Review 152
3/31/13
Compass
Box Flaming Heart 4th Edition: 48.9% abv
Background: Well, to our utter dismay,
Compass Box doesn’t have a Wikipedia page yet, so we need to go off of other
sources for our “exclusive knowledge”, but let’s start with this. Compass Box
is NOT a distillery; in fact, far from it. Compass box is a Scotch whisky blender.
All of CB’s whiskies are blended whiskies, most of which are blended malts, but
some of which are uniquely blended grain whiskies (you will seldom find a
Single Grain Scotch Whisky in these parts). If you’re interested in a blended
grain whisky, look up Compass Box’s Hedonism. Compass Box hasn’t been around
for too long, with John Glaser having started up the business in 2000. In fact,
it was not too long ago that we saw first signs of Compass Box crop up in
Michigan, and boy were we excited. What’s not to like about what CB is doing?
They’re bottling at higher proofs with more natural “non chill-filtered”
presentation and natural color. This particular limited edition bottling takes
the craft aspect to an almost Bruichladdich level. It is a whisky made up of
single malts from Islay and the Highlands, so a mixture of smokey richness and
sweet-bodied fruits should be expected. This one is aged in new French oak
casks, which are frankly not used enough in Scotch maturation. This particular
Flaming Heart was bottled in August of 2012 and only 9,147 bottles were
produced. As I mentioned before this is a natural presentation and is bottled
at 48.9%, which is over-proofed.
Straight
Nose: Well,
as you would expect from a malt blend containing peated Scotch, there is some
peat on the nose, but don’t mistake this as having the same presence as a
Laphroaig. Instead, the peat couples nicely with notes of subtle smoky
campfire, nuttiness, agave and sea salt. The fresh French oak brings out the
vanilla oak notes, while dry fruits and a subtle malt note underpins the whole
ensemble.
Arrival: The
arrival will be an exciting moment for you, and surely you’ll be rewarded by
the wait. The nuttiness in the nose prevails in the arrival with some almond
hinting through, but truly the peat takes the attention. This isn’t a
tobacco-like, dry peat taste like Kilchoman gives you. It is indeed smoky and
spicy, with a hot, cayenne-like presentation up front and a mild counterbalance
of sweetness.
Body: The
body contains notes of peat, creamy vanilla, and some tropical, but mellow
fruit types. It took us a while to pin down exactly what we were experiencing,
but other sources have sited guava as a potential note.
Finish: There
is a gentle peat note, vanilla, sweet apple, and sea salt coming through. The
whole experience isn’t brutalized by the proof of the alcohol, but it is worth
seeing how much change there is with some water.
With Water
Nose: With
water, the nose brings out some more harsh intensity in the smoke and alcohol,
with the vanilla coming through and an added sweetness akin to rock candy.
Arrival: The
arrival reflects the aforementioned sweetness, being significantly sweeter than
before, but also brings out some drier notes and a big vanilla presence.
Body: The
body is again sweet, with a balance of sweet and smoky notes like before.
Finish: The
peat in the finish, after a few teaspoons of water, is subtler, while fruit and
spice notes climb through. There is red grape, spices, more oak, prominent
agave, and some subtle grain notes which start to get added.
Final Comments: This is
definitely an enjoyable and challenging whisky, and to be honest, we might not
have done it justice in this review, but for us, this is a learning experience.
This malt blend represents a highly crafted spirit with a nice contrast of peat
smoke and sweetness/spiciness. The peat isn’t too commanding, but it still has
that quality of a good Islay Scotch. I don’t know if this competes on a full
scale with the likes of Caol Ila, but it is not trying to be a Caol Ila either.
We hope to see more distilleries bottling at higher proofs like this, and we
hope to review more Compass Box in the future.
Why you’d buy it: It is a
great blended malt Scotch and you like that it is limited edition
Why you wouldn’t: You
can’t get it in your area.
Score: 9.25/10
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