Compass Box Spice Tree

Spice Tree was one of my first forays into the Compass Box line many years ago. As time went on, my palate became a bit more mature and so, I decided to give Spice Tree another go. On the nose, cloves and candied ginger mix with some citrus and chocolate and reminds me of the holidays for some reason. Maybe it reminds me of spiced orange cider? Cinnamon spice, cocoa and honey blossom from the taste. I rather like when whiskies do that, rather than a jarring and abrupt taste up front. As the taste opens up, sweet and fizzy orange cider takes center stage, pulling in the cinnamon from earlier. The finish is relatively short and spicy. The sweet tongue prickling sensation of cinnamon kicks off the finish. A familiar and slightly musty old leather jacket peaks its head through the spice for a quick moment before being buried in something tannic and sweet all at once. For the price and being a core selection that is readily available anywhere, this is certainly worth a try. Its complex, sweet and spicy and really hits the spot. This would make an excellent bottle for sipping over the holidays.

N: Very fruity with lots of fresh, juicy pear right away. Dried red fruit, red wine, vanilla, caramel, Suggestions of cinnamon and baking spice whisper some influence on the nose. P: Sweet and fruity first, then caramel and vanilla bring a roundness and warmth to it. Dried red fruit, toffee, chocolate, and a little light roast coffee (and bitterness) settle on the middle of tongue. The finish brings the heat, but it starts by picking up the coffee bitterness and shifting it to a woody oak bitterness. Cinnamon follows, but this is no cinnamon bomb. There's subtlety to it with more baking spice: dash of cayenne. some kind of nut extract, nutmeg, coriander, and mint. It's a fine, but fairly simple nose. Serviceable, but forgettable. The palate is similar: there's nothing wrong with it, but I just don't find it terribly memorable. So, unsurprisingly, I generally feel the same about the whisky. I don't regret it, but I also wouldn't do it again.

These notes are from a blind tasting (Flaviar Advent Calendar) The smell is pretty muted, it takes some time but you can pull out some vanilla, fruitcake, oak, dried red fruits, and baking spices. The taste is dried red fruits, clove, baking spices, mint, and some nice bitter dark baking chocolate. This is really nice.  The finish is long and warm. The baking spices and cloves start strong on the finish and give way to some nice sweet/sour flavors of sherry and vanilla.  This is a good one. Very enjoyable.  Happy to have this on the shelf anytime. If I had to make a complaint about this it would be the smell. It remained muted for most of the time drinking this however, the taste and finish more than make up for the smell. It is actually pretty nice because you get an unexpected upgrade when you taste it after smelling it. Whatever this is it is worth the effort. Overall Grade: B+ (Very Good)

My friend and I split a bottle together. Excited to try. Nose - a light nose. I smell nail polish. Cinnamon spice. Bananas, and apricots, hints of red wine. Apples and vanilla. I for some reason also smell white chocalote after adding two drops of water. Tongue - This whisky shines on the palate more than the nose. An oily taste but the feel. It does have a wine like flavor, a dry red wine. Immediately spicy, as in the spice hits within 2 seconds of tasting. It is sweet like a pears and apples. Mildy bitter as well. After two drops, it got much more sweeter. And the spice lingers! Mainly cinnamon spice amd hits of nutmeg. I’d say medium finish! Easy sipper if yiu can handle the spice. Overall a very very good dram for a blend! Has character and charm!

Nose - as the name implies it is spicy with pepper and maybe some cinnamon Taste - honey hits with some peppercorn and woodyness Finish - moderate length, the spiciness smooths out here but lingers with a tingle on the tongue Score - 3.5 Scoring Legend 5.0 - Outstanding, unmatched to others 4.5 - Excellent, I will always keep a bottle in stock if possible 4.0 - Very good, quite enjoyable to drink, can consider as a solid choice 3.5 - Good, would taste again 3.0 - Average 2.5 - Acceptable, still drinkable 2.0 - Inferior, able to drink but not enjoyable 1.5 and below—wouldn’t drink again unless I am desperate

This is a very nice blended malt(no grain). Fragrant and floral on the nose with a sweet waxy note. Plenty of palate richness with baking spice, creamy honeyed malt and waxy overtones alongside toasty barrel woods. Flavors are nice and full. Not a lot of fruit influence maybe a bit of golden apple. Finishes long and non bitter with breakfast tea, spicy maltiness and a sweet nectar vibe I really enjoy. The waxy honey toast takeaway here is delicious. This was a great value at my purchase point but even normal cost is worth it imo......90/100.....I'll go vaunted 4 star/90 's territory its that good