Compass Box Hedonism

133 at sun devil

Review from Barreled from November 2016 Part four of the Compass Box Whisky sampler pack reviews. This NAS whisky is a blended grain scotch, meaning it has no malted barley components, and if I read correctly, it is the first of its kind. As always this is natural color and non chill filtered. The color is pale straw and virtually identical to The Peat Monster. 43% ABV. The information provided by CBW states it is composed of 70% eastern Lowland single grain and 30% western Lowland single grain. The casks are 100% first fill American oak. The nose is simply fantastic. Intense vanilla with caramel and coconut. Light creamy pastry and custard notes. Gentle oak and slightly floral. This is like nosing an empty glass that had bourbon in it 5 minutes ago. Light lemon citrus and a slight mango-pineapple fruitiness. Very complex. Showcases the superior casks that CBW sources. The palate is soft and gentle but not at all weak tasting. Again, vanilla and oak, with a corn sweetness very similar to bourbon but without the heat. More custard and light citrus like lemon or grapefruit peel. If you can imagine if the Scottish made bourbon and matured it in refill casks instead of virgin wood like actual bourbon, that's what this is. Exceptional whisky. The mouthfeel starts out slightly creamy and turns very dry. It coats the mouth. The finish is medium length but the dry mouthfeel goes on and on. I wasn't sure what I would be getting when I opened this sample bottle, but wow was I surprised at the complexity and wonderful aromas and flavors. If I see a bottle of Hedonism on a shelf I would not hesitate to grab it. If I'm not drinking something heavily peated or one of maybe 4 bourbons, I want to be drinking Hedonism. Of course that won't always be the case because I love to explore new bottles, but this is really great stuff. Cheers! Addendum: after having tried so many more whiskies since I initially wrote this review, I have to say that there are many excellent drams out there I would love to make my everyday drink of choice, but this one still holds up.

2 bottles at $115 - 2/22/18