Compass Box The Double Single

Happy hour. 16 degrees outside. Fire winding down from the afternoon burn. Music playing. Grabbed a Double Single to warm up. A soft delicate earthiness funky nose. Lemon shortcake, vanilla, caramel. Somewhat like a lemon Halls cough drop. Honey, heather and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Some fruity notes of pears and apricots. Loaded with aromas. Springlike images come to mind, even on this frigid evening. A sweet arrival of white sugar. Medium body that’s not oily (lacking the appropriate word for that quality). Oak and lemon zest. Waxy, candle-like notes with honey, vanilla, white pepper. What good and well balanced flavors. A warming ginger spice finish. Slightly drying oak and lemon bitterness. The wax notes hang on from the palate. A minty note rides out the finish. There was a time when Johnnie Walker, Chivas or Dewars were the de facto, old school blended whiskies. Compass is the new school blend. John Glaser and company are pushing boundaries and creating some dynamic, fun, inspiring whiskies. The Single Double is a fine example of this; their care and quality are exceptional. I find their blends better than most Single malts that I have come across. Their only weakness, as with most, is producing whisky at an accessible price. The Single Double: A great, enjoyable whisky. Thanks @LeeEvolved for providing this great sample. [90/100][Tasted: 12/28/17]

Another of the bonus samples from our SDT group. This one provided by @LeeEvolved The Double Single is so named because it is a blend of one single malt (Glen Elgin - 72%) and one single grain (Girvan - 28%). Bottled at 46% ABV and as all CBW releases are, this is non chill filtered and natural color. This one is a yellow gold. The nose starts off with lemon zest and baked lemon bars. Lots of vanilla and toffee. Some faint butterscotch. Candle wax becomes more and more prominent, like a candle dripping hot wax onto an unfinished oak table. Heather honey, floral and herbal. A little more fruity notes like apricots and peaches in cream slide in. Subtle white grape juice. Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Finally some oranges dusted in cocoa powder. The palate arrives a little thin with some lemon, but quickly transitions into a full on waxy experience. It’s like chewing on wax bottle candies. You know the kind, with the different flavored syrups in them. Like that, only with scotch inside. It turns fruity with pears, apricots and peaches. Soft vanilla, toffee and caramel. A little toasted oak and coconut milk. There’s a hit of menthol here and there with a pine needle note. A slight grain alcohol feel but nothing too unpleasant. All of everything covered in wax though. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily, dry and mouth coating. A medium long finish that is very dry with waxy lemons, grain and floral notes. John Glaser and the folks at CBW have done it again. They’ve taken two ingredients and created something greater than the sum of the parts. This is not an in your face expression like Peat Monster or Flaming Heart, but it is quite elegant in its relative simplicity. The waxiest whisky I’ve ever had, quite unique in that regard. This would make for a great early summertime sipper, relaxing and listening to the ball game on the radio. At $155 I cant say it’s worth the money, but limited releases like these (only 5838 bottles) often command higher prices. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it will take you to your happy place if you let it. Thanks again Lee. A solid 4. Cheers

Nice pour here....sweet and citrus find and buy!

Tasted at WhiskyFest San Francisco 2017 The grain whisky tastes too much like young grain whisky rather than sweet caramel

smells like fresh apples, very smooth

Very unique. Citrus (lemon). Finishes quick. Dry. Spicy.