I'll also get behind Nikka Coffey Grain @cascode You're right on about the particulars of the grain and barrel used. I had a solid sample of North British that was under 10 YO, but I've also had a 21 YO from somewhere else that was bland and harsh. I'm pretty new to grains, but it seems to be a gamble so far. How I wish I could find your 40 YO :)

I've tried this at least twice and wanted to like it both times too, but it didn't pan out. Both this and Delilah's I found to be pretty uninteresting. Spice Tree is better IMO and I'm looking forward to trying Great King St.

Man, now I’m even more looking forward to the official sampler pack that I just ordered from CP that includes Peat Monster, The Spaniard and Spice Tree in 50ml bottles. It really sounds like that CP is well worth checking out.

@Whiskey_Hound I'm a big fan of most things that Nikka produce, but particularly the Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt. Exceptional stuff at a sensible price - arguably two of the few Japanese whiskies that are still worth buying.

@cascode @Slainte-Mhath Sorry I missed this Cascode, because you couldn't have given this a better answer. Sometimes the notifications get buried rather quickly, so I miss out of some great comments here and there. I have a bottle of Nikka Coffey Grain, and I think it's great. And I've had the Teeling as well--though it was at a tasting so it's hard to recall, but I remember enjoying it. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to giving the genre another go. I've also had a few of the cheaper Compass Box offerings--I'm impressed by all of them. I'll get around to reviewing those sooner or later, but for now it suffices to say that I'm a CB fan, with Hedonism being the exception to the rule

@Whiskey_Hound I fully agree with @cascode assessment below.

@Whiskey_Hound If Hedonism is the first scottish grain whisky you've tried I'd suggest tasting a couple of others first before jumping into expensive territory. Hedonism is generally thought of as pretty OK, so it may just be you don't like grain whisky. It's not uncommon - I know some guys who are very serious about malts but won't give grain the time of day. Also there is a lot of variation and even very expensive grain whisky can be pretty blah. It's all about the cask with grain, so if the cask is less than stellar the result will be average at best, even if the whisky is very old. Teeling Single Grain and Nikka Coffey Grain are both very affordable and, IMHO, enjoyable mid-range grain whiskies. If you've not tried them already then give them a go. If you don't like them either then maybe it's not your thing. I've only tried a few really old grain whiskies myself, but I can recommend the Douglas Laing Cameronbridge 40 year old (1978/2018 bottling in the Old Particular series). I also very much liked the recent North Star 31 year old Invergorden release, but I know others who were not so impressed with that one. Invergorden is a relatively safe bet on the whole. Hope that helps.

@cascode Can you name a couple of the grain single barrel standouts? I'd like to give this genre another shot, but do it better this time around

@Generously_Paul Yes, I think there's something to that. It also came out just as the current whisky fascination was taking off and hit the palates of many who were new to scotch whisky, and particularly grain. There wasn't a great deal of choice for a long time and Hedonism has that delicious grain texture and was reasonably priced. Since then quite a lot of grain single barrels have been released and the delights of very very old grain whisky have become widely appreciated. The palate of the zeitgeist has been improving, along with the offerings.

I quite enjoyed the Glasgow

@SpartaTodd Totally agreed, which is a real shame. @Ctrexman Yeah I really hate to beat this one up but it is what it is. I was thinking of picking up the Delilah's Release or the Great King St. next

@Generously_Paul Great point. I'm really a novice in the world on blended Scotch. I've done Johnnie Red and Black, and Monkey Shoulder. So it's also very possible I just need to acclimate the grain-based whiskies, especially in this case where it's 100% grain. @WhiskeyLonghorn Hard pass from me. What other Compass Box releases would you recommend? I once tried the Great King St. and was impressed with how good that was for the money

@Soba45 I had this at a bar and quite liked it. Not sure how old that bottle was, but given the setting, it was likely there for a while. So it's quite possible that this has taken a dive. @cascode For that price, I'd have been much nicer to this one, though I'm not sure I'd even give it a 3. Blended grain must just not be my thing.

Thanks for review will pass on this one. Think Great King Street Artists next for me

Test

I agree. I tried this but didn't really think about it but nothing special about it. Way overpriced for what it is.

I’ve hesitated on pulling the trigger with this one, largely due to price. I adore Compass Box, bit seems like this one is t hitting the mark anymore.

It also may be worthy to note how much has come out in the way of blends, experimental cask finishes, etc. It may be that this was a stepping stone to what we have now and while it might not be lights out compared to what is available today, at the time this was a new, respectable and quality whisky.

All about this true

Oddly, this is almost half the price here as it is in the U.S., which makes it fair value. I quite like Hedonism but it’s not worth 97/100. More like 87.

It might have taken a dive recently. A few years ago it was nice but not a 97. I might have given it a 3.75 or 4 maybe. I'm sure the price was a lot less years ago. CB doesn't quite seem to be the force it was (on average)