Re-review of batch MMXXI-B: Every batch of Hedonism comprises different grain whiskies, so let's find out how things have evolved. Soft and alluring, the nose is almost feminine in nature. Crème brûlée, apricots and sage are interwoven with coconut cream, pastries and mild pepper. Flattering notes of vanilla, wood spices and ginger seduce the palate, while custard, honey and hints of dry oak linger in the medium finish. The malt snobs will probably rate this bottle down, but I'll stick to my guns. Delicious, quaffable and reasonably priced, this is your gateway into grain! --- RATING: 3.9/5.0 stars ≙ 86 pts → FIRST-CLASS [-]

@cascode I've enjoyed Glaser's videos. It's interesting how he pushes the limits of the norms (and sometimes also, the law).

@Slainte-Mhath Yeah, I'm increasingly noticing that there's a lot of the character of a whisky that comes down to cask choice, not in terms of what it was filled with, but in terms of how tired the casks are. It makes a lot of sense to use tired casks for long aging, but, as you suggested, if you pull the spirit out early and don't finish it, you can expect a young, rough experience.

@Slainte-Mhath Do a serach on Youtube for Compass Box, and you find a bunch of official videos by Glaser. Some are particularly informative regarding his blending philosophy and methods.

@cascode Thanks for the clarification, I was already wondering how and why they would use First Fill American Oak at North British distillery before Compass Box was even founded. We are talking wood finish here, so the content was probably matured in refill bourbon casks, acquired by CB, and then re-casked into First Fill American Oak. I guess we can only speculate for how many years the grain has been finished in these active casks.

@Slainte-Mhath @ContemplativeFox Yes, exactly - and what's more John Glaser has the habit of re-casking almost everything he buys into hand-selected premium first fill Frrench oak casks to add texture and complexity. Along with his skill as a blender, that's the secret Compass Box weapon - refinishing.

@Anthology @ContemplativeFox You must keep in mind that none of these casks with grain whisky from the 60's and 70's were filled with the intention to mature them for several decades and then bottle them as Single/Blended Grain. They were produced for Blended Scotch, and most of the stellar grain whiskies were simply forgotten in a warehouse before someone discovered their real potential. It would probably be mean to say they were intended as 'blend filler', but that is more or less true. The majority was matured in old (exhausted) refill casks, which explains the fact that 20yo grain whisky still tastes rather young. Compass Box Hedonism on the other hand, includes only grain whiskies matured in First Fill American Oak, so the quality is quite good despite its relatively young age.

I keep hearing that grain needs to be at least 30 years old to be any good too. I find this baffling, but also fairly accurate since I've generally found grains in their 20s to taste pretty young and harsh, so I think @Slainte-Mhath is on the money here. @Anthology , the blending is probably part of it, but I hear good things about Cameron bridge and I've found that North British ages quickly for a grain whisky.

Great description of this hedonistic but uncomplex dram. Thanks also for the details about its constituent whiskeys!

@Slainte-Mhath Nice review...short and sweet (no pun)! Also thanks for the tip on great grain whiskies since I recently picked up a 45yr (1974) Invergordon and a 40yr (1979) North British grains. Both are IB (Douglas Laing)...so I’m looking fwd to cracking the bottles for a taste. That said, I find it interesting that most legit recommendations on grain whiskey all say that older (at least 30 yrs and up), is the way to go. However, CB Hedonism (e.g. the batch MMXIX-A you reviewed) is a blend of grains all less than 25yrs old but yet just happens to be a great dram by all indications/reviews in Distiller. Why do you think that is? Is it more about the skill of John Glaser as a blender, or are these younger, yet delicious grains, one-off outliers? Inquiring minds want to know!

Additional comment: Hedonism is a Blended Grain, and the components of each batch vary. This review is for batch MMXIX-A, bottled in 2019, containing 22% North British (24yo), 24% North British (21yo) and 54% Cameronbridge (16yo). If you have never tried grain whisky before, Compass Box Hedonism is an excellent choice to get started. However, the real gems are the very old grains from the 70's and 60's, and I would generally recommend Invergordon, Caledonian and Port Dundas. As a rule of thumb, try to buy grain whisky which is at least 30 years old.