Highlands), Port Askaig (Islay) and the Isle of Mull (Islands).

This means that the whisky is primarily made from Clynelish, Caol Ila and Tobermory (which could be the basic Tobermory or the peated Ledaig). The label give us the additional information that 61% of the blend is from the seven Highland malts.


Tasting

Flaming Heart was bottled in September 2010 at 48.9% abv. It goes for around $90.

Peat dominates the front of the nose, followed by malt, hay, and grass in the background. The palate starts with sweet smoke, then picks up some of that rich malt that likely comes from the Clynelish.

This is a wonderful whisky. Combining the peatiness of Islay and the islands with the richness of Clynelish gives an almost Brora like profile, or as close as you can probably get today. The peat is a little more dominant than I'd like and you have to concentrate to get the rich maltiness out of it, but it's all there. Probably the best Compass Box whisky I've had. A good one to start off the year!

One note regarding the packaging. The Flaming Heart has a lovely label and comes in a striking, clear plastic box, but I wish they hadn't used so much plastic. There is enough waste in whisky packaging without adding a bunch of plastic where they could use cardboard or nothing at all.

Whiskey Wednesday: A Grainy Hedonism

Hedonism is one of the most acclaimed products of popular blender Compass Box. What makes it different from most popular Scotches is that it's a grain whiskey.

In the language of Scotch, malt whiskey is whiskey made from malted barley. Grain whiskey is the whiskey made from any number of unmalted grains, which could include barley, corn, wheat or rye. Grain whiskey added to malt whiskey is blended whiskey.

Grain whiskey often gets a bad rap because of the tendency of some blenders to use inferior grain whiskies in their blends. However, there is nothing inherently inferior about grain. In fact, almost all of America's best Bourbons and rye whiskies would be labeled "grain whiskey" if they were produced in Scotland as they are made from a mixture of unmalted grains.

Hedonism is a vatted grain whiskey, meaning that it is a mix of grain whiskies from different distilleries. Under new rules recently issued in Scotland, such a whiskey will now be called a blended grain whiskey.

Tasting

Compass Box Hedonism, vatted grain whiskey, 43% alcohol by volume, non-chill filtered, natural color. Compass Box is an independent blending company. $90-100.

The nose on this is pure Bourbon...sweet, corny Bourbon. The taste is much lighter. It has some bourbon, but also some sweet fruit and some barley too. Clearly, corn and barley are at play here. I don't taste rye, but I suppose a small amount could have snuck in as well.

In terms of whiskies I've had, this tastes a lot closer to American whiskey than malt, which makes sense since, as I noted above, American whiskies are mostly grain whiskies. Interestingly though, the whiskey I think it comes closest to in flavor is Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, an American single malt. They both have the same light, fruity notes, though Stranahan's has quite a bit more fruit.

This is a nice, light whiskey. Good for a summer's day, and I'd even consider it on the rocks. While I enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away by it. It's interesting for its uniqueness and for the insight it gives into the other Scotch whiskey, but I wonder if it isn't respected more for these qualities than for its objective taste.

Next Week: Finally, Speyside

Whiskey Wedensday: Peat Monster or Peat Puppy

Compass Box, that independent champion of blended scotch whiskey, must have the best press operation in the UK. Over the past couple of years, I can't count the number of glowing puff pieces I've seen about the greatness and integrity of Compass Box and their innovative whiskies. CB chief John Glaser has practically been anointed the patron saint of blended scotch whiskey.

Jon, Mark & Robbo's Easy Drinking Whisky Company does almost, though not quite as well. They are often mentioned, along with CB, as being on the forefront of a new wave of blends.

There is a lot to like about these companies. They both have elevated blended scotch, long ignored by connoisseurs, and reminded everyone that there is more to life than single malts. CB eschews chill filtering and artificial coloring and uses attractive, very wine-like labeling. JMR creates distinct flavor profiles and approaches its craft with an amused jocularity.

It was with that background that I picked up two signature offerings. CB's Peat Monster and JMR's The Smokey, Peaty One.

While each was enjoyable, I have to say that I was disappointed with both in that they just weren't that peaty. I mean, when you call something Peat Monster, you set up a certain expectation, an expectation that one sniff will knock you over with smoke. Peat Monster was a nice scotch, but the peat was understated.

Now, when you go to the CB website, they have a more accurate description, describing PM as "balanced and approachable." But does the average person who buys something called Peat Monster want balance and approachability? No! They want a big snarling, drooling abominable smoke-man of a scotch, a combination of equal parts Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Talisker and Laphroaig...in short, a monster. What they do not want is a rather pleasant mix of Caol Ila and Ardmore, which is what Peat Monster actually is.

JMR was similarly unsmoky. Fine, but not one I'd describe as The Smokey Peaty One, more like The Slightly Smokey One.

Now, if you want a scotch that lives up to its name, find yourself some Smokehead, an unnamed Islay single malt produced by Ian MacLeod. This stuff will bowl you over with smoke! It has the pungent stench of a young Islay and a smoky bite that doesn't let go.

Plus, with Smokehead, you get to play the guessing game. Is it a young Lagavulin? A stowed away batch of Bruichladdich's PC5? One of Ardbeg's line of young whiskies?* Whatever the composition, this is good, smoky stuff.

I have discovered the peat monster, and its name is Smokehead. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a bottle of the stuff in California, but if you find it, drink it and know that you have tasted a true peat monster.

*By the way, I'd love to see a distillery come out with a three year old (the minimum age for scotch) called Barely Legal Whisky. Contact me at sku2sku@yahoo.com to remit my royalties for the idea.