Compass Box The Peat Monster

Tried at a whiskey bar with dessert. Nose is brine and ash. Palate is malty sweet with deep brine peat. Finish is long peat and iodine.

Very light appearance. Muted or subtle nose to it, there's some peat but it's not as strong as most Islay Scotch. Having a hard time placing the additional scent next to the peat, only word coming to mind at the moment is lacquer but in a good way, maybe the slightest bit of banana. Taste comes in sweet and refreshing. It's oily with some vanilla or sugar for the sweetness which is balanced nicely by the smoke and peat. I can taste the proof (92) a bit more than some but it's definitely not overpowering. It moves into a very nice balanced lingering finish that sits perfectly in your mouth.

Almost reminiscent of Tolkien's Watcher in the Water, Peat Monster is not for the faint of heart. Fueled by a blend of Caol Ila and Laphroaig, the nose unleashes bonfire-medicinal hybrid smoke, iodine and white pepper. Seaweed, grapefruit and a touch of mead are covered in ash. After a fearless, sweet and spicy attack, the palate marches on with raw peatiness, creamy citrus fruits and anise. Slightly dry towards the end, the finish emphasizes eucalyptus, smoked ham and hints of brine. A whisky with fire and depth, this creature takes no prisoners! RATING: 4.0/5.0 stars ≙ 87 pts → FIRST-CLASS

Conflicted - On one side I like sweet whisky’s, and I like peaty whisky’s. This one doesn’t quite know which one it is. This seems like a mix, and the mix isn’t really working for me. However - adding a little water changed it to a much better dram for me. In fact it upped the score by .5

3.0 stars - Good; 750 ml bottle Do you need a quesadilla maker? A quesadilla maker is a heavily specialized piece of kitchen equipment. It is $60 and often sits on a shelf seldom being used. But it does make damn fine quesadillas. This is the quesadilla maker of whiskey. A blend of Caol Ila and Laphroaig, I have to wonder what is the purpose? They both make good entry level malts. It will be near impossible to make something better than the sum of the parts. This is a damn fine whisky: oily, lemon drops, coal smoke, hay, menthol, brine. Caol Ila appears to dominate, which it tends to do in most blends. I will give it to Compass Box. They are never bad and never boring. This whiskey does exactly what it is supposed to to. It provides a well-peated drink that is both accessible and balanced. It is just hard for me to devote the shelf space to yet another specialized appliance.

Zoet, pittig, rokerig