ScotchingHard
Compass Box No Name
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed
March 31, 2020 (edited December 11, 2022)
He reached into his pocket and found that he was out of rolling paper. The ashtray next to the cold, dead body was full with embers still warm and smoking, whispering to him to leave to buy more rolling paper. No. He would finish. The mourners would be gathering soon. He had already arranged the lilies and carnations; they sat in one corner of the room giving off a gentle floral spicy scent, which pleased him. He hated the cloying scent of most flowers, and sneered to himself as he imagined doing a wedding. In another corner of the room, he had already prepared the food. The last dish he made was a lemon and vanilla rice pudding. Always a hit. In a moment, the mishmash of aromas in the room will be unified by an emperor, when he opens the glass bottles of embalming solution. He loved that moment and he loved his work. Some may call him an undertaker; a mortician; or a funeral director. But he prefers No Name for what he does.
Compass Box undersells themselves as whiskymakers. They author whiskies. Most of their whiskies make sense like a good story. This one is called “Chain smoking in a funeral home.” Carnations. Lemon rice pudding. Cigarettes. Formaldehyde. It has both the power of the anguished shrieks of the widow to greet you on the nose, and the delicate sympathetic tears of her friends in the soft and haunting finish.
I went through my first bottle much too quickly, and I am fortunate to have a backup. This is in my top 3 Compass Box whiskies of all time. #1 is the Flaming Heart 15th anniversary edition. And #2 and #3 are a coin flip between this whisky and This is Not a Luxury Whisky. I guess No Name should take the #2 spot because it is about $100 cheaper. I’m not going to guess how old the Ardbeg, Caol Ila, or Clynelish is in this blend; and I’m not going to e-mail Compass Box either (apparently they will give you the ages of their blend components if you e-mail them). At this point, I am enjoying the magic so much, I don’t want to ruin it by knowing the tricks.
Score: ** (unimaginably good)
How much does a bottle cost: $120-180
How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $280
120.0
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@Anthology No I haven't tried the NN#2. I expect it'll be good though, Caol Ila does the best of all Islay peated spirits with a long bourbon barrel maturation, IMO.
@PBMichiganWolverine It's a blend of 33 yo and 40 yo, one of them being Caol Ila. Not sure about the other one.
Great review! Digging the intro...reads like an opening scene in a Hollywood thriller. I can taste it without tasting it. That’s what’s up! @ScotchingHard have you tried NN #2? Is that equally as good as the #1?
@Slainte-Mhath what’s in the General ? I’m assuming older malt?
@ScotchingHard Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Edition is amazing, much better than the 2018 release. If only The General was available for under $1000...
@dhsilv2 if you find out, let me know. I’m curious to see the ages
@Soba45 batch 2 is not to my liking, though I have been meaning to email to find out what's in it. I'm betting it's younger.
Oh I see there is a batch 2 out. Caol Ila, Talisker, Clynish and unnamed Highland distillery..not as highly rated as the first batch
Agreed that Flaming Heart 15 is one of their best: I have a spare bottle of that.
@ScotchingHard @PBMichiganWolverine @Richard-ModernDrinking Oh and people could just send their samples for me to PBM or whoever volunteers to onship and I'll pay the postage via PayPal money transfer so no additional cost to anyone :-)
@ScotchingHard @PBMichiganWolverine @Richard-ModernDrinking Nice thanks SH! RichMD suggested we crack open older rarer bottles and do a trade. I've a few sitting round which I could send a bunch of samples from one to PBM or someone in the USA to on fwd to whoever is involved.
@dhsilv2 yeah—that puts it in perspective. Was still hoping for an older Ardbeg there , but the you’re right, price wouldn’t match up.
@PBMichiganWolverine I mean 19 year old ardbeg would mean roughly pre close stuff like that twenty something series given when this was made. I think you're asking for a hell of a lot if you want ardbeg THAT old for under 250 let alone the 150ish you can find this for.
@dhsilv2 damn. Then this is really over priced. I was expecting 17-19.
@ScotchingHard yeah totally agree—-I’m not getting any CB—-just too pricey. And for that matter—really not getting anything —-using up what I have
@Soba45 the 2018 Flaming Heart is not as good. I have two unopened bottles of the 15th Anniversary Edition. It’s probably a top 5 bottles of all time that I’ve ever gone through. When lockdown in Maryland ends, I’ll open one and try to get you a sample. Sadly, I finished Luxury and don’t have a backup.
@PBMichiganWolverine Never heard of Rogues. Even if the world wasn’t falling apart, I am falling behind tasting Compass Box because it is getting pricey to keep up. Haven’t bought or tried Tobias
@Soba45 @ScotchingHard No Name, 3, This is Not a Luxury, and Tobias. Has anyone heard of that new one ...Rogues Banquet? It’s marketing has been lost or buried under the world buckling at its knees
@PBMichiganWolverine 13
@dhsilv2 I’m curious —how old is that Ardbeg? I’m guessing high teens? CB usually doesn’t take young malts
Guess I won't tell you the ages on the ardbeg :)
Oh and have a sample of Flaming Heart but only 2018 which I heard wasn't amazing.. couldn't get hold of other edition...
Nice review! I'd say Stranger and Stranger, No Name, Tobias & The Angel, Spice Tree Extravaganza would be my top 4. Sadly never got to try This is not a Luxury Whiskey...