Compass Box Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Limited Edition

smoke and brine on the nose and taste. some sharp sweet notes cut through, but they're largely overwhelmed. has an ashy flavor as well

Really good peat flavor with a strong reminder that you are drinking scotch. Great blended scotch that is strong by itself or with a strong meal of cigar. One to have in the cabinet.

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. Any other night, this would’ve made my top pour. But in the tasting where we had a Macallan from the 80s, Ardbeg Drum CE, Stranger and Stranger, and the unexpected beauty from Sweden’s Smogen, this unfortunately didn’t make my top 5. Maybe 7 out of the 12. Charred lemons, smoky. Balanced with honey sweetness. Thanks Richard for sharing!

Opened 6/4/2018. Killed 3/13/19. Compass Box Flaming Heart Blended Malt NAS 48.9% ABV Bottled 07/2015 Limited to 12,060 bottles Price: 107 USD. I have another bottle I purchased for a few bucks more. I will buy more if given the opportunity. The 2015 Edition of Flaming Heart is peerless in terms of value for money. Compass Box has more recently been harsh with pricing their limited edition releases, but this is the one that should have been five hundred dollars. Many special bottlings of Compass Box are John Glaser’s attempts to recreate Brora, and this blend reminds me of the greatest Brora – nay, the greatest whisky – I’ve ever tasted: 1972 Rare Malts Brora. Such an elegant, composed peat. Quietly assertive and sophisticated; this is one to nose for an hour. On the palate, this is mindblowing in slow motion. The arrival is subtle, and the flavors gradually appear and build on top of one another. As one fades, three new ones appear, and intensifies the flavor orchestra like brooms from Fantasia. Maltiness, maritime, funky, medicinal, citrus, pineapple, chocolate, umami. Everything is there, and each sip is different, as the dram breathes. The finish is breathtaking, and the linger is long. Ultimately, this is not nearly as deep or massive as the Brora, lacking its legendary mouthcoating oiliness, but this also adds some French oak spiciness, which Broras do not have. The beauty of Compass Box is that as it secretly tries recreate old legendary single malts by the art of blending, it is unafraid to have its own flair. And of all the Compass Box creations that I have had the pleasure of trying, this one is at the top. Rating (price not factored): 95 / 100 Purchase satisfaction (price factored): 5 / 5

Caol ila flavor

I know I’m not the first to post this, but how in the h*ll did Distiller score this a 77? Don’t get me wrong, people have their own preferences, but Serge at WhiskyFun gave it a 91 (who if you’re unfamiliar with his site, absolutely kills most bottles; he’s tough & fair in my opinion) while Whisky Advocate scores it a 93. As someone who has had almost every CB LE released in the past 4-5 years, this beauty of dram is still one of my absolute favorites.