Compass Box Enlightenment

The Enlightment was the era of intellectual freedom. One can argue that nowadays, with the incredible flow of information accessible we should be even more free intellectually, but it feels that it is the complete opposite. Having said that, to be free is Compass Box ultimate goal in whisky. Enlightment is their attempt to honour wisdom of whisky, and of course they have revealed everything in this blend as they always do. Bottled at 46%abv, this is made of Clynelish, Glentauchers, Balblair & Mortlach. On the nose, super fruity. Green grapes, green apples. Honey, pears and peaches. Impalpable sugar and a Sharpie marker. After a couple of sips, it gave me red apples with toffee. Cocoa and Fanta cola. On the palate, it is still very fruity. Grapefruit, gooseberries, a little spicy. It is a rich and elegant sugary water. Easy to enjoy. Aftertaste is clearly the best part. Metallic, sulphuric, red chilli. A beautiful spiciness. It is a long but somehow muted or ghostly finish. Overall, this is one fancy whisky, with a lovely label and the creamy profile that most Compass Box have makes this blend a truly joyful dram. I would have loved for it to have a slight peatiness to make this even better. A honest 88 over 100 is a proper score for this dram.

This is a harmonious blend, but to what end? A nose of powdered white chocolate, dry earth, pressed vanilla, and cream. The palate is round, silky, and tastes quite similar to the bouquet. Vanilla cream, malt chocolate, dried oranges, underripe melon, and a light touch of peat. A lengthy finish makes this a solid sipper or a great aperitif. This doesn't confound you(which whisky certainly doesn't have to) or seem terribly distinct. In fact it reminds me of whisky from the English Whisky Co., Young Balblair (which I understand is in the blend but not a huge portion), and shows some resemblance to Balvenie Ex-Bourbon First Fill. So the parts work well together but only to create a style that's already been well established.

I’m using a better nosing glass than the glencairn, but the alcohol burn is still quite strong. Neglecting this problem, it’s actually quite delicate. Nosing: Apple scented candles infusing a touch of vanilla. Maybe lavender? Orange, lemon, citrus fruit. Apples, a lot of apples. Honey, a light one. Grassy, mint, rosemary. A hint of nuttiness. Tasting: Very waxy. Again the scented candles, honey, citrus fruits. Pears, apples. Finishing: long with a hint of spice. Orange peels come up unexpectedly. A touch of toasted coconut flakes. The colour is very pale, quite close to a glass of white wine. But the fruitiness and waxiness is superb.

Hmm I was enlightened as to the contents but then the enlightenment ended there really. Bit of spice, bit of honey, bit of this and that, few drops of water didn't really enlightenment me further...3 enlightenments and out!

Apple juice, herbal spice, honey, grassy, very fresh, slight bitter aftertaste,

Very gd blend. Well done Compass Box. 👍🥃