Compass Box Myths & Legends III

I just finished off my bottles of No Name 1 & 2, both of which I really enjoyed. I have to say I like this better - it’s more subtle and intriguing than those. I almost passed on this bottle due to the price point ($149), but I’m glad I decided to get it. It will be interesting to see how this develops over time. Not sure I’d recommend that people rush out to get it, but if you have room in your budget and on your shelf then i don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Been trying to buy less but I just had to get at least one of these and I went with the blend. Nose - fruity, waxy, vanilla. There's a bit of oak and a touch of salt and earthy notes at the end. Taste - vanilla, cream, followed by some earthy elements, some peat, bitter notes. This is a nice reasonably older tasting blend providing the fruity elements that compass box so often seeks out with a light touch of peat. It was about 150 bucks which is a bit too much as seems to be the norm lately with compass box. I'd love to have the 3 bottles for display but I'm pretty happy saying I had this one and calling it a day here. 2.5 quality scotch, but nothing special.

The final bottle in the series builds on the Glen Elgin single malt of M&L II by blending in a couple of peaty whiskies. In other words, we’re back in traditional Compass Box territory. And indeed, the nose is as well composed as a typical bottling from the blender: aromas of a sweet, light peat with a menthol tinge mingle with green apples. The taste begins with a silky minty smoke and then takes a turn into crisp, dry and malty flavors. The finish is pleasantly yeasty, like crumpets. Compass Box often weaves magic with peaty elements and doesn’t disappoint here. Indeed, the peat is so transformative that the DNA from the second bottle isn’t immediately obvious, although my notes show it’s there in the fruity nose and the dry flavors on the palate. The transformation might seem remarkable given that the Caol Ila and Highland Park comprise just 15% of the blend but such is the power of peat. This was my favorite of the three after my first tasting of each, only knocked into second place after the complexities of the first bottle became apparent on a repeat tasting a night later. Still, one can’t overlook the other limited edition peated whisky that Compass Box is offering currently, No Name 2. It’s around $20 cheaper and from my brief taste at least as good. So if you have more money, storage space and liver cells than I do, buy M&L I and III and stick No Name 2 in the middle of the sequence. If you can only buy one, the first M&L makes for a unique treat.