Compass Box Great King St Glasgow Blend Ex-Sherry Marrying Cask Selected By Prestige-Ledroit

Rating: 11/23 I'm feeling a bit hesitant. The standard Glasgow blend was acceptable, but somewhat indistinct. Adding more sherry might just make it even more indistinct. Nose: Surprisingly, the aroma here is less intense than the regular Glasgow blend. After a few minutes, a stronger peat emerges, unfortunately accompanied by a hint of sulfur. Beneath the peat, there's a touch of sherry sweetness and richness. I'm getting a nutty, tart oloroso character. However, the sulfur continues to intensify and begins to dominate the aroma. The regular Glasgow is much more balanced and lacks significant sulfur. It's as if young Islay was briefly put in an oloroso cask hoping to mask the sulfur. Similar to a teenager opening a window to hide the smell of smoking indoors. Palate: Rich, with vegetal peatiness, chocolate, black pepper, and a wave of sulfur. I believe some earthiness is intensifying the sulfur. There's a hint of sherried fruit, but it's more on the oily side with a subtle orange peel and nutty quality. This isn't the typical combination of herbal, meaty peat with rich red fruited sherry. It's more like an oloroso cask was submerged in a sulfuric bog (without exceptionally high peat levels). There's a lot of vegetal character that blends into the malt. As I continue to sip, I detect some baking spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, possibly nutmeg). This would be quite interesting and somewhat enjoyable if not for the sulfur. Can I ignore the sulfur? No? Well, if I could, I would appreciate the other characteristics here. Finish: Numbing iodine with abundant sulfur, a bit of baking spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), malt, and a touch of chocolate. The sulfur recedes during the finish, but it never fully disappears. - Conclusion - Sadly, this appears significantly inferior to the regular Glasgow Blend (13/23). I doubt it will score higher than an 11 and could be as low as an 8. The sulfur content is excessive. Given the intensity of the sulfur, an 11 seems unlikely. I'm leaning towards a 9. This does seem considerably better than Ardbeg Wee Beastie, though it's not vastly superior. After significant aeration, the sulfur dissipated into the earthiness, greatly improving the dram. Considering this, I might rate it up to a 12. However, I must account for the substantial period where the sulfur was overwhelming. With that in mind, I'm deciding between a 10 or 11. I'll settle on an 11. Thank you to a friend for sharing this! While it wasn't to my taste, I was strongly tempted to purchase a bottle I saw, and you saved me from that regret:)

Aroma - sweet peat, strawberry, plum, apple, fig, bacon, saltiness, orange peel, honey, vanilla, bitter herbal notes, dry oak, flint, black pepper, clove, tobacco, leather, smoked fish, with a moderate to high alcohol burn. Flavor - baked apple, pear, honey, creamy vanilla, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, salted meat, sweet peat, plum, fig, flint, strawberry, tannic oak, leather, tobacco, dry herbal notes, with a moderate alcohol bite. The finish is medium length with flavors of smoked meat, sherry fruit, and black pepper. The main difference between this and the standard Glasgow Blend is the alcohol level. At 98 proof, the aromas and flavors are intensified, but they aren't significantly different. If anything, there are slightly more sherry notes and less smokiness than the original, which makes sense because, aside from the proof, the only real difference is that the components of the blend were aged an additional eight months in an ex-sherry marrying cask. There's also a small, undesirable addition of sulfur, but it's not overly distracting. Overall, I prefer the standard bottling to this one. Since I'll primarily be using it for mixing, I'd rather stick with the original and save about $10. It's a decent blend, but there's less value to be found here.

Nose: Red fruits; smoked cherry and a little plum. A surprising hint of lavender and honey. Palate: Smoked cherries become more intense, along with a general sweetness like clover honey. The proof gives it a robust character, not as delicate as it might seem. Finish: As with many blends, the grain whiskey is most prominent on the finish. Slightly bitter, but with a pleasant vanilla creaminess that was absent earlier. It leaves the impression of a bold cherry cream soda with a few drops of liquid smoke added. General: This captures all the positive aspects of the Glasgow blend, but amplified. It's such a pleasing mix of smoky, fruity, and creamy that I believe you could consume it any way you prefer, as indicated on the label. Adding water enhances the creaminess, and I suspect it would handle an ice cube reasonably well. It would be a solid component in any cocktail. The only reason this spirit didn't receive a perfect score is that, while it's a dependable everyday drink, the proof and intensity become somewhat tiring with regular consumption. It lacks the depth of a top-tier spirit, but it offers good value for its cost.

Delightful peated sherry. Excellent value for the cost. This bottling elevates a nice blend with the increased alcohol content and time in the marrying cask. I'm on my second bottle and may purchase a third. It's a go-to daily drinker I consistently return to.