Compass Box The Peat Monster

Spicy blend, not as peaty as I had expected

Nose: wow! Palate: wow! Finish: wow! ENJOY!!!!

Just as an FYI I had a glass of Ardbeg 10 beside this one to compare to, and to help my nose/palate find some differences. I picked Ardbeg 10 because it is not one of the distilleries used in the blend and a lot of people are familiar with Ardbeg 10 as a standard Islay. Caol Ila and Laphroaig are the two main distilleries in this blend. Colour: Very light. Maybe 1 shade darker than Ardbeg 10 Nose: Lots going on here. Peat smoke is front and centre but also a very nice briny sea salt note. Reminds me of the smell of your hands when trying to crack lobsters. There is also a fruity sour green apple note in there with a bit of petroleum sweetness. If you splash it on your hands and rub them together there is a fantastic note of peanut brittle that comes out! I really enjoy the nose here. Taste: This had a great oily mouth feel to it. Again that petroleum sweetness comes out, but it is not as sweet as an Ardbeg 10. There is also a nice candied ginger note that comes out alongside a bit of the brine. Notes of burnt sugar too. I really like that this has a nice clean smoke flavour to it that is not too meaty. It's delicate like the thin blue smoke you might get while smoking meat, not heavy campfire smoke. Finish: This has a surprisingly long finish! A little bit of sweetness from that burnt sugar lingers and that sour green apple too if you're really looking. Final thoughts: Wow - for the price, this is a great peated scotch! I would feel very comfortable introducing someone to peated scotch with this one. I like that the smoke is not as intense or heavy as Laphroaig, and not as meaty as Ardbeg. It's surprisingly delicate! What would make me give it a higher rating? I really enjoy a more pronounced sea salted note more similar to what's found in Talisker.