It's interesting tracing the history of whisky production and consumption. It seems like what has been "in vogue" changes over the decades and centuries the same way fashion, political movements, and the baking soda in my refrigerator. For many, many years, blended whisky was the preferred tipple of both commoner and gentry alike, while single malts were either bottom shelf slag or not made available to the public. It was only in the late 70's and 80's when the marketing mucky mucks decided to elevate single malts to the place of prominence that we hold (and pay for) them at today, while blends have been regulated to the bottom shelf and the back of the store. I've always admired what Compass Box has done in terms of innovation with an eye towards history. This blend and its brother, Glasgow blend, are a clear nod to that history. What comes to mind when you think of Scotch Grain Whisky? Could it be the harsh, metallic notes of JW Red or Cutty Sark? How about inferior and obscure relative to your favorite single malts? Ever heard of North British or Cameronbridge? What about soft, creamy, coconut, and vanilla? Not what you might expect, but that's what you find in the Artist's blend. Wakey wakey to a sunshiney nose of grass, hay, apples, pears, sage, white pepper, graham crackers, and cream. It enters on your palate a bit thin at first, but blooms into peaches and cream, vanillas, lemon bars, macaroons....it's pastries in a glass! The finish takes a turn I wasn't expecting, moving into a drier, spicier mouthfeel that lasts for a medium to long amount of time. No sharp edges. No metallic notes. Just a nice sip. Repeated tastes remain consistent, and the finish builds up on the palate the more you drink it. So at the time I'm writing this, it's about 106 outside. I love my high proof bourbons and sherry or peat monsters as much as the rest of you, but when it's this hot, I want something light to sip on. This fills the bill just right. For those of you new to whisky or looking for a good gateway into Scotch, this is your dram. It's eminently representative of the Highland/Speyside style, and comes with 43% proof, NCF, and total transparency from the production team (Take notes, Diageo!). If you watch the Whisky Vault channel and you've tried Monkey Shoulder, this is comparable to that one, but I think you get a little added complexity with the grain whisky element. Final score is 3.5, with an added .25 for value. Cheers!