Compass Box No Name No. 2 Review

Hi everyone,

Thought some people might appreciate my thoughts on this whisky quickly as it has just come out here in the UK.

I was a big fan of the last No Name from Compass Box but that one had a parcel of Ardbeg, whereas this is mainly Coal Ila with some Talisker attached.

 

Compass Box No Name No. 2 48.9%

Colour: Straw

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Clean smoke, pure lemon, soft soot and charred wood, creamy vanilla, maritime with wet ropes and sails, sea salt crust, little bit of a muted nose.

Taste: Soft, light smoke, chewy oils, then more powerful with smoke and black pepper, ginger and chilli, big salty hit, lemon juice. Softer, more silky and Campbeltown-esque as it opens up.

Finish: Long length. More lemon, more salt, a little oak at the end. Not particularly complex but good.

Lacking the complexity and balance of no1, nice nose, bit too spicy on the taste. I think the Coal Ila comes through very clearly on this one and maybe the spiciness from the Talisker but this was meant to be more complex than No Name 1 (which I loved the purity of) and I didn’t find that it was. Oh, and its £10 more expensive.

76/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #765

Whisky Review #910

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

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90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Compass Box The Spaniard & Flaming Heart 6th Ed. Reviews

Hi everyone,

I’ve got two newish CB’s today. Always a fan of the more expensive versions and generally their outlook and experimentation.

I was lucky enough to try the new version of Flaming Heart at the Whisky Exchange Show recently and just tried The Spaniard yesterday, so thought I’d put up my notes together.

The 5th edition of Flaming Heart is one of my favourite Compass Box’s and I just love the packaging. Might be one of my favourite packagings on any Scotch actually. Not too overblown, lovely shaded bottle. So I was very curious to see how this new version stacks up.

Compass Box The Spaniard 43%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Really fruity, sweet gummy bears, wax, malt, spice, creamy biscuit, some milk chocolate and heather, quite a complex one actually. A more gristy malt develops.

Taste: Very soft, lacking a touch of power just as it begins, creamy, better mouthfeel as it goes on, malt, more spicy then with nice ginger and black pepper, tingling.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Creamy again with some spice.

48% Spanish wine casks. Quite an average one. Quite a good nose with the fruitiness working well but on the palate you get nice spices but not a huge amount more. This one isn’t too expensive though to be fair.

73/100

 

Compass Box Flaming Heart 6th Ed. 48.9%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: More fruity than I remember the last one being with lots of fresh apple notes, red and green apple, juicy pear, waxy and delicate, light creamy smoke behind, lemon candy.

Taste: Super soft and balanced arrival, creamy then more malty with chocolate then bigger mineral and salty peat, waxy and Brora-like.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Waxy and seashells, Brora. Some spice and oak too.

Glaser's mission to recreate Brora it seems. Fantastic of course, but not the equal of the 5th edition I think. I love the coastal notes here but the last I remember being more complex and kept developing.

83/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #678-#679

Whisky Network Reviews #812-#813

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

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85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Longrow Red Cab Franc & Tasting Room Sample Reviews

Hi everyone,

Springbank’s sibling Longrow could also be described as the younger brother. It’s brasher, bolder younger brother. Being only double distilled, and also more heavily peated, I find it doesn’t normally have the complexity of Springbank. Although, having just said that, I’ve heard great things about the stuff distilled in the 70’s.

These have not been distilled in the 70’s. The first is the new(ish) Longrow Red and then I’ve got a special(ish) one I tried at the recent Whisky in Leiden festival.

Longrow Red 11 Cabernet Franc 55.8%

Colour: Redish

Body: Full

Nose: Fruity chewy sweets, orange in particular and red berries, orange chewing gum. Odd nose.

Taste: Intense, big whisky. Red berries, dirty smoke, perfumed oak, ginger and white pepper.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Soft, ginger beer, orange, late smoke.

Not a massive fan of this series, I find them out of balance and a bit all over the place.

75/100

 

Longrow Tasting Room Sample 57.9%

Colour: Straw

Body: Full

Nose: Very nice nose of creamy smoke, ashes, something meaty, vanilla pod, slightly dirty peat.

Taste: Clean, smoky, lemon and green apple, coming in showing the youth, earthy then ashy. Green peppercorns getting more and more bitter.

Finish: Medium length. Quite bitter and astringent here, green peppercorns.

Bottled 06? A bottling for the Cadenhead's Tasting Room. Very nice nose, a bit harsh to taste.

75/100

Distillery: Springbank

Average Score: 78.6

Distillery Ranking: 15th/ 61 places

Up/Down: 14>15 (Down 1)

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #610-#611

Whisky Network Reviews #722-#723

Network Average: 74.9

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

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50-59 Bad

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80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Ardmore 20 (2017) Review

Hi everyone,

There aren’t that many official Ardmore bottlings really. Traditional was discontinued, replaced with Legacy. And there’s the 12yo Portwood. But no others come to mind.

And then this one came out of nowhere, at a sensible strength and an even more sensible price! I was shocked. So shocked I almost bought one. Especially as Ardmore has become a distillery on my watchlist and that this would have been produced on their direct fired stills as it’s pre-2001.

Anyway, finding myself at Inter. Whisky Frankfurt with a tonne of awesome whiskies ahead, I tried this first thing.

 

Ardmore 20 (2017) 49.3%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Sooty and smoky, oily, Campbeltown-esque, some seaweed, lemon and white grapefruit citrus, waxy vanilla. Soft minerality and some funk after time.

Taste: Sweet start, orange peel, then intense citrus and smoke combo, white grapefruit again, gingerbread and ginger biscuit.

Finish: Long length. More of that white grapefruit and ginger beer.

Matured in Bourbon barrels and Laphroaig quarter casks. A little spicy mid-palate but the white grapefruit is unique, not sure I’ve tasted that in a whisky before. Very nice stuff and a great price for a 20yo, only £60 in some places.

81/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #555

Whisky Network Review #650

Network Average: 74.7

Best Score: 93

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

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65-69 Ok to Good

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80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

4x Benromach: Triple Distilled, Chateau Cissac, 2008 Single Cask & Peat Smoke

Hi everyone,

I’ve always been very impressed with the Benromach whiskies. They’ve all been hugely consistent in my book, scoring in the mid-high 70’s every time. Recently I’ve been placed at a few events next to them, so I’ve had a chance to try some of their new stuff and I continue to be impressed. Nothing has blown me away yet but the consistently good whisky is a big plus.

I’m also learning it can have some lovely Springbank type notes to it too.

I did also got a chance to try the 35 year old too, but didn’t have time to make notes. Great stuff, but please do it at cask strength you fools!

Benromach Triple Distilled 50%

Colour: Straw

Body: Light/Medium

Nose: Light and very fresh, could be Glen Grant. Watermelon, melon, under ripe mango, kumquat?, cream.

Taste: Nice abv, light but lots there. That melon and under ripe mango thing from the nose, natural yoghurt, some young spice.

Finish: Medium length. More natural yoghurt and melon.

Distilled 2009, bottled 2017. This is a little to light for my taste, although the quality is here. Very Glen Grant-esque with the light and delicate flavours.

70/100

Benromach Chateau Cissac Finish 45%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Bloody good. Slightly dirty, soot and well integrated red fruit from the wine. Could be a Springbank. Candy floss brings freshness.

Taste: Lacking power to start then overly spicy and tannic from the French oak maybe? A little soot and red apple. A bit flat here though.

Finish: Medium length. Great. Lovely red apple and black pepper combo. A little like an older Talisker.

Distilled 2009, bottled 2017. Chateau Cissac is a Bordeaux I’m familiar with as I’ve got a couple of bottles. It’s in the Haut-Medoc and uses mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, giving you a bit more tannin normally. The tannin doesn’t really come through on this though, which is probably a good thing.

Lovely nose and finish, but the taste is completely different and not nearly as good, which is a shame. Still, one of my favourites of the range so far!

77/100

Benromach 2008 Single Cask for Itlay 61%

Colour: Straw

Body: Full

Nose: The Springbank of Speyside! Chalky, sooty and austere. Some yellow apple, chimney soot, no youth or abv. White pepper.

Water: Remains austere. Nose doesn't change too much.

Taste: Soft, great arrival, sour lemon, lemon peel, chalky, citrus, a little orange, some soot, black and white pepper, a bit of grapefruit.

Water: Spicier but unbalances a bit.

Finish: Medium length. Some chalk and soot, then tingling. Spicier and longer with water.

Bottled 2016. A bit spicy with water, this is better neat. Really, this reminds me very much of the Springbank local barley. Which, of course, is a good thing. Great pick from the guys over in Itlay.

80/100

Benromach Peat Smoke 2017 46%

Colour: Straw

Body: Medium

Nose: Fresh juicy pear, slight barnyard but not much overt peat. Subtle minerality and melon.

Taste: Soft, light, melon, then green apple and black pepper, light smoke and subtle mineral notes. Ginger.

Finish: Medium length. Suddenly very peaty with very salty lemon juice.

47ppm. Distilled 2008, bottled 2017. Similar style to the triple distilled. Quite light and delicate for how peaty it is meant to be. Bloody Ppm doesn’t tell you anything, eh?

72/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #514-#517

Whisky Network Reviews #606-#609

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Smokehead NAS & 18 Reviews

Hi everyone,

Two mystery malts today from Ian Macleod. They own Glengoyne and Tamdhu distilleries, as well as being independent bottlers for stuff like this.

Smokehead is an Islay single malt, and people love to try and guess which one. There’s only a few viable options but it’s a little more tricky to distinguish than you’d think I think. A reason distilleries will sometimes sell off casks is because they don’t fit the normal profile of the distillery and they can’t use them. So, that means that these could be quite a different style to the normal distillery profile, making it harder to guess.

Realistically I think there’s only four options: Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Caol Ila. To get the style of peatiness. I think the clue is the secrecy. They would be able to put Caol Ila on the label if it was Caol Ila. Unless it’s a play to make it seem like one of the others (getting a higher price), while actually being Caol Ila…

Smokehead 43%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Peat smoke as expected but quite floral. A meaty note with some burnt hay, damp hay, damp earth, some sweetness with lemon and burnt vanilla pod. A cooling note after a bit with creaminess and more vanilla.

Taste: Ethereal to start then sweet and a little fruity with lemon, then swelling peat going very farmy (settles a little with time) with lots of earth, peat bog, wet hay, WET DOG??!, grass and a little soot. A mint note after a bit with herbal oak and bitterness coming through into the finish.

Finish: Medium length. Drying oak with earthy soot.

The wet dog note is interesting. Never had that in a whisky before, even though Serge mentions it quite a lot.

69/100

Smokehead 18 46%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Petrol, oily, slightly medicinal with iodine, mineral, sea splashed rocks, some banana but not really tropical like an older Laphroaig.

Taste: Soft arrival, builds with mineral and iodine notes, medicinal then more petrol rags and banana. Not quite Caroni-esque but similar in style to The Antiquary 35 I just reviewed.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Oils coat then go. Some petrol.

Shame about the finish being quite short. Funny that my last review, The Antiquary 35, had these petrol-y notes too. I did wash out my glass! Promise!

I was expecting this to be Ardbeg and have that lime juice note, but actually it could very well be any of the others. Cool packaging too!

81/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #502-#503

Whisky Network Review #578-#579

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

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85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Chichibu 2012 Peated for TWE Review [London has Fallen]

Hi everyone,

Chichibu is a distillery that deserves hype. It deserves huge fans. It’s a massively impressive whisky. Especially at cask strength.

I hadn’t tried any heavily peated Chichibu yet, and failed to talk my way into trying the Whisky Live Paris exclusive, so when I saw this one selected for The Whisky Exchange Show, I dived on it.

Chichibu 2012 Peated for TWE 63.2%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Great nose. Soft malty peat, light fresh fruit, tropical peat similar to a medium aged Laphroaig (18-20yo).

Taste: Great arrival, fresh fruit and spice develop. Lovely balance. Tropical and peaty, a little spicy ginger.

Finish: Long length. Dry and mouth watering, slightly tropical and peaty to end.

Bottled for The Whisky Exchange Show 2017. Even better than the 9yo from last year’s show, and really shows off Chichibu’s incredible spirit at an amazing balance for such a young whisky.

85/100

Thanks for reading!

Japanese Review #16

Whisky Network Review #547

Network Average: 74.3

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

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65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

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80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?