Compass Box Great King St Glasgow Blend Ex-Sherry Marrying Cask Selected By Prestige-Ledroit

Rating: 11/23 I'm a bit nervous here. I thought that the regular Glasgow was fine, but kind of muddled. Adding more sherry to it seems likely to just muddle it more. N: Surprisingly, the nose nose is actually more subdued here than on the regular Glasgow blend. After a few minutes, I get a punchier peat that unfortunately comes with a bit of sulphur. Behind that peat, there is a bit of sherry sweetness and fullness. I'm getting sort of a nutty, tart oloroso vibe. Unfortunately, that sulphur keeps growing and it starts to overwhelm my nose. The regular Glasgow is much more balanced and doesn't have much sulphur at all. It's like someone threw some young Islay in an oloroso cask for a short period in hopes of masking the sulphur. Sort of like a teenager opening the window for a few minutes to try to hide the fact that they were smoking in their bedroom. P: Rich with vegetal peatiness having a bit of chocolate, black pepper...and a wave of sulphur. I think there's some earthiness that's exacerbating the sulphur. I get a bit of sherried fruit, but it's more on the oily side with some subdued orange peel vibe and a bit of nut to it. This isn't that usual combination of herbal, meaty peat with rich red fruited sherry. This is more like an oloroso cask was pulled out of a sulphuric bog (without a high concentration of peat by normal standards). There's a lot of vegetal character going on here the merges into the malt. As I sip it more, I start getting a bit of baking spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, maybe some nutmeg). This would be pretty interesting and somewhat enjoyable if not for the sulphur.Can I pretend the sulphur isn't there? No? Well, if I could, I'd be enjoying the other character here. F: Numbing iodine with tons of sulphur, a bit of baking spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), malt, and a little chocolate. The sulphur falls back as the finish goes on, but it certainly never disappears. - Conclusion - Tragically, this seems much worse than the regular Glasgow Blend (13/23). I don't see this being higher than an 11 and I can see it being as low as an 8. The sulphur here is just out of control. Considering just how strong the sulphur is, I think an 11 is out of the picture. I'm leaning toward a 9. This does seem substantially better than Ardbeg Wee Beastie, though it isn't blowing the Wee Beastie out of the water. After quite a lot of air, the sulphur disappeared into the earthiness, making this a lot better. Considering that, I'm not considering up to a 12 for this. Overall though, I do need to take into account the substantial period of time during which the sulphur was overpowering. With that in mind, I'm going for either a 10 or 11. I think I'll go for the 11. Thank you @ctbeck11 for sharing this! It wasn't my cup of tea, but I was sorely tempted to buy a bottle I saw, and you spared me that regret :)

Lovely peated sherry. Top notch for the price. This edition takes a nice blend up a notch with the extra abv and time in the marrying cask. I’m on my second bottle and might get a third. It’s a daily drinker I always seem to come back to.

Nose: Red fruits; smoked cherry and a little plum. A surprising touch of lavender and honey. Palate: Smoked cherries become stronger, along with a general sweetness like clover honey. The proof makes it all quite robust and not as delicate as it may sound. Finish: Like many blends, the grain whiskey comes in strongest on the finish. Slightly bitter, but with a nice vanilla creaminess that wasn't present on the nose or the first part of the palate. It leaves the impression of a bold cherry cream soda that someone put a few drops of liquid smoke into. General: This has all of the things that are good about the Glasgow blend, but turned up a notch. It's such a pleasing combination of smoky, fruity, and creamy that I do think you could drink it any way you like, as it says on the label. Water just brings out more creaminess and I think it would hold up OK to an ice cube. It would make a solid contribution to any cocktail you put it in. The only reason I didn't give this whisky 5 stars is because, though it's a solid daily drinker, the proof and boldness wear a little thin if you do drink it regularly. It doesn't have the complexity of a 5-star whisky, but it's good for the price.

Nose - sweet peat, strawberry, plum, apple, fig, bacon, brine, orange zest, honey, vanilla, bitter herbal notes, dry oak, flint, black pepper, clove, tobacco, leather, smoked fish, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - baked apple, pear, honey, creamy vanilla, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, salted meat, sweet peat, plum, fig, flint, strawberry, tannic oak, leather, tobacco, dry herbal notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with smoked meat, sherried fruit, and black pepper flavors. The biggest difference between this and the standard Glasgow Blend is the alcohol content. At 98 proof, the aromas and flavors are cranked up, but they’re not largely different. If anything, there are slightly more sherry notes and less smokiness than on the original, which makes sense as I understand that aside from the proof, the only real difference is that the components of the blend have been aged for an additional eight months in an ex-sherry marrying cask. There is also a small, unwelcome addition of sulphur, but it’s not too distracting. Overall, I like the standard bottling a bit more than this one. As my main use will be for mixing, I’d prefer to stick with the original and save $10 or so. It’s a decent blend, but the there’s less value to be found here.