Compass Box Experimental Grain

Let the Compass Box train roll! I'm quickly becoming a full fledged Compass Box fanboy and recently had the chance to pick up Experimental Grain and Juveniles for a great price. The nose is so gentle on this whisky that it is almost undetectable. Honey and toffee set the nose into motion with a wave of creamy sweetness. Deeper in, some apples and pears mix it up and at the end just the tiniest wisp of peat smoke. If this whisky tastes anything like it smells, its going to be stunning. This tastes unlike any whisky I have ever tried. Sweet and tart apple takes center stage but then mixes with milk chocolate. There's an odd, earthy grassy mix to the flavor that I've never detected in any other whisky. The taste ends with the faintest kiss of peat smoke. Through the puff of peat smoke, the finish turns spicy which is not what I was expecting. It is moderately long and drier than the taste but not brimming with complexity. This is the first whisky I ever had a taste of and was left scratching my head as to what I actually thought about it. I'm now on my 5th taste and I still can't decide if I like it. It fits into a rare category of Whiskies that taste unlike any whisky that came before it, breathing rarified air with the likes of Compass Box Hedonism and Green Spot to name a couple. This whisky is light, whimsical and sweet. You know something? I think I DO like it, just not quite as much as Hedonism. But I can very much tell that this would be an extremely polarizing whisky.

I didn't get off to a good start with Experimental Grain, featuring peated, column-distilled Loch Lomond. Random notes of raspberry effervescent tablets, pinewood and mossy vegetation reach my nose, interrupted by smoldering wood, herbs and distant honey. On the palate, vanilla, cinnamon and banana compete with emerging peat smoke, fresh mint and bitter oranges. Whipped cream, milk chocolate and tannins mark the drying finish. Like a spy traveling under a false passport, Hedonism's alter ago remains opaque, confusing and weirdly fascinating. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Very interesting nose, caramel, pear, buttery notes. Body lets you down. Some interesting rasberry?? Light smoke notes on the finish. A bit confusing overall.

The holy knowledge of whisky says, there are only 5 types of whisky: Single Malt, Single Grain, Blended Malt, Blended Grain and the popular Blended Whisky. But, have you ever tried or seen a Blended Grain whisky? Well, this was kind of invented by Compass Box when they released their very known Hedonism. And they where the only guys who ever made Blended Grain whiskies. You can honestly believe that there is really no need for blended grain whiskies to exist, since Single Grain is often considered as inferior to single malts. I also have to say that i know about a blended grain that is not from Compass Box, and that is the Ballantine's Vitality. Well, CB has released to the market their newest Blend of grain whiskies, called "Experimental Grain", made from Loch Lomond, Cameronbridge, North British and a parcel of Hedonism. It has a Pale color and has 46%abv. Nice marketing as always, the bottle and the cardboard box are beautiful. On the nose, starts with school glue, watermelon, plastic, rancid vanilla and hairspray. This sent me to my childhood since this whisky smells exactly as the action figure of the moss/grass man from the 80s cartoon, He-Man. After a first sip, it gave me this aroma of a barber shop. Some citric notes and chocolate. Yeast, vanilla and hand sanitizer alcohol. On the palate, vanilla ice cream, rum and raisins and metallic flavors. Dulce de leche and chilli sauce. It is actually very, very good. Aftertaste was my least favorite part. Metallic, oxide like licking a 1 cent coin; Cardamom, iodine. Overall, i have to be honest, this was way better than what i expected. I was surprised on how good the palate is; the nose is fairly complex and the aftertaste is not off-putting in any way. Really a decent whisky, that is not a good deal for your money in any way possible except for collection, it manages to get a score of 85 over 100 in my books.

Not as good as Peat Monster

Nose: very balanced and nice, light tropical fruits (melon), you can smell the grain in the spirit and a bright vanilla sweetness. After a bit I get some earthy smoke but very light. Not super complex but enjoyable (20/25) Taste: light in the tongue and flavour sits in the middle of the palate, little oils. It’s good, almost Irish in taste with big vanilla chews forward and wood spice to balance. Simple and tasty (21/25) Finish; the finish is all grain but probably my favourite part, melon fruits, caramels and vanilla again with a bit of heat. Flavours kinda dance here and you get that grain effervescent effect. Fun (22/25) Balance: good balance for a grain and it’s not super vanilla or Lilly sweets dominated with more fruits and the oak spice balancing nicely. (22/25) (83/100 - For comparison I rate Glenmorangie 10 - 84/100) Reccomend to try but not on my buy list

4.0 stars - Excellent; 750 ml bottle This one lands on the good side of surprising and strange. My motto for Compass Box is: Always good, never boring, and completely honest. This whisky is the embodiment of that concept. I will leave it as an exercise to the reader to debate the price. The flavor is all cinnamon and vanilla whip cream. This is not at all what I expected. Yet, I kept coming back to this whiskey, night after night for a couple months. Often, the novelty was refreshing after familiar pours. With time, the cinnamon note calms down and there is the slightest kiss of smoke and oak.