Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington
Compass Box No Name No. 3
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed
February 10, 2022 (edited February 17, 2022)
Pale straw. The nose is a tad light and starts with red apples, tar and iodine. There’s a nice splash of bacon and brine, some hey and honey, tad of two-day-old campfire logs. The character is fairly soft but decidedly Frog-forward. Beyond the Frogy notes the peat actually has a nice, high alpha acid like character. It falls short of citrus and lands in sort of a floral range.
Zing!! Wow - that is a bit fiery but vibrant. That acidic character does turn a bit more citrus on the palate and the tar and iodine come stomping along. Old campfire and floral peat compete and then fade slowly. No real surprises emerge. While not spicy per se there is a hearty warmth in the chest.
The finish… tar, red apples again, oak, and almost a lemongrass/ginger note. Odd because going back to the glass there is some candied ginger on the nose. Definitely feel a bit of ginger spice (and alcohol) dancing on the top of the tongue in subsequent sips.
Impression - delightful, tarry blend with some bright and borderline Thai spice notes. It’s a great twist on Laphroaig, however, I wouldn’t guess this is older than the 10 year base expression. I’m not savvy enough to cypher how the other components lend character but the fruits, acidity and spice are nice. It is less rich and malty than Corry, but with similar citrus notes. Bears some resemblance to PC 10 but more tar forward with some ginger thrown in. Definitely more aggressive than GW Green and with more distinct flavors.
Now to the subject of bias. We all have our fair share. Mine is that Springbank 10 and Talisker 10 (and Glendronach 15, completely different but worth noting) could be the only scotches I ever drink again and I would be fine. I personally wish this blend had some additional brine and bacon. At $145 a bottle this will be my one and only but that’s because the heavy tar and Iodine of Laphroaig just aren’t my #1 jam - more like my #3 or #4 - when I can snatch up PC10, Talisker 10 and Springbank 10 for $60-100.
145.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Jan-Case I think this is worth a shot if you love Laphroaig. I don’t regret picking it up and will definitely enjoy it but think my expectations were misaligned or just a bit too high.
Really cool. I am just in the midsts of the No1 and half way through the bottle and I am enjoying it quite a bid. Looks like the other releases are also worth a shot.
I felt the same with No Name 2. Had a large portion of Ardbeg, but I felt as I could’ve bought Ardbeg 10 for the same experience and 1/2 the cost.