Review by: The Muskox
This is the latest and greatest (or at least oldest) in Compass Box’s series of Clynelish+Caol Ila blends. I’ve certainly enjoyed the previous iterations, Eleuthera and The Lost Blend, but this time the average age of the components has been bumped up from the mid-teens to almost 30 years old. The story behind the name and art is some kind of biblical allegory with the two distilleries in the blend and the two title characters. Seems a bit much to be honest, but I can’t argue with the gorgeous packaging.
This whisky is a vatting of:
- 50.9% 24-year-old Clynelish, matured in hogsheads.
- 49.1% 35-year-old Caol Ila, matured in hogsheads.
Distillery: Blend.
Bottler: Compass Box.
Region: Blend.
ABV: 47.6%. Cask strength.
Age: 24-35 years. Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: Various.
Price: I remember this coming in at around $750 CAD.
Color: Bright gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Fragrant and clean. Almost no smoke at first. Very Clynelishy – lots of wax, fresh green apples, and soft white flowers. Soft tropical notes of kiwi, guava, and papaya. Clean linens. Varnished wood. Slightly starchy cereal notes, plantain chips maybe. Nut brittle. A slightly briney note of green olives and sea spray. As it rests longer, a little bit more smoke emerges, very soft and floral.
Palate: Medium-waxy texture. Gentle wax, citrus oils, tropical flowers, and bitter honey. Oh, here’s the smoke – it builds very slowly, rich and grassy. Lots of soft green tea and dried flowers. Musty oak, old pencils, walnut wood, citronella, and kids’ crayon art projects. Loads of fruit skins and green plant parts (sugar snap peas). Cola candies and blackberries, oddly enough. Some kind of tree sap and general husky musty muskiness (say that five times fast!).
Finish: Medium-long but quite soft. Delicate smoke. A bit of a buttered seafood thing. More waxed fruit, lime zest, peaches, pears, and bananas. Soft tea. Chunky malted barley and caramel. Lingering scented candles and Turkish Delight.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Crazy Glaser’s candle and fish shoppe”
Conclusion: Very tasty stuff if you’re into this kind of style, which I am. It’s a very stylistic malt, with the very distinctive profiles of Clynelish and (well-aged) Caol Ila melded together. I suppose the name of this bottling does capture the two-spirit nature of the whisky. That intense waxiness and delicate floral smoke are really stunning. If I had to complain a bit, it doesn’t really seem to be more than the sum of its parts. I have to imagine there are more cost-effective ways to get your fix of old Clynelish and Caol Ila, seeing as this bottle was going for $750 CAD around here. Still, this is a great old whisky perfect for a summer day by the lake.
Final Score: 87.
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 