Compass Box The Peat Monster

N: Delicate, fragrant peat smoke. It's the first note, but far from overpowering. Wet earth, dried cherries, orchard fruit. A fleeting and elusive sea spray may be there, may not. Caramel, butterscotch, lemon cookies. It's not sea spray, it's seaweed - just hit me. Fireplace embers, hint of tobacco, roasted duck fat. P: Big mouthfeel - rich and oily. Brown sugar and bacon. Dried dark red fruit. Cinnamon sprinkled on vanilla cream. Butterscotch. Lots of oak. Little bit of something vegetal, like a chili pepper—feels like a product of some interplay between the peat (veggie) and the wood (spice), rather than that bell pepper taste that sometimes pops up in whiskies (or more often wine). Also a little bit of earth and dirt. Finish is spicy, but on the short side. Wood, tannins, and mild lingering smoke mingle with an also mild cinnamon spice. And then it just fades away... This is a remarkably mild-mannered, well-behaved monster. I made the mistake of opening this later on the same night, for comparison sake, that I opened a Lagavulin 16. I could hardly even tell this was peated in comparison. But, after separating the two over the past month, this has grown into its own place. It has an excellent nose with a subtle, recurring fruitiness that is quite pleasant. But it takes work to get it. Many of the scents I list above I did not pick up until I really sat down and thought about this dram for the sake of this review. It is not an obvious whisky. The palate is less complicated and the finish is maybe slightly below expectations, but none of it is bad. Rather than try to compare it unfavorably to a long list of peatier whiskies (especially single malts), which really isn't fair based on a marketing decision (the name of the whisky), I'll just say I think this is more complex, subtle, and even interesting than Compass Box's own Glasgow Blend, and I think that's really what the target was. But, ignoring the all malt vs. grain/malt blends question, the Glasgow Blend offers more peat, plenty of complexity, and a better price. I expect the Glasgow will be in my regular rotation. The Peat Monster will not. I would pick this up again, but it'll probably be a while.

My first taste of a peated whisky was a bottle of Lagavulin 16. I fondly recall a campfire vibe with layers of drying smoke and white ash, and not much else. That introduction to peat has spoiled me. To foreshadow my review, this is a Peat Monster in big letters to let you know it is singularly, The Monster. The Lagavulin 16 or Uigeadail are ravens in a gilded cage by comparison. The peat on this Monster is sulfuric and murky. A healthy 46% abv amplifies the effects as charcoal briquettes are literally melting away your taste buds. There is no equivalence to call, to balance out this spirit. No backbone of sherried fruit or seaside brine. Drop a dozen burning matches into a glass of weak honey lemon tea, and there you go. (That evokes hazy memories of unintentionally drinking out of near empty beer cans after somebody - probably myself - put out a cigarette butt into it.) The finish is a layer of liquid ashtray (thank you, @WhiskeyLonghorn for the vivid imagery) coating the tongue. Is this the peatiest Peat Monster I've slain? Unequivocally, yes. But after that experience, I regret having ever pursued that goal! I don't think I'll continue on with the bottle as is. Sherry bombs and honeyed malt scotches - to the rescue - are going to neutralize this potent abomination into a more palatable creature. UPDATE: Two weeks and many mixed concoctions afterwards, this has evolved with air. Pineapple or lemon Birthday pound cake with the lit match thrown in for good measure. Classic CB notes tethered to a sulfuric traffic cop. Bumping the score from 3.0 to 3.5.

Nose: smoky ham, Vegemite, slight honeyness underneath, barley/grain, tar, earthy mustiness. Initial punchiness fades to smooth, savoury flavours. Light fruitiness, ashy smoke, very slight bandaid.

My first scotch blend, and I think I chose a good one. Nice and smooth, very tasty, though in fact not as peaty as I expected. Quite enjoyable. I love the label.

Medium smoke, fruity

Peat, smoke, pears

Initial nose is of powdered sugar, brine, and almost a sugarcane syrup rum. I almost missed the antiseptic which only continued to ramp up. Tastes of smoky brine with a lemon brightness, which inevitably gets overcome by an unrelenting antiseptic. You very much taste the Laphroaig!

Really pale straw color, surprisingly light. There is a huge peaty aroma that also has notes of roasted peanuts and bacon. But the flavor doesn’t have nearly as much peat and smoke as the aroma implies. The mouthfeel isn’t as full as anticipated, and it’s a bit sharp around the edges (but is softened considerably by a couple drops of water. Some herbal and wood flavors, a bit of saltiness at the end.