Compass Box Tobias & The Angel

What an evening for a sample pour curtesy of @pkingmartin. Golden straw, probably around SG 1.010. Sorry for the comparison for those that get it. A good swirl causes a dense ring to form and then break into thick legs. Lovely notes of sweet, almost Pilsner-like malt and honey float up from the glass from a foot away. There’s a hearty amount of earthy peat, bit of leather and oddly maybe even denim. Going deeper there’s a tad of ginger, oak, lemon rind, red berries, brine, sandalwood and blonde espresso in there as well. So far this comes across as well balanced and unadulterated. The ethanol is inferred rather than detected. It’s like a Johnny Walker green without the puff of smoke or a more earthy and citrusy Springbank 10. Admittedly my experience is limited so I don’t have other great comparisons at this point. Maybe a more floral Highland Park 12 without the smoke. Oh so satisfying when it lands. The soft peat blanket comes in first, then a bit of heat and sweet, almost floral malt then more of the ginger and citrus… and those linger for quite a while. In fact the finish itself just doesn’t stop. It’s like watching tai-chi. Nothing abrupt. Minutes later the peat, mild oak, lemon, honey and ginger persist. This is what I imagine a full-proof hot toddy should be. There is no real phenol but it is almost medicinal in its own right. I have no idea what age this is but would guess 15 years or more. Answer please…Tobias and the Angel! Holy zikes I feel almost guilty drinking that!! Glad that the JW Green thought wasn’t too off since Caol Ila is a component of both. I’ve never had Clynelish or Caol Ila on their own but this makes me think I need to give them a try. I don’t know that I could buy this without my wife murdering me and covering it up for my life insurance, which would come close to covering the price of the bottle. I really love it, and gladly don’t miss it yet because it keeps on finishing with a tai-chi flow of sweet grain, peat and spicy citrus. Alas, old whiskey can indeed be good, quite good in fact. I love this finish!!!

Nose - mellow peat, creamy vanilla, caramelized apple and pear, milk chocolate, brown sugar, brine, honey, old book, coconut, toffee, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, rich maltiness, peach, orange, lemon, grass, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - smoked meat, mellow peat, toffee, coffee, milk chocolate, baked apple, apple pie, nutmeg, coconut, rich vanilla, honey, cinnamon, apricot, lemon and orange zest, mint, chili pepper, ginger, wet grass, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with mellow peat, rich malt, and chocolate, and citrus flavors. The age comes through beautifully on this. The balance between smoke and fruit is amazing. The grain character is maintained but it’s deeply rich and velvety. I think the Clynelish fruitiness is slightly more pronounced on the nose, while the Caol Ila smoked meatiness presents more strongly on the palate. Tobias & The Angel is my first experience with whiskey this old. I’ve heard that the Islay footprint changes dramatically as time in the barrel progresses, but hadn’t experienced it until now. The peat is so mellow, almost milky. What a wonderful transformation from its boisterous, fiery youth. This is fantastic whiskey, and easily among the best I’ve ever tasted. As you might expect with a blend that contains 30+ year old components, this isn’t cheap. It looks like you can grab a bottle of it now for north of $600. At that price, I can’t say there’s any value to be found here. However if the budget permits, it’s difficult to imagine anyone being disappointed by this. I know I’m not. It’s a complete stunner, and my score reflects that. A huge thank you to @pkingmartin for providing the sample. This is the type of experience that makes me rethink the rest of my whiskey ratings. This completes my Compass Box review series, and what a great way to wrap it up. Next, I’ll be heading back home to review a set of four Lost Lantern offerings.

I have finally tasted one of the bottles i have been looking for since my whisky journey started. The very hard to find, Compass Box Tobias & The Angel. This blended malt is described as a work of art, as its label, which is a famous Renaissance also called Tobias & the Angel, which describes a biblical passage, where Raphael the Archangel tells Tobias to grab a fish, which will be useful to him later. This painting comes from Verrocchio’s studio in Florence during the 15th century, and the dog and the fish of that painting where made by no other than Leonardo Da Vinci. It is a special Blended malt made of Caol Ila and Clynelish from undisclosed but "unlikely to source again" ages. Bottled at 47.6%abv. On the nose, it is beautifully fruity. Red fruit punch, Cherry syrup; Beautiful fruitiness. If something like orange spiciness exists, this has it. After a first sip it gave me a wonderful vanilla note with sparkling water. There is some lemon rising. On the palate, very sweet and enjoyable. Red fruits, Salt, Pepper. Oranges and waffer with vanilla. Aftertaste was lovely. Amazing Smoke, Sawdust; very Ashy. Everything perfectly delivered; Vanilla cream. Overall this is an elegant, clean, well crafted whisky. A truly enjoyable dram, which by no means is worth the 700 dollars that it costs per bottle nowadays. It is definitively a collector's item, and a great whisky, which i am happy to have had. My score for it is a solid 91 over 100. Sláinte! (Update: this seems to be a 24yo blended malt. Clynelish is 24yo and the Caol Ila is allegedly older)

So there’s a lesson to be learned here...I’ll let y’all readers figure out what that is. But the story goes like this: Being that this is such a pretty bottle, with classic artwork as the label, I had it sitting in my home office bookshelf, nestled nicely between Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Last week, we also had quite a few friends and family over, for celebrating Diwali. Now, I made available plenty of options for my guests—-red wine, white wine, two mid-tier safe single malts ( Balvenie 12 and Macallan Classic 2019) and even alcohol free cocktails using Seedlip. But my wife, who can’t tell the difference between Coors Light and a Macallan Genesis, thought this bottle of Compass Box Tobias would look so pretty sitting right behind the homemade samosas. She was right...looked damn pretty. But...who puts out a $400 bottle in the open as a free for all???!!! Needless to say, before I even realized what happened, someone opened it, and by the time I saw it, there was just a small few sips worth of a pour left. But those few sips were amazing. What you have here are two old single malts (Caol Ila and Clyneish , both I think over 30yrs or close to it). Smooth silky smoke threads through waxy fruit of apples and pears. Just a drop of water opens up a bit more smoke—-making this much more austere. As disheartening as it is...I’m glad I did get to try it. Interestingly—both the Balvenie and Macallan were left untouched and unopened.

Compass Box Tobias & The Angel Nose: this wonderful conundrum of sweet and savory. Faint smoke, vegetal peat, violets, pressed flowers, and floral malt. Salami, soy sauce reduction. Wasabi & soy sauce almonds. Soft oak. Notes of sherry and dark fruit start to work there way forward after a little time. Its just gorgeous and seductive....you just don’t want to pull away. It’s like a beach strewn with shells, the longer you linger the more treasure you know you will uncover. Palate: Exquisite. Soft delicate seduction. Nuance and complexity are the name of the game with the pedigree of its barrel ages controlling the show. Its a elegant balance of brine and sweet and savory. A touch of light honey and sweet malt dressed in sheer smoke. Rich floral, rose hips, bitter chocolate, almonds, the peat rolls in at the end more woody and earthy with a rich kick of gentle barrel spice. A kiss of velvety smoke ties it all up with a bow. Finish: sweet malt and smokey and lingers beautifully with a light touch of sour oak on the end.

So first pour isn't done yet. first note - wow dusty and spicy. Shockingly odd just from opening the bottle. That fades and yields cream and lightly earth tones. with vanilla and citrus. man - the earthy dark peaty big super old caol and the bright fruity clynelish are almost fighting vs playing nicely with each other. Opens with citrus, turns to the smoke/peat and finishes spicy and citrus floral with I believe sherry kinda dancing over the whole thing and then a long lingering finish that requires old whisky to create. This has some of the best notes I get in old scotch but it's almost too sweat in a pudding like fashion. I really want the darker peat notes to be a hair stronger here. For now I'll give this an 85 out of 100. Mid B which is heavily weighted by the high price. But never review a whisky by the neck pour.