Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
After my Johnnie Walker review I figured I’d come back with a review of what great blended Scotch whisky is actually like. There are some very good blended malts out there, and if you’re looking to try one then go no further than Compass Box. JW can’t hold a candle to these guys, and if you’ve never heard of them then, well, you’re welcome.
Compass Box has always been big on transparency in their blends, which is excellent. They give you the exact recipe they use for each one, and they used to include the age of each component. This ran afoul of SWA rules, and they got in trouble and had to stop giving out the ages of the components after a long battle over it back in 2016 or so. Which is a shame because it was really interesting info. Kudos for them for fighting the good fight.
Tasted on 11/11/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
Compass Box Flaming Heart 2015
Compass Box Flaming Heart blended malt scotch whisky, 15th anniversary bottling from 2015. This is a 75cl bottle for the US market.
I had to pull the whisky composition from other websites because they don’t have the old fact sheet for this one up anymore after the SWA smackdown.
- 27.1% – 30 year-old Caol Ila from a refill American Oak Hogshead (ex-bourbon)
- 24.1% – 20 year-old Clynelish from a “rejuvenated” American Oak Hogshead (ex-bourbon, scraped and re-toasted)
- 10.3% – 7 year-old marriage of “Highland Malts” in a New French Oak “Hybrid” barrel (oak barrel with new French oak heads), which are Clynelish, Teaninich, and Dailuaine
- 38.5% – 14 year-old Caol Ila from a refill American Oak Hogshead (ex-bourbon)
That’s quite a list of ingredients! It’s basically Caol Ila and Clynelish with some of their own re-casked blend.
Distillery: Blend
Bottler: Compass Box (CB)
Region: Caol Ila, Compass Box
ABV: 48.9%
Age: NAS. Bottled in 07/2015.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 12,060 bottles.
Nose: earthy peat, light smoke, peach, nectarine, apricot, honey, ginger, aniseed, vanilla, wax, a bit of the sea. Really well balanced peat, sweet fruit, and spice.
Taste: fruity w/ peach and some citrus, spice (liquorice, ginger), vanilla, peat smoke, honey, waxy, medium mouthfeel, a touch of seaweed, salt,
Finish: mild peat smoke, sweet fruits, mild spice, a bit salty, a touch waxy and oily, short-medium length with the spice at the front.
This is delicious. A nice marriage of peat and smoke with a bright fruitiness and a lot of nice spice backing it all up. There’s not an off-note in it anywhere. Very nicely balanced and good mouthfeel. My main knocks against it are that it’s a relatively simple dram and the finish is pretty simple and short.
I added a splash of water to this towards the end and it made the smoke pop quite a bit more throughout, but thinned out the mouthfeel for sure. I don’t find water necessary on this one at all, but I figured I’d give it a shot.
Final Score: 83.
Compass Box No Name blended malt scotch whisky, this is a 70cl bottle for the UK market. At the time they called this their “peatiest whisky yet.” Sign me up.
The No Name fact sheet tells us the following:
- 75.5% – “malt whisky made near Pier Road, SE of Islay” (Ardbeg), re-charred American standard barrel
- 10.6% – “malt whisky made near Port Askaig” (Caol Ila), refill American standard barrel
- 13.4% – “malt whisky made near the village of Brora” (Clynelish), re-charred hogshead
- 0.5% – “Highland Malt Blend”, a blend of Clynelish, Dailuaine, and Teaninich re-casked for 4.5yrs in their own casks
So a bunch of Ardbeg blended with some Caol Ila and Clynelish presented at a good ABV with no games. What’s not to like??
Distillery: Blend
Bottler: Compass Box (CB)
Region: Caol Ila, Compass Box
ABV: 48.9%
Age: NAS. Bottled in 2017.
Cask type: Re-Charred & Refill American Oak
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 15,000 bottles.
Nose: big earthy peat smoke, lime, grapefruit, sea spray, seaweed, a bit mineral, camphor and other light medicinal notes, hemp rope, candle wax, a splash of diesel. Nice complexity here.
Taste: peat, smoke, toffee, lime, grapefruit, seawater, a touch dry, liquorice, pepper, oil, wax, medium mouthfeel, salt, spice and smoke build.
Finish: a nice pop of some classic Ardbeg peat and smoke, seawater, grapefruit, lime, a bit dry, liquorice, oil, wax, rope, camphor, medium-long on peat, smoke, and seawater w/ warm spice.
This is excellent. The Ardbeg comes through clearly, and it’s not a young Ardbeg either. Big smoke, citrus, sea, with decent complexity throughout. Great finish. Nice mouthfeel. As with the other I tossed a bit of water into this later, and I’d say it’s essentially the same.
Final Score: 87.
Comparison
Order: No Name > Flaming Heart
The No Name is more complex, with a better profile and finish than the Flaming Heart. A much more interesting dram for sure, and of course I dig the big peatiness of it. The Flaming Heart is an easy drinker that would be great for people who’ve been getting into peat and like their whisky a bit spicy.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 