PBMichiganWolverine
Compass Box No Name
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed
November 19, 2017 (edited October 21, 2024)
Compass Box's peatiest whisky yet. Makes their Peat Monster look like a pussycat. This is a mix of Ardbeg, Caol Ila, and Clynelish. Kids, this is not for the faint of heart, and in fact I thought it has a bigger punch than a recently tasted Octomore 7.3. Again, ppm is misleading. Open the cork, and you can smell burnt embers. My wife, a room away, asked if something was left burning in the oven. Taste: Charred meat, brine and smoked herring with a slice of lemon. Bigger emphasis on the charred meat. Long finish. I don't smoke, but I can imagine this being similar to a cigar finish. I got it for $100, but I'm going to guess that it'll end up becoming more as it makes its appearance stateside. I was asking myself why bother buying this if you can get Ardbeg 10 for much less. Well...I think what you get in here is the waxiness from Clynelish that you wouldn't otherwise from Ardbeg or Caol Ila alone. Sum of the parts is worth more than the individual pieces in this case. If price points are about the same---If I had to choose only one bottle---either Ardbeg 10, Corry, Lag16, or Caol Ila...I'd instead choose this.
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@Jan-Case this one was probably one of my favorites from CB. The 2nd version wasn’t as smoky, but probably a bit more complex. Glad you got a bottle —open it up and enjoy !
@PBMichiganWolverine I admit I was proper late to the whole whisky thing. But thanks to this community here I can dig into the depths of shared whisky experience. When I stumble upon whiskies that are so highly praised and liked by “the usual suspects” (including you, Soba, Telex, Paul, Lee, ScotchingHard, dhsilv, Scott, Dreaming, Richard who all tuned in to the glorification of this particular bottle) I look them up and add them to the “list of uncertainty” called wishlist here. Well, I again got lucky and was able to track down and order a bottle of this whisky from Belgium and it arrived today. I don’t know when I’m going to open it but thank you to all of you for letting people know what actually is the “good stuff”. Looking forward to opening it and sharing my experience with it soon.
🤞🏽🙏🏽
@Generously_Paul, @LeeEvolved didn’t know they had a sampler. Definitely my best bet. Searching now thanks!
@Generously_Paul and @deuce26- I believe the price on that CBW sampler has recently come down in price, too. I paid almost $50 for it 2 years ago, but I bought another one this past fall for $34. That’s a solid deal IMO.
@deuce26, seek out the CBW sampler set. 50mL of each of their 5 core range expressions
@PBMichiganWolverine thanks brother. I’m gonna start trying to track them down.
@deuce26 personally I'd start with their NY Blend or Glasgow blend. At $40, can't go wrong. If I climb a bit higher on the price ratio, it would be Peat Monster
@Generously_Paul totally agree. If it came down to having only three whiskies with me alone on an island ( to share with a Victoria Secrets model who is stranded there with me), it would be: Corry, Lag 16, and Springbank 18.
I’ve been a little overwhelmed by the Compass Box selections I’m intimidated on where to start. Suggestions? Maybe I’ll just start with the regular Peat Monster.
After trying it, I’d still grab a bottle of Corryvreckan over this any day. Cheaper and better in my opinion
@SolanaRoots yeah, sorry---Oak Cross
Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine - with so many Compass Box choices out there, it’s nice to know some crowd faves. Also by Double Oak do you mean Oak Cross? Cheers
@SolanaRoots : it's all personal tastes...but mine: No Name, This is Not a Luxury Whisky, Great King st (both NY and Glasgow), Asyla, Double Oak. I've not tried Circus or "3" which I've heard were amazing
Really tremendous review! Any chance you can give us your current Top 5 or 7 Compass Box offerings? Would be quite interesting. Cheers
Looking forward to this. Great, inviting review!
Oooh, I am already getting the jitters!! =D
Gees if it beats all those it must be impressive! I love CB. Sadly this is not available here so will have to see if MoM has a sample
All personal preferences, but for me...this is hands down the best Compass Box I've had. ( I've heard The General though was legendary. Sadly discontinued now of course)
Wow, can’t wait to try it
Great review --- I'm looking forward to try this at Whiskybase Gathering in Rotterdam this weekend!
Wow! Great review, Pranay. Choosing this over Lagavulin 16 and Corryvreckan speaks volumes. Looks like round 4’s extras are going to be the stars of the show, again.
Can't wait to try it. Going for $130 or so here except at those places in NYC that are marking it up as high as $200.