Compass Box Bounty Hunter

This is my first bespoke bottle from Compass Box Whisky: Bounty Hunter. This was a blend created for a private entity, Bounty Hunter Wine & Spirits, out of Napa, California. They commissioned John Glaser to create a limited, 369 total bottle count, offering to be sold exclusively at their store and online. The limited nature of this one probably led to the high price of $150, rather than the whiskies used. It’s a tasty blend, but it’s certainly NOT worth the asking price. It’s a beautiful, yellow gold and makes skinny, rapidly running legs in the Glencairn. There’s tons of tiny beads left near the lip that indicate it wasn’t watered down by much to the advertised 46% ABV. This blend was created in June 2017 and bottled in October of the same year. I didn’t email CBW for the exact makeup of this because it wasnt distinct enough for me to go through the trouble. It tastes similar to Double Single/Lost Blend/Hedonism. Aka- grainy, waxy and fruity. The nose is kind of bland: candied corn, light orchard fruits, melted candle wax with a very weak oak profile. I didn’t detect any smoke, so I’d be surprised if this had any Islay or Island components in excess of 5-10%. If there’s any at all. I’d wager there’s lots of Clynelish and/or Dailuaine present. The palate is dominated by the wax notes that seem to power every CBW blend that’s not focused on smoke. The grainy notes aren’t front and center here, either and that’s a good thing IMO. It’s very smooth with some light sherry and apples and pears. It’s all too similar to a lot of the recent CBW malts I’ve had recently. The finish is medium to long. It’s starts out oily but turns to dry oak and sawdust with what could be perceived as smoke, but I think it’s just a hint of perhaps a heavily charred, ex-bourbon cask. It’s definitely not meaty, more like a whiff of a campfire that was tamped out hours earlier. As it is, it’s a solid CBW. Bounty Hunter is overcharging by a significant margin, though. This is an $80 bottle at best and I’d argue you can get 1/2 of the way there with the Glasgow blend and the other half with Lost Blend or Phenomenology. 3.75 stars, but I gotta dock it for the price. 3 total stars. If you’re collecting bottles, maybe buy it- but if your looking for a great CBW bottle I’d definitely save your money and look elsewhere. Cheers.

Thanks to @Richard-ModernDrinking for providing a pour, this is my Friday night dram. If Hedonism, Phenomenonology, Asyla, and Great King St Artist Blend all had a love child, this is it. Pears, lemon, shortbread, a tinge of grain heat, lingonberries. Summer in a bottle. This is good stuff. At $150, it’s pricey though. If you’re a fan of Compass Box, it’s a no-brainer buy just for that uniqueness factor. If you’re ambivalent, then the $150 can be spent better elsewhere like a bottle of Hedonism or Great King St, with cash left over. So, ranking Compass Box favorites—-I’d say The General by far in the top spot, then No Name, Circus, a tie between this, Hedonism, Phenomenonolgy, and 3, with Asyla and Great King St closing it out . Thanks Richard for the pour!

This limited edition bottling for online retailer Bounty Hunter seems to have landed under the radar, as I learnt of its existence only while searching for something else. There are just 369 bottles of this blend, which was created from no less than nine different malt components from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay, and two sources of grain. Half the whisky was aged in sherry butts. The aromas from the glass are beguiling: there are pears and lemon at first, then green apple drizzled with treacle, amid a background mist of fresh pepper. The first sip unleashes a huge swell of rich flavor that settles down into cornbread, lemongrass and pepper flakes. The finish is long, tangy and dry. This is top tier Compass Box stuff, the best of the three bespoke bottlings I’ve tried. The components are in perfect harmony, the sherry and Islay influences ever present without overpowering the more floral spirits. The only downside is that the bounty on its head is expensive at $150, but Compass Box completists won’t be disappointed.