Compass Box Menagerie

Review by: The Muskox

Every now and then, Compass Box comes out with a whisky that you know is going to be good just based on the components of the blend. This is one of those. Middle-aged Mortlach spiced up with Laphroaig? Sign me up.

This is a blend of:

  • 42.7% 18-year-old Mortlach, matured in recharred barrels
  • 16% 11-year-old Highland Malt blend (60% Clynelish, 20% Teaninich, 20% Dailuaine), matured in custom medium/heavy-toast French Oak barrels.
  • 14.6% 14-year-old Deanston, Matured in refill hogsheads
  • 13.1% 20-year-old Glen Elgin, matured in recharred barrels.
  • 5.4% 15-year-old Laphroaig, matured in recharred hogsheads.
  • 5% 24-year-old Glen Elgin, matured in refill sherry-seasoned butts.
  • 2.5% 17-year-old Deanston, matured in refill sherry-seasoned butts.

Distillery: Blend.

Bottler: Compass Box.

Region: Blend.

ABV: 46%.

Age: 11-24 years. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: Various.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Light gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Very waxy – vanilla- and sandalwood-scented candles. Juicy fruit notes of mango, nectarine, clementine, and baked apple. Sort of a spiced meaty undercurrent – the official notes list salami, and oddly enough attribute that flavour to the Deanston component. It’s in there – sort of a musty savoury meaty flavour. Pillowy rich sweet notes of white chocolate, brioche, and brown sugar creamed into butter. Softly salty and earthy. A hint of something perfumed, maybe dried basil.

Palate: Full texture. Arrives waxy, floral, and filled with crisp orchard fruit. Tropical and slightly tart. Even slightly salty. Gentle smoked tea and charred oak on the development. Soft peat, but it’s definitely Laphroaig. Iodine, bandages, and burnt marshmallows. Fragrant sandalwood, nutmeg, and pressed flowers. Burning oily birch bark or a distant struck match. A hint of spruce.

Finish: Medium long. Fragrant earl grey. Basil and lemongrass. Mango and pear. Rich malt and clover honey. More spice – allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom. Slightly savoury – dried tomato? Spruce. Lingering spice. Charred wood. Hot cocoa.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Summer picnic in a smoldering meadow”

Conclusion: Just excellent. The components work so well together, you get all the richness of the Mortlach, the floral character of Glen Elgin, and that particular Laphroaig peat smoke. It reminds me more of the very old Laphroaigs I’ve been lucky to try, where the peat gets more soft and herbal while retaining its medicinal punch. It’s very Compass Box-y in its fragrant and waxy style, so if you’re a fan of their other bottlings you’ll definitely enjoy this.

Final Score: 89.

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.

Leave a comment