Compass Box Spice Tree

Compass Box creates some wonderful styles of whisky. Some may not be your or my favorite, but each is a masterpiece for what it is. This is a vatted malt consisting of Clynelish, Dailuaine, and Teaninich. This blend is aged in an assortment of standard and hybrid wood casks with varying degrees of toast to give a complex spiciness to the whisky. When first nosing the glass the first impression is of opening a spice box. In the mouth the spiciness is forward (ginger, mace, clove?). If you allow it to linger on the tongue an underlying sweet fruitiness is distinct. All of these are evident on the slow finish. At the very end there is a bit of astringency, I think from the French oak from the Vosges Mts. Overall a very solid blended malt Scotch.

Glencairn, neat, rested 15 minutes, neck pour Color: looks like scotch Nose: sweet honey, almond, and orange peel Palate: medium mouth feel with powerful cinnamon, allspice, orange peel, oak, and ginger. Finish: honey fades to oak spice with some meaty notes almost like a honey baked ham. Overall: I'm new to scotch and this is very exciting, I can't wait to try more from compass box

Baking spices for days. Sweet and smooth, lots of cinnamon and nutmeg flavor

It has some fruit and is smooth. The spice is there, but does not completely dominate. The flavor is slightly creamy, but not so much. The drink had more depth than Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel, but less richness. It's very good, but keep in mind how cheap Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel is. This is fruitier drink, which is a reasonable comparison to make for a whiskey, but it is playing a slightly different game. For the price, this is remarkably good. It compares favorably with Compass Box Spice Tree (though it does lose). The orange flowers and richness are good. There is a reasonable amount of depth too. The problem is that there is somewhat too much alcohol flavor present here. Surprisingly, it's a bit less sweet than Glenmorangie The Original, but it also has a bit less of an alcohol flavor and has some more richness. Overall, this is a clear winner over Glenmorangie The Original. Furthermore, I would venture that this is on par with the Compass Box Hedonism, if not actually slightly better. Somehow, this is richer and better than the Compass Box Hedonism. A bit spicy, but otherwise magnificent! The key to its success is a combination of its depth and fullness of flavor. There is a little bit of alcohol here, but the sweetness and spice overwhelm it. The flavor here is well developed and tasty throughout. There is a hint of creaminess too, but not much. It's richer and spicier than the Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel, but the spice is a tad on the strong side for a Scotch. The flavor is fairly complex and quite drinkable. A bit less mildly mineral alcohol and some more complexity would be great, but this is good as it is. It's surprising that this is better than the Hedonism. The spice goes well with the rye tartness and burn. There's plenty of vanilla and enough wood to form a respectable backing. The bits of cherry and orange are nice and refreshing. There's a bit of cereal, but it's minimal. There's a light brown sugar sweetness, but it isn't excessive. The sea spray is not too strong. The floral notes are kind of mineral and refreshing without being excessive. Some herbal bitterness makes its way in but it avoids being more than an accent to the smoke. It's kind of refreshing and a bit playful, but the flavor is still solid and balanced with minimal alcohol and a nice finish. This is a very good drink though it isn't super excellent. I'd be happy to sip this and the price is good, but there are definitely better options in the price range. The complexity of the Spice Tree outperforms that of Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel, but the Glenfiddich has better flavors. The nose has some rye tartness mixed with some cinnamon and vanilla that gives it a bourbon character, though it also has a little bit of that dank scotch smell. There's a little red fruit and a little quinoa earthiness, but not too much. The palate is spicy and has some nice sweetness. It's a tad harsh and the rye tartness really does come through. This could pass as a really nice bourbon, though as a scotch it tastes rather young. There's some nice butterscotch and a bit of tangerine, but the complexity is not excellent. The vanilla does eventually come through in a substantial way, but it never overwhelms. This is a really solid start, but it tastes rather young and a tad sharp. Some of the scotch seaside character does come out, but it is not terribly aggressive. There's a little bit of a grassy note with how light this whole thing is. It doesn't have the rich sweet corn and vanilla sweetness of Evan Williams Black, but the flavor carries itself better toward the finish. For this price point, it's possible to do a lot better. I appreciate the richer flavor of Glenfiddich 14, though Glenfiddich 14 also comes with a fair bit of wet wood. I appreciate the good elements here, but that rye punch has too much alcohol and it just kind of overwhelms. It's still certainly a solid sipper though and it does succeed pretty well in its spice goal. It's a tough call between this and Glenfiddich 14. This has less of that underlying wet wood, but it's also lighter with more rye and alcohol. I'd probably give the win just barely to the Glenfiddich 14. This has a little bit of that Green Spot Irish whiskey nectar flavor and oily bitterness to it, but the Spice Tree has less of that bad Irish whiskey flavor and more balance.