Compass Box Myths & Legends I

Compass Box is my favorite blended whiskey company. They rarely disappoint, however in recent years they have continued to release expensive, limited edition bottles, which is making it tough to continue to support them. Even more annoying is how limited some of these releases really are. In many cases you dont even see them in stores for more than a day. Despite this though, I cant say any of these bottles have been bad by any stretch, some even great. For this series James Saxon/Jill Boyd and company attempt to dispel the wrong assumptions that many have around scotch. For the most part, I think they achieved this. The first bottle in the series is from Balblair, a distillery that I have never tried before. While solid, I was not as impressed with this bottle. The nose is probably the best part of this bottle, leaning heavily on pineapple and tropical fruits, as well as peach and lemon peels. The palate is very sweet and quite rich with some honey and malt. The finish has decent length, with a touch of pepper and minimal burn. I tried all three of the Myths and Legend series, which may be why I liked this one the least. It just didnt have the complexity or uniqueness I was seeking. By no means is it bad, but the other two are much better.

I had the chance this weekend to sample all three of the whiskies in this new Compass Box series (which seems contrived to persuade you to buy them all). Unusually for Compass Box, this one is a single malt rather than a blend, a 15 year old Balblair if we’re to go by the youngest whisky in the bottle. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a Balblair. There’s a lot to explore here. The nose is bright, sharp and breezy, with lemons, satsumas and jasmine. The taste starts dry and savory, like a Pinot Grigio, then perks up with a burst of oak spice, limes, tart Granny Smith apples and a touch of salt. It finishes on a gentle peppery spice, with limes and grapefruit. All this citrus makes for a very different profile from the Scotch I normally drink, and I like it a lot. I’m not sure it’s something I’d reach for every day, but I’d be very happy to have a bottle.

Nose is fruity Green apple, citrus with grassy herbs and pencil shavings. A few drops of water bring out bit of vanilla and leather Taste: bread, honey, vanilla, leather and tobacco upfront and the fruit from the nose begins to fade in midway witch cereal maltiness. A+ body, silky and creamy Finish: mild burn gives way to cinnamon with layers of wood and herbaceous-grassy citrus. Mouthwatering. Fruitier thank a typical highland. Heck, fruitier than a typical lowland and I love it . It’s a great pour and is up there with my favorite single malts, but there’s comparable or better bottles out there for 2/3’s the cost.

Very nice with notes of vanilla, honey, pineapples, lavender, coconuts, bananas, almonds,orange juice, grapefruit, marzipan, and marshmallows.