Compass Box Asyla

From Compass Box sample box containing five different 50mL vials from their “core range.” I was able to get this on sale for $30. Asyla is the cheapest of the samples, at ~$45 per 750mL bottle. This is a blended Scotch that is 50% grain and 50% malt from Glen Elgin, Teannich, and Linkwood NOSE: Crisp and refreshing. Lime, lemon, lemongrass, bittersweet… tequila? Getting back on track with deeper sniffs, a wee bit of saltiness, roses, and earl gray tea from linkwood. The fruitiness is all apples, which blends in with the grassiness from Teannich. PALATE: Pleasantly waxy mouthfeel. Vanilla dominates in two respects: it’s the vanilla flavor, and it’s vanilla, i.e. boring. There is some corn sweetness, but it’s not as bad as the popular blends. I can taste the worst ingredient better than most, and it distracts me. The worst ingredient in Asyla is better than that in JW Red/Black/Green, for sure. Still, it’s thin, it’s grassiness mixed with vanilla mixed with maltiness. These are just boring flavors. Linkwood – the best component of the nose, is absent on the palate. I’m thinking that I should just gulp this and move on. FINISH: Generic. It’s pleasant and lasts somewhat longer than cheaper single malts such as Glenlivet and Glenfiddich 12. There’s some maltiness, apple fruitiness, vanilla, and caramel toffees. I’m pleasantly surprised that none of the unpalatable notes from young, cheap grain are present. WITH WATER: Surprisingly, a few drops of water adds some much needed spicy intensity to this boring dram. Even though this is only 40% ABV, some water makes it more interesting. VERDICT: This is glorified white wine. John Glasser even compares this to white wine. You either drink this on a hot day with ditzy people who are only tolerable with alcohol, or you must find complementary foods. May I recommend a rich white-meated fish such as cod. This is perhaps the most boring Compass Box. MARK: 69/100.

Review from Barreled from November 2016 Part one of the Compass Box Whisky sampler pack reviews. As are all CBW whiskies, this is natural color and non chill filtered. This blend is 40% ABV. This NAS is a blend of 50% Lowland single grain, 40% Highland single malt and 10% Speyside single malt. Which distilleries, I'm not sure. All aged in first full American oak ex-bourbon casks. Based on the color, which is a pale straw, I would guess this is a very young whisky that was aged in very lightly charred casks, otherwise the first fill wood would have had a greater influence on the color. The nose is very light and fruity up front. Pears, green grapes and strawberries. First time I've ever nosed strawberries and it was a nice experience. Floral notes after the fruit. Once it sits in the glass the fruit starts to fade and the bourbon oak starts to dominate. Vanilla and bourbon sweetness, but still very light. The palate is just as light as the nose. Soft vanilla, light oak spices and bourbon caramel sweetness. The mouthfeel is very creamy. The ex-bourbon casks really shows its influence the longer it sits. The finish is quite short but very clean. Sweet but restrained with some light peppery oak. John Glaser called this a Sunday afternoon or a before dinner whisky and I couldn't agree more. Very light and well balanced. Perfect for the scotch novice or experienced whisky fan who is looking for something light to relax with. 3.5

Totally uninteresting. The nose promises a lot of things that cant be deliver by its "grainy" palate and its non-existent finish. Actually its story is a nice one (maybe the best thing of this whisky), Asyla is the plural of Asylum. What Compass box claims to be doing here is to create a "everyday" "sunday afternoon" whisky. They might just deliver that by making a very light super delicate whisky. Bottled at 40%abv, pale straw color. On the nose is fairly nice. Very sweet and fruity. Creamy very creamy vanilla, Milk white chocolate. Waving the glencairn and evaporating the dram a little bit strips de vanilla notes to enter the citric fruit notes: Lemon peel and cheap lemon freshener for cars. Coffee notes also and Orange note. On the palate, it is overly influenced by the grain whisky. Water is the first flavor (or is that not a flavor?) Spicy ginger, Very light dram. Grassy grain slightly cream. Much too light. It doesn't have the character or the personality to even be called a whisky. Aftertaste is non-existing. There is a very very very very very slight dim spice but it is nothing. I didn't pour water into it as it says in the compass box website, i now believe that one drop would turn it into simple water. Overall my score system was benevolent with it because of a good nose, 56 over 100, and i am not been harsh here.

Totally uninteresting. The nose promises a lot of things that cant be deliver by its "grainy" palate and its non-existent finish. Actually its story is a nice one (maybe the best thing of this whisky), Asyla is the plural of Asylum. What Compass box claims to be doing here is to create a "everyday" "sunday afternoon" whisky. They might just deliver that by making a very light super delicate whisky. Bottled at 40%abv, pale straw color. On the nose is fairly nice. Very sweet and fruity. Creamy very creamy vanilla, Milk white chocolate. Waving the glencairn and evaporating the dram a little bit strips de vanilla notes to enter the citric fruit notes: Lemon peel and cheap lemon freshener for cars. Coffee notes also and Orange note. On the palate, it is overly influenced by the grain whisky. Water is the first flavor (or is that not a flavor?) Spicy ginger, Very light dram. Grassy grain slightly cream. Much too light. It doesn't have the character or the personality to even be called a whisky. Aftertaste is non-existing. There is a very very very very very slight dim spice but it is nothing. I didn't pour water into it as it says in the compass box website, i now believe that one drop would turn it into simple water. Overall my score system was benevolent with it because of a good nose, 56 over 100, and i am not been harsh here.

Nose: Brisk and fruity with a waxy edge balanced by icing sugar. Citrus, cereal grains, pears, peaches, melon and apple. There is the faintest note of smoke with a breezy maritime character [This is more noticeable on the dry glass aroma, which is waxy-honeyed and lightly smoky]. Palate: The arrival is all malt and gristy cereal with orange citrus zest notes. As it develops some grassy and orchard fruit flavours come to the front together with barley sugar. There is also a slight tannic waxiness that adds a firm edge to the palate, but it is balanced by yeasty sweetness. Finish: Short. Malty cereal flavours that fall away quickly. A very, very slight smoke on the aftertaste. The best description I can think of for this whisky is "sweetly delicious cereal". Fruit and untoasted grain is the main presence – citrus, pears, peaches, rice flakes. It veers towards being too sweet but is held back by a the light tannic quality. There is an unmistakable presence of Teaninich malt in this blend and the grain whisky component is very fine, as is the oak influence. It has a lot of subtle things going on behind the simple facade that are easy to miss. It certainly stands up to neat tasting. "Above Average" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Fancy, elegant and gentle. Pure example of how all the blended whiskies should be done. To the nose: peanut or even a peanut butter, nutshell, vanilla, light and sweet cream, anise, apples, halva and fudge. Perfume-alike. On a palate: very rich and very sweet, “tasty”, vanilla again, honey or a honey cake, some nuts, coconut, a little bit of tropical fruits on the background. It’s light and gentle with a clear note of a creamy strudel cake with a castor sugar as a topping. Finish is really smooth, delicate, evenly broadening in all directions. A bit watery and sweet with a spicy note. Some tropical fruits again along with a fresh floral/grassy theme. If judging by the first impression it might not seem extraordinary. It’s not blazing all the guns all over right from the start but it evenly expresses its unique form in right proportion during the further exploring. It seems to be kinda modest or tense at first sight but then it reveals its rich, creamy and elegant nature in an intelligent way maintaining the balance all the way through with dignity. Asyla is precisely acknowledged with its strong sides and it is able to impress you in various ways. This is what makes it so special.