Review 189
12/8/13
Compass
Box Oak Cross: 43% abv
Background: Oak
Cross is the first whisky in the range of Compass Box selection that is offered
as a blended malt. Oak Cross is made up of 60% northern Highland single malt,
20% Highland single malt, and 20% Speyside Single Malt. It is aged for 60% of
its life in first fill American Oak casks, and 40% of its life in new French
Oak casks. It is still considered a relatively young whisky, we assume, but
that shouldn’t be a terribly incriminating feature, considering how young
Compass Box is as a company. It is also bottled slightly higher than Asyla,
which gives it another plus.
Straight
Nose: The
nose for this whisky starts off with a slight maltiness, but quickly reveals
some peculiar qualities. The nose does have a substantial saltiness to it,
along with an odd note of baking soda. It is creamy, and has some vanilla
overtones, with dried fruits and sawdust present. There is slight grapefruit citrus
and pear, with a fresh medley of grain flavor. Overall, the baking soda seems
to be an over-dominant flavor in the aroma, which creates an edgy, harsh nose.
The nose is not terribly complex, nor is it thick or concentrated. That being
said, the brininess to the nose can be enjoyable at times, and presents a very
sea-salt like layer to the nose that is highly reminiscent of Old Pulteney 12
Year.
Arrival: The arrival starts off with a quick introduction
of maltiness, followed by saltiness and a hoppy/floral bitterness. The arrival
is not hugely complex, with the same softness as the Asyla. It just packs a
saltier punch. There is a sense of oakiness in the arrival, which tastes
primarily American.
Body: There
is an odd prominence of citrus and acidity in the body, which seems to disrupt
the event of drinking this whisky. This seems fairly similar to Jura’s 10 year
old whisky. As the whisky creeps into the body, a fluoride-like flavor
develops. There is mild spiciness that starts to develop in the body, but it
doesn’t take a dominant role until the finish.
Finish: The
baking soda is back in full effect in the finish. There is a prominence of
saltiness, tartness, and malt that pulls from the rest of the whisky. There is
a clash of pepper and clove in the finish, along with vanilla and spicy oak. It
feels like the French Oak is taking over at this point and really asserting its
dominance. There is some hops-like bitterness in the finish as well.
With Water
Nose: Water
does not seem to curb the salty, baking soda aromas from this whisky. In fact,
it might even enhance them. There is a slight shoe polish type smell to this.
In general don’t let somebody smell this before they try it, or they may never
try it.
Arrival: The
maltiness in the arrival opens up a lot more after adding water, and as the
whisky hits the back of the tongue, a much more open flavor of fresh fruit and
floral notes appears. It is a pleasant surprise in stark contrast to the baking
soda. There is a substantial amount of apple in the arrival now as well.
Body: With a
little bit of clove, gingerbread, and other dry spices, the mouthfeel in the
body has become very dry. The body has eliminated some saltiness, which is good
considering the extreme lack of balance that would have presented to the
whisky.
Finish: Like
the body, the mouthfeel in the finish is now incredibly dry, and the maltiness
to the finish has been replaced by more spices, assumingly from the French Oak
cask. It appears that the addition of water say made the finish of this whisky
slightly intolerable, to be frankly honest. There is more hotness than there is
flavor.
Final Comments: This
is not the most positive review. Let’s be clear though, KCM doesn’t have a
grudge against salty whiskies. Old Pulteney is one of my favorite distilleries,
personally. The problem here is that the flavors are not terribly
complementary, and the employment of fresh casks seems to be adding a harshness
to the whisky that just isn’t doing it any favors. This isn’t a terribly whisky
either, though. The spirit itself tastes good, and there doesn’t appear to be
any burn associated with impure alcohol. The flavor of baking soda, however,
just isn’t adding to the blend. Disappointing, we’d like to see a better lower
end offering out of Compass Box, but we’ll just have to keep looking.
Why you’d buy it: You
want to feel sea-worthy.
Why you wouldn’t: Old
Pulteney 12 Year is perfection in comparison for a similar price.
Score: 6.75/10
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