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“Because you can't buy happiness... but you can buy whisky and that's pretty much the same thing”

Read stories about Compass Box of A Wardrobe of Whisky blog.

You can read here older articles posted in A Wardrobe of Whisky since 2009.
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The Balkan Tiger and the Ardbeg's whispers

By Miguel in Uncategorized , Tasting , Ardbeg , Bunnahabhain , Compass Box , Wemyss

Welcome to a new session of my random blind tastings! This one is WTF Tasting 003.

If you recall previous sessions, one of my biggest “problems” with whisky tasting was to make my mind to choose a set of drams to taste. I love peated whiskies and mid age sherried drams but once you start tasting one after the other it becomes a bit plain ( with great surprises from time to time )… so why not just add some spices into the mix?

-1

WTF Whisky Tastings is just a new fun way of lowering my samples’ box level with a flight of four and five random drams taking blindly from the box.

So here are this week flight…

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Tasting Compass Box Flaming Heart vs Peat Monster

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured , Laphroaig , Caol Ila , Compass Box , Tobermory , Ardmore

When visiting London for TWE Whisky Show, I meet Chris Maybin, Comercial director of Compass Box. Chris gave me a sample of the new Compass Box Flaming Heart 4thbatch to taste it at home.

compass-box-chris

Well, finally I arranged a free evening for tasting it when I saw @WhiskyLassie asking how it compared against Compass Box Peat Monster. Also I have a pending task of tasting the old recipe of Peat Monster with Laphroaig and Ardmore against the new recipe using Caol Ila, Ledaig and Ardmore.

A great tasting was starting to appear before me.

compass-box-flaming-heart-peat-monster

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Compass Box Flaming Heart 4th Release: Incredible!

By Miguel in Tasting , Compass Box

“Five stars whisky! Compass Box has created an awesome value whisky in this Flaming Heart: complex, old , well matured and peated. I can't ask anything else”

92
This is the fourth release of this peaty blended malt from the whisky artisans at Compass Box.

Inspired by a rock song, this blended malt is made using whisky from refill Bourbon barrels, new (heavily toasted) French oak and some sherried oak which is a great new addition!

The whiskies are from distilleries across Scotland but there is a fair whack of a south shore Islay (Laphroaig, Ardbeg or Lagavulin) and a malt from the village of Brora ( Clynelish? ).

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. peat, salt, honey, earth, citrus, apples, plums.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. peat, honey, pepper, iodine, salt, wood, citrus, coffee.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Compass Box Flaming Heart - Release 4 with 92 points over 100.

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TWE Whisky Show 2012: What I couldn't taste [Part 4]

By Miguel in Laphroaig , Cooley , Chivas , Johnnie Walker , The Macallan , Dewar , Penderyn , Bunnahabhain , Compass Box , Monkey Shoulder , Glenfiddich , The Balvenie , Kilchoman , Highland Park , Bowmore , Yoichi , Nikka , Suntory , Balblair , Redbreast , Glenfarclas , Connemara , Ichiro , Rosebank , Benriach , Glendronach , Old Pulteney , Dalmore , Glen Garioch , Big Peat , Glenglassaugh , Glenrothes , Maker's Mark , Hibiki , Four Roses , Glencadam , Wemyss , Douglas Laing

This post continue from TWE Whisky Show [Part 3]

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2012 took place at October 6th and 7th and although it has been a great experience it has been a short one. With over 450 whiskies to taste and just barely six hours ahead it was impossible to taste them all.

What I couldn’t taste

This post is just a set of photos of what I couldn’t taste. Sorry, people… I can write about this because I get sad… so great stuff that I had to skip… *sniff*

I visited Compass Box stand for saying hi to Chris and I take a few photos with the people on the show.

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Compass Box Eleuthera Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Compass Box

“Interesting peated whisky from Compass Box. A bit over-spicy but nice.”

86
A miniature of the departed Eleuthera vatted malt from Compass Box.

This blended malt whisky is the father of Compass Box Peat Monster, a blend of Highland and Islay Single Malt Scotch whiskies that create this interesting dram.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (82): average. a little peat, honey, spices, citrus, floral, wood.

Palate (88): smooth, powerful, oily. peat, honey, floral, wood, spices, citrus.

Finish (87): longer than average. peat, wood, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Compass Box Eleuthera with 86 points over 100.

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Compass Box The Last Vatted Grain Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Compass Box

“Good grain whisky just a bit short of being great.”

90
Launched alongside Compass Box The Last Vatted Malt, The Last Vatted Grain was launched to mark the end of "vatted whisky".

From the 22nd November 2011, blends of single grain whiskies may no longer be called "vatted grains". Instead, they must be labelled "blended grain whisky".

This particular stunner is a mix of 42 year old Invergordon, 14 year old Cameron Bridge, 29 year old Carsebridge and 20 year old Port Dundas.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. corn, honey, spices, vanilla, wood, banana, tropical fruits.

Palate (90): smooth, powerful. honey, corn, spices, wood, fruits, cinnamon. Very nice but light. I prefer stronger whiskies.

Finish (89): longer than average. honey, corn, spices, cinnamon.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Compass Box Last Vatted Grain with 90 points over 100.

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Compass Box The Last Vatted Malt Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Compass Box

“Great whisky that portraits with honor the fact of being the last of an era.”

91
This special limited edition bottling is a valedictory farewell to the Vatted Malt, delivered with honour and pride.

After midnight on 22nd November 2011, such marriages of malt whiskies from more than one distillery will have to be labelled as Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.

This aristocratc whisky is made from a marriage of fine, old single malt whiskies from Islay and Speyside distilleries. Only 1,323 bottles have been produced.

Along The Last Vatted Malt, it was also released The Last Vatted Grain, an unrepeatable vatted grain whisky.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peat, honey, salt, iodine, citrus, wood, apples. Very nice nose indeed.

Palate (92): smooth, powerful, oily. peat, honey, fruits, salt, citrus, wood, raisins, cocoa, vanilla, iodine.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, citrus, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this The Last Vatted Malt with 91 points over 100.

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Compass Box Flaming Heart 10th anniversary Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Compass Box

“Lovely whisky from Compass Box. This Flaming Heart is very nice but the 4th release is even better”

90
Bottled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Compass Box whisky company, for whom the epithets 'tireless', 'innovative' and 'pioneering' might have been invented, this Flaming Heart is a vatting of Highland Malt from a village near Brora (nudge, nudge), with some smoky Island/Islay malts. The label and packaging, it goes without saying, are stunning. Bottled at a good natural drinking strength, this should be fabulous.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. peat, citrus, honey, floral, vanilla, salt.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. peat, floral, honey, citrus, wood, salt, pepper, spices.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Compass Box Flaming Heart 10th anniversary with 90 points over 100.

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WhiskyLive Madrid 2011 Tastings

By Miguel in Tasting , News , Featured , Destilerias Liber , Laphroaig , DYC , The Macallan , Compass Box , Suntory , Yamazaki , Edradour , Talisker

WhiskyLive Madrid 2011 celebrated at May, 26 on Hotel Villamagna, has been a great whisky show against all the odds: Great whisky, pretty girls, good friend. Whatelse?!

Touching a bottle of Macallan 25 years old at Macallan Masterclass in WhiskyLive MadridFinally I got time to write down the tasting notes and here they are. I am quite happy of the result. The whisky show has been great and I tried lots of expressions that it is not easy to taste here in Spain.

During the evening at WhiskyLive Madrid, that I spent with Richard Barr of WhiskyIsrael, we tasted more than twenty whiskies so bear with me if last tasting notes are not accurate.
If you haven’t read yet about our visit to WhiskyLive do it now!. We had a great evening together.

So here are the tasting notes. I am still missing some of them that I wasn’t able to properly write while on the show.

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WhiskyLive Madrid 2011: A whisky show at Spain's heart

By Miguel in News , Featured , Destilerias Liber , Laphroaig , Lagavulin , DYC , Cardhu , St George , The Macallan , Compass Box , Glenfiddich , Highland Park , Bowmore , Suntory , Yamazaki , Redbreast , Edradour , Talisker

Taking place at the Madrid business center, at the Hotel Villamagna, this whisky fair, although small, has been really interesting with lots of surprises.

Hotel Villa Magna at Madrid

Before attending the show, I meet Richards Barr, a member of Whiskyisrael that was also attending the show and we went there together after having a tasty Spanish lunch.
Richard Barr and Miguel Angel Blanch after 25 drams of whisky at Whiskylive Madrid

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