Compass Box Flaming Heart (Sixth Edition)

Nose: Honey suckle, peat, lemons, peaches, plums, apricots, and candied pecans Taste: Viscous mouth feel that starts with sweet malt, salted caramel, lemon, old oak, leather and peppered meats Finish: Long this one lingers for a minute with peppered lemon muffin, chocolate and smoldering campfire

Nose - smokey under tone. I get a deep earthy peat here, like the ground a few days after a camp fire. Followed by a lot of sherry - they claim subtle sherry, this ain't subtle. I do however still get some vanilla and bourbon oak as well. I'm forgetting the blend but I'm pretty sure we're looking at talisker and caol ila (sure about some of that one) for the peat. I get some talisker spice (I know I'll be called out as wrong for that but I'm risking it) and there's just a nature of Caol Ila I can't place but gives me this note. Maybe a bit of grassy oily waxy elements at the sweetness as well (I'll likely be wrong on that whisky in the mix too so I won't mention it, lol). Taste - Wow the flavor isn't what I expected. The bottle has been open since launch and been near half a bottle since launch (I hit this one hard to start). I get a berry, then a distinct vinegar based BBQ, touch of smoke, vanilla, some older oak, some leather, tobacco. I've never gotten this vinegar BBQ ever, i get a very "springbank" BBQ note, but NOTHING like this. This is sweet honey BBQ. As it tames that BBQ goes and I get a bit of a Caragiale like notes. The finish is pretty unique, bitter, touch of citrus, oak, vanilla, touch of sulfur, and a bit stale. I was going to give this one some fine notes for the nose but the flavor has dropped off. There's a lot of interesting flavor here, but none of it goes well together. I just can't give a compass box with peat a 1.5. 1.75 and only because of my bias. 150 bucks - just pass.

Like many of you, I love Compass Box.  Basically every CB whisky - core offerings, limited editions, peated or non-peated, super experimental or classic expressions.  While it would be nice to have one of each, CB puts out a lot of different whiskies (22 current offerings, based on the on the CB website), with a fairly high rate of turnover for the special editions.  So I'm trying to be a bit selective. I've been particularly curious about the Flaming Heart,  so it was an easy pick from the Franklin Room's menu.   It lived up to my expectations - peaty, bold and a nice fruit sweetness.  No bitterness, not an off note to be found and a nice smokey finish.  Nevertheless, I really wish I could have tried it alongside Peat Monster, which I recall as being very similar, and considerably cheaper.  And at $100+, the Flaming Heart has strong competition from a few other CB offerings.  So is it a buy? In the immediate term, I answered the buy question the following day at Binny's in Lincoln Park (a great tip from @ANTONIOSCHMID).   The Compass Box selection at Binny's was phenomenal, as was the selection of local craft whiskeys and just about everything else.  Hard choices were inevitable. The Flaming Heart was on sale for $114, but in the end, I chose two different CB's - a first edition No Name, simply because of the degree to which the whisky senseis here rave about it, and the Lost Blend, because it also has some fine reviews and I suspect it will be a bit different from other CB peated offerings. However, it looks like the availability of the current Flaming Heart is good, and I haven't ruled out a purchase yet.

I have been dying to get my hands on this for quite a while, and my expectations were far exceeded. Lets start with the nose, oh the wonderful smell that is Flaming Heart. It has a light, sweet peat. The most vivid image that comes to mind is the smell of dry fall leaves burning on a crackling campfire, with toasted pecans and sweet jelly beans. The taste is better. The first notes are light tar and rubber that are quickly surpassed by toasted sunflower seeds and dried apricots. As the taste develops on the tongue it turns mouthwatering, smoked burnt ends and a salted nut mix. If you let it sit on your tongue a peppery characteristic becomes apparent. The finish is smokey, smooth, sweet, salty and warm all at the same time. The lingering aftertaste makes me think I just ate barbecue brisket. Now I really want barbecue...

Nine out of ten times, can’t really go wrong with a Compass Box blend. They are masters of blending, and unfortunately, people have noticed which makes their prices skyrocket. This one here, the pour courtesy from my buddy @LeeEvolved, is no exception. It’s pricey (now over $120), but it’s so damn good. Light, lemon-y, a touch of brine and a kick of smoke. So damn good. I’m glad I bought a bottle. If you like peated, but not a smack in your face, then this is right up your alley. Thanks Lee!