Tonight’s Tipple #005 Compass Box “The Peat Monster” Bottled at 46%, non chill filtered, natural color, described in the label as “Complex, Peaty, Smoky” I bought this for around $80.00 US at my local store in NJ. PREAMBLE This is, I suppose, the partner to “The Spaniard”. The excellent blend profile description puts this at 64% Caol Ila and 35% Laphroaig but more than half of the Caol Ila (46%of the total) is a single casking. So, knowing this, I was attracted to this as perhaps a refined expression of Caol Ila. However… COLOR Appealing. Very pale. Yellow, straw, no amber, copper, green or gold. It has good legs in the glass. The description says all refill hogsheads and this is definitely reflected in the color. NOSE EtOH forward. Prickly. Young. Peaty and not overtly smoky. Ardbeg this isn’t. Light almonds, citrus, lime. Faint underlying sweetness, slight soapiness. A touch of licorice maybe?? Interesting in a way that makes me go back for another nose-full, but not especially appealing. PALETTE Nice mouth feel and light but definite viscosity. Very much on the tongue. Sweet and a teeny bit bitter too. Not very complex. Almondy. Soft pepper. Medium finish. CONCLUSION This was a disappointment, both in terms of overall impression and “taste per dollar”. I’m not quite sure what the point of this is. It’s less of an easy Islay dram than the CA 12 and it’s less extreme than the various Ardbegs, Laphroaigs or Lagavuilins, Smokehead, or Big Peat. It doesn’t have the mouthfeel of Kilchoman. Would I buy it again? No. Great Label though. What do YOU think? ScotShot out!

Posted by ScotShot at 2023-05-23 03:20:04 UTC