Compass Box Ethereal

 

 

 

49°

Distillery : Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Pulteney, Miltonduff - Islay, Highlands, Speyside

Recharred, Refill American Oak Barrels and Hogsheads

Independent Bottling 

By Compass Box

Limited Edition 

Blended Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 20 ppm

 

 

 

Launched to celebrate the 65th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky, this little thing is a very limited edition, with 2,430 bottles, and sold only on the French market. It is a blend of Speyside whisky (17.4%), Highland whisky (43.3%) and Islay whisky (39.3%), ranging in age from 17 to 26 years. The name Ethereal also refers to Eleuthera, the very first Blended Malt released by Compass Box in 2001 (but not the first bottling, which was Hedonism in 2000, a Blended Grain). On the occasion of the anniversary of La Maison du Whisky, John Glaser, founder of Compass Box, is also looking for the origins of his own adventure.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Nose coated with light peat, pleasant, woody, black radish, sweet smoke, fruit, sour apple, juicy pear, white grape, yellow plums. Black earth, grimy rock, basalt, slate, garden vegetables, zucchini flowers, beans. Hints of iodine. Slightly austere on the palate, quickly moving on to spices, pepper, cumin, pine needles. Vanilla is discreetly present, accompanied by sea salt. Quite a long, fruity finish, with dried banana and wild berries. Blackberries. Charcoal.

 

In Short, 

With all the praise I read here and there, I feel like I've missed the point. That happens sometimes. Or maybe it's just a bit too much hype about a product that's certainly very good, but not that great, and at a price that's way too high. I'd have to try it again to be sure. In any case, it's very good, and personally I'd buy it if it were half its current price.

Score : 88 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love

Bunnahabhain 2007 Old Particular 12 yo

 

 

 

48,4° 

Distillery : Bunnahabhain - Islay

Refill Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Almost Unpeated

The Old Particular range contains a variety of hand-selected, unchill-filtered and uncoloured Single Casks of particular quality. Although reduced, the alcohol content remains relatively high to keep the whisky "as natural as possible". Here we have a Bunnahabhain aged for twelve years in a bourbon single cask, which is quite unusual, and allows us to discover the brand's natural distillate, without peat or sherry influence. 329 bottles have been released for sale.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

I can immediately feel Bunnahabhain's usual hint of mineral iodine, but this time without the Sherry. It's a little cerealy, a little vanilla-scented, rocky, on river pebbles, tall grass on a fine spring day. Gravel, yellow fruits, plums, greengages. On the palate, woody, lemon, sea salt, before falling into spices, cumin, ginger, pumpkin seeds. The finish is fairly long, but not interminable either, on charcoal, beautiful loose earth, heather, fine sand, pine cones.

 

In Short, 

Yes, it's not bad at all, and it has the advantage of being original. It's surprising, you can recognise the distillery's trademarks, and at the same time you get the sensation that it's brand new. On the other hand, the price seems rather excessive to me; it would have needed a few euros less to be worth it.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Guns'n'Roses - November Rain

Octomore 2014 Edition 11.3 Diàlogos Islay Barley 5 yo

 

 

 

61,7°

Distillery : Bruichladdich - Islay

1st Fill Ameican Whiskey Casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, Jack Daniel's

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020 

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 194 ppm 

 

 

 

The 3rd version of the 11th Octomore Batch was aged for 5 years in American whisky casks, before being poured into 18,000 different bottles. The barley used is Concerto, harvested in 2013 at Irene's Field, a small 28-acre field 2 miles from the distillery. Every stage in the production of this whisky took place on the Isle of Islay, with the possible exception of malting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Fresh bourbon, iodine, icing sugar, cereals, cut hay, biscuit filled with speculoos cream, stable heat, cattle grazing, sour apple, a few drops of lemon juice, dry earth. Grains of fine sand. With the addition of water, the iodine becomes more intense, a mineral edge emerges. Gypsum. And finally a hint of vanilla. Which comes through on the palate, with wheat and millet. Quite heavy spices, cumin, pepper. Nice finish, on charcoal, cola, a little cocoa, but still, I was expecting something more explosive. Gingerbread.

 

In Short, 

I find this edition very similar to the 10.3, except that the 10.3 was more iodised and fresh, this one is more about hay or straw, and of course cereals. These are the two least interesting bottlings of the Octomore Series 3 in my opinion. In trying to produce something naked and simple that would enhance the distillate, they fail to recreate the perfect balance and elegance of the 06.3. It remains, of course, a very good whisky, but at a prohibitive price.

Score : 89 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Dave Matthews Band - Cortez The Killer

Tomatin 2008 Gifted Stills 7 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Tomatin - Speyside

Bourbon Casks

Independent Bottling 

By Jean Boyer 

Limited Edtion

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2015

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Jean Boyer started out as an independent whisky distributor in France, before quickly becoming a bottler himself in 1987. The Gifted Stills range is made up of small batches of innovative Scotch whiskies, according to the brochure. It's been around for 15 years. Unfortunately, there is no indication of whether the whisky is chill-filtered or coloured, or how many bottles are produced.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Quite a pastry nose, with Bourbon, genoise and whipped cream, hints of vanilla, but also some juicy fruits, peach and pineapple, banana. A touch of buttercream and icing sugar. Herbaceous notes of sage and fern. Cereals, wheat, rice and barley. On the palate, the vanilla comes through, it's smooth, pleasant, a little syrupy and watery, some spices but very discreet, cumin, ginger. It's very easy to swallow. Quite a long finish, earth and charcoal, heather, cola. Chestnut in its bug.

 

In Short, 

It's not bad at all, and would go very well as an aperitif. It's a good Tomatin, not very original and a little austere, but pleasant to drink. Unfortunately it's completely sold out, but in any case it seems that the price was too high to tempt a purchase.

Score : 85 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           Lady A - Need You Now

Compass Box No Name N°3

 

 

 

48,9°

Distillery : Bowmore, Clynelish, Laphroaig, Mortlach -  Islay, Highlands, Speyside

Recharred, Refill Bourbon Barrels and Hogsheads, Refill Sherry Butts, French Oak Casks

Independent Bottling 

By Compass Box 

Limited Edition 

Blended Malt

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 35 ppm

 

 

 

The 3rd No Name batch is announced as the ultimate. Where the first was dominated by the powerful black smoke of Ardbeg, the second offered a fine marriage between Caol Ila and Talisker, with a fruity, iodised and bewitching peat. The third is dominated by Laphroaig, which constitutes 74% of the blend. Exactly 10,794 bottles were produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very fine, coal-like smoke. The blackish particles clog the throat and lungs. Motor oil, gas oil, old tyres, rusty nails. It's definitely Laphroaig. Combined with the old smoked meat of Mortlach, the greasy wax of Clynelish and some white fruits from Bowmore. A fine blend, as always from Compass Box. On the palate, nice balance between thick peat and a nice sweetness. Genoise, marzipan. Juicy pear and some herbal fragrances. The finish is very pleasant, but not very robust, although quite long, with a hint of coffee, cold meat, charcoal and earth.

 

In Short, 

I really liked this one. I'd like to do a tasting of all 3 to see which is the best and the different trends. I feel like they complement each other to build an almost exhaustive picture of everything peat has to offer. It's very interesting. Unfortunately, the price is excessive this time, a little higher than the previous two. Such a price is unjustified.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            To Be Listened Whilee Sipping :

                                            Exek - Replicate

Linkwood 2011 Provenance 8 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Linkwood - Speyside

Refill Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Douglas Laing & Co. is one of the last independent bottlers to offer Single Casks at reasonable prices. Of course, the downside is that they are reduced and not very old. Here we have a Linkwood aged for 8 years and 11 months in a Bourbon single cask and bottled in 325 units.

Let's Taste It : 

Very fruity nose, with a full fruit basket, orchard fruits, apples, pears, peaches, all very juicy, but also exotic fruits, litchi, kiwi, pineapple, and a few red fruits, grapes, plums, anyway, it would take too long to list them all. Slight country hints in the background, hay, dry straw, earth. A little iodine. The palate is a bit light, unfortunately, but it's honest, still on the fruit, with spices, turmeric, paprika, saffron. The finish, on the other hand, is very good, very long, a little charred, but once again on crushed blackberries and wine lees. A real festival.

In Short, 

This Linkwood is really amazing, I didn't think you could put so much fruits in one bottle. A good summer whisky, and what's more at a low price, I highly recommend buying it, in fact I think I'll have one.

Score : 87

                                            To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                            Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Steal My Kisses

Big Peat Christmas Edition 2021

 

 

 

52,8°

Distillery : Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Port Ellen amongst others - Islay

Bourbon Barrels 

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Limited Edition 

Blended Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 40 ppm

 

 

 

As they have every year since 2011, Douglas Laing & Co. are helping us to get through the harsh winter weather with this Cask Strength version of Big Peat, part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range. This year, no fewer than 7 distilleries have been involved, all from Islay of course, including Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Port Ellen. I'm willing to bet that the other three are Bunnahabhain, Laphroaig and Lagavulin, but I can't be absolutely certain. No comment on the label, which shows Pete sledging in a kilt. Not sure all Scots appreciate that.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A very chalky nose at first, with a certain minerality reminiscent of Caol Ila or Bunnahabhain, granite, salt shards, gypsum, rocky mud. It goes quite well with a good big vanilla flavour set with icing sugar and yellow plums, white grapes and mirabelles. Fresh iodine. On the palate, you can feel the influence of Bourbon, it's oily, slightly cereal-like and earthy. The finish is pleasant and fairly long, but lacks explosiveness for my taste. Coal, fuel oil, motor oil (perhaps Laphroaig, or Ardbeg?)

 

In Short, 

There's not much difference between the Batches, but I thought this one was a bit wiser than the last one, which may have something to do with the time and circumstances. Apart from that, it's still the same, very Bourbon-influenced, well peated and iodised, with quite a bit of punch. The price hasn't changed, and I think that if you look hard enough, it's possible to avoid being ripped off.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping  :

  

                                          WASP - The Great Misconceptions of Me

Big Peat 12 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Port Ellen, amongst others - Islay

Small Batch Bourbon Barrels

Independent Bottling

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Core Range

Blended Malt 

Launched in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 40 ppm

 

 

 

For the first time, trading company Douglas Laing & Co. has decided to include an aged bottle in its core range of Remarkable Regional Malts. This range includes many aged limited editions, but no permanent additions. For the occasion, it seems that 6 distilleries on the island were used. The usual 4, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Port Ellen, and 2 that we are told are from the south of the island. These can only be Lagavulin and Laphroaig, as Kilchoman, Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain are not in the south at all. Everything is aged in Small Batch bourbon casks.

 

Let's Taste It : 

A whiff of icing sugar, vanilla cream, then the smoke appears, quite ashy (good morning, Caol Ila), accompanied by thick, violent peat (hello, Ardbeg!). The background is chalky, iodised and even mineral, with gypsum, granite and fragments of salt. On the palate, the vanilla is very present, with a whole theory of white fruits, plums, grapes, pears, lychees. The peat becomes earthier, deeper, muddy (is that you, Lagavulin?), with a few charcoal hints, fuel oil, motor oil (I think we know each other, Laphroaig). Finally, it's slightly honeyed, leading to a fairly long, peachy, coaly, stony finish. A stream running between the pebbles. Finally, damp undergrowth, ferns, fresh forest (you've been waited for, Bowmore).

In Short, 

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of Big Peat in a reduced version. I really like the Christmas Edition in Cask Strength, but all the other bottlings didn't really appeal to me until now. This one is different. I think it's well balanced, the right maturation certainly, and better casks, but also perhaps the influence of the two extra distilleries. It's really good. On the other hand, it's the price that makes me hesitate to buy it, I find it a bit expensive for what it is. That said, it's surely the best way to get Port Ellen without mortgaging your house. Or even the only way.

Score : 86

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Moderat - Ghostmother