Compass Box Delilah's XXV

All palate, my nose is stuffed up. The big note is grainy bread, followed by muted strawberries, sweet smoke, strawberry milk, somewhat bitter, just a touch of heat. Not a particularly pleasant or long finish.

Paired with an FSG cigar. Great balance of fruit and oily smoke.

The label is unfortunately hideous. The nose, on the other hand, is quite nice. It has standard Scotch elements like mild sea spray with an emphasis on brown sugar, vanilla, and cherry. It smells delightfully rich and indulgent with a nice balance and clear flavors - you know, like the hedonism is supposed to be. The palate is surprisingly herbal with an unfortunate bitterness stepping in. It isn't a nice anise or smokey flavor so much as it is.jist bitter herbs. There's a slight mintiness, but not much. The other flavors are nicely rounded though with plenty of sea spray going on and a full sweetness. It's moderately rich. There are nice plum notes, though they are a bit obscured. With the herbs there just unfortunately something a bit off here. There's not in-your-face alcohol flavor, but those herbs are a real nuisance. There are some very good flavors in here, but there isn't anything amazing and there is that bad backing that can't be escaped. It's fairly creamy (though not to the extent that Compass Box Hedonism is). It also has an exceedingly oily mouthfeel. Unfortunately, it's kind of like the tremendous sweetness was tossed in to counterbalance the bitter herbs and the result is discordant. I could sip this, but I'd prefer not to.

Nice fruity malt, with red fruit on the nose. Vanilla and the obvious cherry cask is there, together with lighter notes of red apples, spices like cinnamon, and I think I smell a hint of banana. The nose is surprisingly sharp for a 46% ABV whisky. The taste is rich and oily, with dried confectionery fruit. Caramel and vanilla. I get mostly chocolate and pepper on the finish, which is long.

Sherried notes come through on the nose in addition to some sweet elements. Fruity palate with more sherry and a medium/light body. Moderate finish - shorter than I’d expect. A nice drink but massively overpriced.