Compass Box Hedonism The Muse

I spent the past few days in Chicago, taking in some of the sights and some great weather.  I also had the opportunity to go to two great whiskey bars - Delilah's and the Franklin Room.  Both were great, although whiskey is about the only thing the two establishments have in common. The Franklin Room is a restaurant and bar below ground, full of dark colored wood paneling.  The bartenders know their stuff, from whiskey to cocktails. Notwithstanding the upscale feel, the prices are reasonable and all whiskeys are available in sizes from 1oz to a quarter of a bottle. Upon arriving, the wife and I took a seat at the bar, and while she ordered a cocktail, I started to peruse the whiskey list.  Knowing that it would take me a while to establish an overall plan of attack, i looked for an obvious quick hit to sip while I contemplated further options.  Hedonism the Muse jumped out at me. I've never had the Muse, but I absolutely love the regular Hedonism.  Certainly in my top 10 list. The Muse did not disappoint.  Rich, sweet, and lovely. Loads of vanilla, some fruit, a mild and pleasant oak note, and just a touch of spice.  It took all of two sips for me to decide that I needed a bottle, and I grabbed my phone from my pocket like an impatient child. And therein lies the rub - the price of admission is $250-300+.  That seems steep, particularly in comparison to the regular Hedonism, which I picked up earlier this summer in travel retail for less than $70.   I have yet to spend that much on a bottle of whiskey, and although I have a solid frame of reference for VFM in the $0-150 range, I certainly cant say the same about $250+.   So for now, I'll bide my time while I figure out what I expect a $250 whiskey to be.

** Disclaimer: This review is what I would consider a “Quick Hit”- meaning it won’t have my usual in-depth notes that I usually like to take. The reason: this sample was poured at Whiskyfest DC on 4/17/18. All of these reviews will not be scored and I am actively looking to try them again at some point to do them better justice. I’m starting here for 2 reasons: this wasn’t listed on the initial tasting list and it wasn’t very tasty, IMO. I know grain whisky, in general, can be very harsh- especially if it’s young. I have had the normal Hedonism and found it to be incredibly smooth and surprisingly tasty, even though I don’t remember a lot of depth. The Muse version didn’t have much flavor, IMO except for peppery spice and a little vanilla. It was also ridiculously harsh. I’m not sure if the age of the grain whisky was younger, or if it is an entirely different recipe from the usual Hedonism. This was also the 5-6th sample of the evening so I didn’t consider my palate to be taxed. I have seen bottles of this going for $250 online and for that price it’s a hard pass for me. I’d be willing to give it another go, but this was the biggest disappointment of Whiskyfest for me.

One Compass Box's more interesting bottle designs and I love these clear cases they put their nicer bottles into. Nose - There's certainly a lot of alcohol on the nose which given that less than 25% of this is 21 years and younger is a bit surprising (and 20% is 21 years old so only 3.6% is less than 21 years old). There's a nice bit of vanilla. I get the sherry notes come through bringing but there's a lot of alcohol with them. Water cuts into the alcohol and brings out a bit of floral notes as well as some green apples. Taste - The mouth feel is super creamy. Vanilla, nutty notes, cream, some kind of custard. It's really hard to explain this vanilla, and cream and nutty notes with a heck of a lot of heat still on it. More water brings out more of these nutty note and this old antique store wood finish. I've always really said I loved this but with some time away and more whisky, I must say this is incredibly unique, really different, and a really must try whisky for whisky geeks. But at 300 a bottle it is a hard recommendation. Thus a solid 3 score.

92.5/100* *I rank my whiskey based on a 100 point scale. It is a cumulative score with each category of nose, taste, finish, and balance worth up to 25 points. Here is how this score translates to the number of stars I give: 0 stars = 50 or below 1 star = 60 2 stars = 70 3 stars = 80 4 stars = 90 5 stars = 100 The score is rounded to the closest 1/4 star increment.

I dont have the experience to translate this tasting into words that will be helpful. The nose is like smelling liquor from your parents cup as a child and being put off. The drinking is feeling adulthood. It's a companion experience which colors your outlook to the world that is suddenly estimable.

I have so many regrets. I did not buy a bottle of this when I saw it. Rich cream vanilla nose with a biscotti middle. Fades to graham and vanilla caramel. Brown sugar caramel flavor lingers on the tongue for a long long time. I am in heaven. @Elw00t