Compass Box Great King St Artist's Blend

I've heard that compass box is great and everything that I've heard is true. This whisky is very solid for the price point and has me looking forward to finding other compass box offerings in the future. It has things that remind me of Irish Whisky and Bourbon. This whisky is sweet but not overly sweet and has quite a lot of complexity. Nose: Apples, toasted oak, vanilla, graham crackers Palate: Butter, creamy vanilla, raisins, citrus, and a lot of barrel impact Finish: Medium to short, with a bitter dark fruit Mouthfeel: Very creamy to start and then the ethanol seems to jump around the mouth. It leaves a very distinct pepper in the mid palate which I think is from the barrel impact. Very slightly astringent.

It's interesting tracing the history of whisky production and consumption. It seems like what has been "in vogue" changes over the decades and centuries the same way fashion, political movements, and the baking soda in my refrigerator. For many, many years, blended whisky was the preferred tipple of both commoner and gentry alike, while single malts were either bottom shelf slag or not made available to the public. It was only in the late 70's and 80's when the marketing mucky mucks decided to elevate single malts to the place of prominence that we hold (and pay for) them at today, while blends have been regulated to the bottom shelf and the back of the store. I've always admired what Compass Box has done in terms of innovation with an eye towards history. This blend and its brother, Glasgow blend, are a clear nod to that history. What comes to mind when you think of Scotch Grain Whisky? Could it be the harsh, metallic notes of JW Red or Cutty Sark? How about inferior and obscure relative to your favorite single malts? Ever heard of North British or Cameronbridge? What about soft, creamy, coconut, and vanilla? Not what you might expect, but that's what you find in the Artist's blend. Wakey wakey to a sunshiney nose of grass, hay, apples, pears, sage, white pepper, graham crackers, and cream. It enters on your palate a bit thin at first, but blooms into peaches and cream, vanillas, lemon bars, macaroons....it's pastries in a glass! The finish takes a turn I wasn't expecting, moving into a drier, spicier mouthfeel that lasts for a medium to long amount of time. No sharp edges. No metallic notes. Just a nice sip. Repeated tastes remain consistent, and the finish builds up on the palate the more you drink it. So at the time I'm writing this, it's about 106 outside. I love my high proof bourbons and sherry or peat monsters as much as the rest of you, but when it's this hot, I want something light to sip on. This fills the bill just right. For those of you new to whisky or looking for a good gateway into Scotch, this is your dram. It's eminently representative of the Highland/Speyside style, and comes with 43% proof, NCF, and total transparency from the production team (Take notes, Diageo!). If you watch the Whisky Vault channel and you've tried Monkey Shoulder, this is comparable to that one, but I think you get a little added complexity with the grain whisky element. Final score is 3.5, with an added .25 for value. Cheers!

The nose is gorgeous, and jumps out with honey, grapes and over ripe banana. Stay with it long enough, and even though it’s low proof the ethanol will find you. The palate is initially sweet, but quickly introduces baking spices and pepper. That is quickly followed by some bitter woody notes that actually remind me of bittersweet baking chocolate. The finish is loud but unfortunately short.. With heat and more pepper and some citrus woven throughout. The palate and finish on this is similar to the spice tree expression, but far more affordable. I don’t think I’ve tasted a blend from compass box that isn’t outstanding, so you should add this to the collection.

Exceptional blend for the price. Smell creamy vanilla and fruit, mainly apples. Taste more vanilla and butter, oak and lemon Finish with a bit spice.

The nose has cotton balls, graham cracker, vanilla, cinnamon, and baked apples. Very fresh and clean scent, you could use this as laundry detergent in a pinch. More cotton balls on the palate, but the spices are stronger with some clove and lemon zest. Finish is long and oily. The spices from the palate get stronger and stay on your tongue after every other flavor has faded. Great value scotch here. It blows away some blends that cost 2-3 times more.