Compass Box The Peat Monster Cask Strength

I’ve been eyeing this crazy, magnum (1.75L) bottle ever since I bought it back in 2016. I told myself I was going to open this one around the holidays and do a side by side with the standard CBW Peat Monster. Well, tonight is the night. And what the hell, why not open CBW’s newest peaty beast, No Name, and make it a three-way... Peat Monster Cask Strength is just what the name implies: everybody’s favorite Peat Monster just as it comes from the proverbial teet. It’s a beastly 57.3% ABV, has no color added and is NCF’d like every CBW before it. It’s a pale yellow, oily slick that doesn’t make any legs in the glass. Peat Monster is made from a blend of 40% Laphroaig, 20% LeDaig and 13% Caol Ila from the Scottish Isles and Islay. There’s 26% Highland malt from Ardmore also mixed with a little of CBW’s base blend (Clynelish, Teaninich, Dailuaine). This special bottling was limited to 2,000 total bottles and was released in 2015. Good luck finding one now, though. I paid $165 for this half gallon monstrosity. The nose is smoky and salty with light toffee and caramel notes hiding some subtle vine fruits. The extra ABV adds some sting, but still doesn’t really get in the way like I thought it might. The palate is fruity with some bees wax and earthy peat and smoke that turns salty and drying around mid sip. The finish is long- mostly due to the extra horsepower from the cask strength. There’s a final briny malty aspect that rounds out the finale. Overall, it’s a fantastic dram that will make you see the genius behind John Glaser’s madness that is Peat Monster. The way he brings this down to the standard PM release is pure brilliance. Drinking it side by side with the regular PM made me go back and realize how wonderful that bottle is. Peat Monster is a bottle that belongs at every man’s bar. No questions asked. The cask strength version is a 4 star dram and the original PM is a lofty 4.5 stars. Try them both if you get the chance. Cheers. What about the 2017 release No Name, you ask? More on that in awhile...

A cold evening tonight in the northeast. “Winter is here” (lol). Worked late and now watching some football (Rooting for the team that is not the Cowboys [Rams]). Perfect night for a wee bit of peat to keep one warm. Add some more potency: a cask strength Peat Monster. This was an extra during the SDT group that @LeeEvolved offered, most graciously. The color is almost clear with just the slightest golden hue. The initial smokiness is not overpowering which is surprising given it’s name. It’s there but balanced with a sweetness and fruitiness. Vanilla cream, apricots, pears and lemon zest. A subtle maritime brine note provides a savory dimension. A waxiness comes through which pulls in memories of the wax bottle candy. This is where the Peat Monster earns its namesake, on the palate. A wave of smoke, pepper with a heat trail. Lemon rind is throughout. Without water, the body is a medium weight with an oily texture. To temper the bite from the 57.3% strength, the addition of water is recommended. The dram becomes more approachable and improved. The palate turns more ashy and a smidge of vanilla sweetness comes through. Lemon pepper with some oak becomes detectable with the addition of water. It still remains spicy hot. At the end of it all, the mouth is left with the sensation of having smoked a full bodied cigar and biting on a lemon wedge. Ultimately, the palate is left parched, bitter, ashy, peppery, salty and sulphuric. The last sensation is a deep down warmed soul. A monster indeed. You are slightly fooled on the nose but are punched in the palate with dragons palate. Pace yourself to fully accept and you Peat heads will be rewarded. Glazed and team at Compass Box are masters at blending and producing flavorful, vibrant whisky. [88/100][Tasted: 1/12/19]

A bonus sample for the tour provided by @LeeEvolved I loved the original Peat Monster from Compass Box Whisky. Let’s see how this cask strength version does. Bottled at a whopping 57.3% ABV, this blended malt is natural color of pale gold and non chill filtered. The nose is sweet and peat all the way. Creamy vanilla, apricots, peaches and lemons. Brine, peat smoke and bonfire ashes. The nose was little more than that so I had to add some water to see what it could unlock. Water brings out more vanilla and some light oak. Smoky prunes and a nice waxy note. Not much more after that. The palate is peppery and hot. Lots of peat smoke. Very closed off due to the ABV and the sheer overwhelming pungency. Had to add some water. Ashes, creosote and some medical notes. Much of the heat remains though. Light orchard/stone fruits, but it’s all muddled together. Quite the chore to get through. Full bodied mouthfeel, oily and mouthwatering, also, boiling hot lava. A long finish, ashy, peppery, semisweet and some mild oak. What can I say...it’s just too intense for me right out of the cask. Glaser knows what he is doing and the standard Peat Monster shows that. This is just a big peaty, peppery punch in the face with no subtlety. I feel sorry for Lee, having to go through that 1.75L bottle. Hope he can find a new tongue on Amazon. 3.75 Cheers

I got to try a sample of this beast thanks to @LeeEvolved. He apparently purchased a 1.75L version, probably to feed a small country. I’ve not had the standard Peat Monster, but if this is any indication, it’s gotta be a must have for any peat fan. Not knowing the makeup of this blend ( I know CB is pretty transparent, but I’m just too tired and lazy this evening to bother a search ), I’d almost say the majority has to be Laphroaig and Caol Ila. You can get the medicinal notes of the Laphroaig as well as the crisp ocean brine from the Caol Ila. I’d have given it 5 stars if it wasn’t for the fact that I couldn’t help but remember the No Name, which I liked a bit more. This is excellent in its own right though, but if you had only a set budget of $150 or so, I’d get the No Nsme over this. This is a better VFM, given the Costco style family size, but No Name had a stronger punch. The regular Peat Monster is probably the best VFM ( No Name by the way I thought was expensive. Excellent, but expensive). Thanks Lee for this!

The first note on the nose I got was smoked bacon, so I am definitely "all-in". I don't know their recipe at all, but I suspect Caol Ila because of the nice smoke, but also just a tough of some Ardbeg because of the earthy properties. Clynelish most likely brings the nice mouth coat and floral/citrus properties of lavender. Subtle distant lemons, mangoes, and oranges. It has a pleasant heavy mouth coat, a little hot because it's cask strength, but a great combo of all those flavors on the taste. I'd love to have one of those goofy hats that hold bottles so I could have two straws from two 1.75 liter bottles. =D LOL ... I don't typically do blends, but Compass Box earns respect, and I am again met with an outstanding glass. Thanks for the try @LeeEvolved ! 4.0 and I am looking forward to trying more of their bottles. The theme to this dram should be a little chunky and chewy. How about the "Cowboys from Hell" by Pantera.

The Peat Monster, a no age statement blended scotch whisky from Compass Box. Price $60.00, Sampled 12/9/15 with one teaspoon of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Distant hazelnut, soy bacon bits, a bit of char and ash, shoe polish, butter, medicinal smoke, lime, herbal, cereal and vegetal. Taste - Sweet to start, gentle smoke, some lightly sweet almond paste, Apple and ginger. Finishes with a quickly fading flavor and burn. Final score : 5 / 5, would definitely buy again.