SMWS 120.4 (Hakushu 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 120.4 (Hakushu 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - West Honshu
Dark amber
59.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, raisins, sherry, roast chicken, roast pork, cedar, hints of leather. With water, meatier, saltier.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, oily, astringent, slippery.
Tasting: Sweet. Cedar, peanuts, raisins, roast chicken, roast pork, plums, red wine. With water, meaty, takes on some element of raw, bloody beef.
Finish: Medium. Raisins, roast pork, plums.

Comments:

Sweet, sherried, and very meaty. There's a robustness to this whisky, something that brings to mind barbecue and ripping into dripping chunks of seared meat. Water accentuates this, removing the strong sandalwood, incense-y element, and bringing out something irony and bloody. Unusual, and very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Compass Box Hedonism Maximus

Compass Box Hedonism Maximus

Vatted grain, Compass Box
Vatted grain - Invergordon, Cameronbridge
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, orange peel, bananas, peaches, butter, lemons.
Mouthfeel: Light body, ethereal, watery.
Tasting: Sweet. Bananas, butter, orange peel, peaches, hints of cream, hints of lemons.
Finish: Short. Bananas, peaches, orange peel, vanilla.

Comments:

A special Hedonism, another vatted grain whisky, this time a combination of Cameronbridge and Invergordon. I think this one is clearly more fruity (and more bourbony) than the "normal" Hedonism. Still light, soft and round, perhaps a little too much so.

Verdict:

I like this.

Compass Box Lady Luck

Compass Box Lady Luck

Vatted malt, Compass Box
Vatted malt - Caol Ila Imperial
Pale orange gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Tobacco, leather, soy sauce, raisins, pears, butter, smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loose, ethereal.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Melted butter, leather, soy sauce, pears, butterscotch, smoke, hints of peat.
Finish: Pears, butter, smoke, leather.

Comments:

A limited bottling, named Lady Luck after the providential way in which it was discovered. 2 old Caol Ilas (1980, 1984) vatted with a 1995 Imperial. It's smoky, buttery, sweet and salty, yet light, loose and ethereal. Or more precisely, unreal - I didn't think whisky this light could pack such a flavourful impact.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Compass Box Peat Monster Reserve

Compass Box Peat Monster Reserve

Vatted malt, Compass Box
Vatted malt - Caol Ila, Laphroaig, Ardmore
Pale green
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, smoke, leather, tobacco leaf, chocolate, soy sauce. With water, chocolate, raisins.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, smooth, volatile.
Tasting: Salty sweet. Smoke, peat, leather, walnuts, chocolate, soy sauce. With water, saltier, hints of coffee.
Finish: Long. White wines, smoke, peat, walnut skins.

Comments:

Deliciously like Ardbeg. They sell this in massive bottles greater than 1 litre - I can see why. Excellent peaty whisky, with the Ardmore tempering a big wodge of smoke and peat.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Compass Box Flaming Heart

Compass Box Flaming Heart

Vatted malt, Compass Box
Vatted malt - Caol Ila, Clynelish, Linkwood
Pale copper
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, soy sauce, tobacco leaf, raisins, vanilla, smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, watery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Vanilla, tobacco, raisins, smoke, peat, soy sauce.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, peat, vanilla, tobacco.

Comments:

Big and bold. This is the second edition of Flaming Heart, a vatting of Caol Ila, Clynelish and Linkwood. Talk about a spectrum of hard to soft whiskies! The flavours are very distinct, and don't detract from each other, and it's perfectly possible to discern all three components. Yet the whole works very well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Compass Box Spice Tree (reissue)

Compass Box Spice Tree (reissue)

Vatted malt, Compass Box
Vatted malt - mostly Clynelish
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, orange peel, chillies, cloves, cinnamon, plums, hints of coconut.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loose, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Chillies, orange peel, plums, cloves, cinnamon.
Finish: Long. Chillies, orange peel, cinnamon.

Comments:

In John Glaser's own words, this is "mostly Clynelish". It's the new, legal Spice Tree, matured in barrels with toasted French oak heads. Extremely innovative! It tastes different of course, with the spicy fragrance present in the old Spice Tree tempered by slightly bitter cinnamon bark. Still tasty, but I think I liked the older one best.

Verdict:

I like this.

Compass Box Spice Tree (original)

Compass Box Spice Tree (original)

Vatted malt, Compass Box
Vatted malt - Teaninich, Dailuaine, Clynelish, Longmorn
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, butterscotch, oak, toast, cloves, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, loosens, slippery.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Chillies, cloves, butterscotch, oak, orange peel, hints of honeydew melon.
Finish: Long. Orange peel, lemons, butter, honeydew melon.

Comments:

This is the famous illegal Spice Tree - illegal because it was matured in oak barrels containing inner staves made of French oak, imparting an interesting spicy, clovey flavour. I feel really privileged to be able to try this. It's a vatting of fruity, light malts, infused with that great spicy, fragrant flavour.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Compass Box Asyla "Mariage"

Compass Box Asyla "Mariage"

Blended malt, Compass Box
Blended malt
Light gold
43.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, vanilla, lemons, orange peel, plums.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Lemons, toast, orange peel, plums, vanilla Medium Honey, oranges, lemons, vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Honey, oranges, lemons, vanilla.

Comments:

A special edition of Asyla, bottled for La Maison du Whisky, one of the great whisky shops around. This is 50% Cameronbridge and 50% malt - Linkwood, Glen Elgin and Longmorn. This was more robust than other Compass Box whiskies, with soft fruit and vanilla. The malt is very restrained and unobstrusive.

Verdict:

I like this.

Compass Box Magic Cask 2006

Compass Box Magic Cask 2006 Vatted malt, Compass Box Vatted malt - Linkwood, Clynelish Amber rose 46% ABV Dram Nose: Coconut, molasses, butter, strawberries, raisins, cherries. With water, sweeter, more strawberries. Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, astringent. Tasting: Sweet. Oranges, molasses, strawberries, raisins, cherries, red wine. With water, more red wine, quite tannic. Finish: Long. Oranges, strawberries, raisins, cherries. Comments: A special bottling for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. It's a mixture of 16 yo Linkwood aged for an additional year in a Madeira cask, and 14 yo Clynelish. Very winey and fruity, nice slippery thick body. Water opens it up, makes it taste sweeter, and more like the Madeira it contains. Verdict: I like this.

Compass Box Eleuthera

Compass Box Eleuthera

Vatted malt, Compass Box
Vatted malt - Caol Ila, Clynelish
Pale green gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, peat, soy sauce, leather, pears, lemons, hints of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, volatile, watery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peat, soy sauce, leather, pears, raisins, hints of smoke.
Finish: Medium. Smoke, peat, walnut skins, raisins.

Comments:

This is the 1st release of Eleuthera. It's a mixture of 20% Caol Ila and 80% Clynelish, and it's beautiful. There is a flinty, minerally hard heart, overlaid by the great Caol Ila flavours of soy sauce, peat and smoke, and then layered over with lots of lemony fruit. Lovely whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.