Compass Box Magic Cask

By now, most people likely know what to expect from these releases. This is a 3-year-old whisky with 8% coming from an Aberlour cask that was aged in a first-fill sherry butt for about two years after a year in bourbon, and then 22-year-old Imperial aged in first-fill bourbon. I'm unfamiliar with Imperial, but the descriptions suggest a traditional Highland/Speyside malt with significant vanilla from the bourbon casks. Nose: Orchard fruits, stone fruits, and even more citrusy orange notes. Plenty of vanilla, some oak, and an almost light smoke, perhaps from the youthful first-fill sherry not fully integrating with the bourbon notes. It's very fruity, but not exceptionally so compared to many recent Compass Box offerings that have gone extremely sweet and fruity. I should mention this isn't my first pour, and the whisky seems a bit closed off. I reserve the right to change my assessment if needed. Taste: Clean, simple cereal grain and fruit lead, then fade into a somewhat muted vanilla and light chocolate finish. There are some oak tannins and sherry elements. It leaves me wanting more. Adding water opens it up slightly, merging the fruits into a singular fruit cocktail, and the oak and sherry elements move mostly to the finish, where they make a fairly strong impression. I'm now below the shoulder of the bottle, and I've poured two glasses each time I've engaged with this. You can tell they incorporated young whisky with older whisky. You can taste more of that younger cask than perhaps ideal, but it does add something with that really rich sherry note. I had no idea what to anticipate coming in, and honestly, I still have no idea what to expect as this opens up. Yet, it's still Compass Box, and with that, I did have some expectations. For now, I'm scoring this a 2.0, but I see a strong possibility it will improve with time. Regarding purchasing it and the price, this is a risky buy, and I would generally advise thinking twice about it unless you're a serious fan. It's good, you'll enjoy it. But I feel this is pretty average stuff with some moments of excellence and some moments where I feel I could get better for $70-80. Also, the box is too large and flimsy. Phenomenalogy was the last well-made, quality box from them. My boxes now arrive with wrinkles every time I purchase one. I'm sure I carry them around too much, but still, come on guys, fancy labels require quality cardboard (I'm not asking for wood or anything extreme).

This "Magic Cask" from one of the newer Compass Box releases is a surprisingly good dram. Limited to 5,538 bottles, this blended malt is primarily composed of whisky from the closed Imperial distillery, along with a smaller portion of a re-racked 1-year-old malt spirit aged for an additional two years in first-fill Oloroso-seasoned butts. A special cask, reportedly #2, held the blend, and "magic happened" (you have to appreciate Compass Box's marketing to sell a 3-year-old whisky like this, haha). Bottled at 46% ABV with a pale straw color. The nose is incredibly fresh, with super orange, lovely red fruits, and some rising nuttiness. After the first sip, the aroma shifted to coffee beans, fresh orange, vanilla custard with nuts, and a Snickers bar. The palate is a smooth transition from the aroma to the aftertaste, featuring nutty notes, a Snickers bar, and then a sudden burst of saltiness. The aftertaste is impressive, with notes of cigarettes, pleasant smokiness, and pepper. It has a sulfuric but balanced character, offering a super enjoyable and rewarding finish. Overall, this is a blended malt that isn't overly complex but is absolutely enjoyable. It's so good that anyone who tries it will be happy, making it suitable for introducing new people to whisky. The fruitiness blends wonderfully with the peatiness and nuttiness. My score for it is a solid 90 out of 100. You could say it's magic for a 3-year-old whisky. Cheers.

Cool name. Check. Tiger jumping through a golden ring of fire. Check. Another stellar golden elixir from my favorite scotch label. Let's see how it plays out. This one was pretty hard to come by and was at the upper end of what I like to spend on a bottle, but it is Compass Box, so I took the leap. Nose is sweet. Really sweet. Cherry cordial, cotton candy, all over laying a very subtle smokiness. Honestly, you would probably miss the peat altogether if you weren't looking for it. First sip is not what I was expecting from the nose. This one is soft on the front end with light almond notes and hints of cinnamon apple. Then the light peat shows up with some gentle alcohol heat that is a little unusual for the Compass Box drams I am most fond of. The tail brings a soft burn, but not any overwhelming flavors. Am I glad I found this bottle? Absolutely. Am I glad I took the dive at this price point? Yes. Should you? Probably not unless you are a Compass Box junkie like me. The number of great vs good bottles will always keep me squarely in the Compass Box camp, but this one didn't knock my socks off as I had hoped. Still a solid bottle that any CB fan would enjoy.

This starts out very similarly to the older bottling I had as a starter: austere and minerally. However, it becomes much more lively mid-palate with a burst of pineapple chunks at the back of the mouth and a collection of crisp, bright fruits. While the older bottling finished quickly, this blend has a long aftertaste of apples and canned clementines. Like a wet brush on a magic painting book, the other spirit enhances the flavors in this blend effectively.

Aroma: Orchard fruit (plum, apple, pear), chocolate, anise. Taste: Sweet, canned fruit - peaches, icing sugar, oak, nutmeg, ginger in syrup. Finish: Medium to long. Citrus, sweet icing sugar, strawberries and pepper, coffee. Dry/citrus aftertaste. Creamy mouthfeel. Sweet and orchard fruit. Becomes dry and souring/citrus on the aftertaste. Young and easy to drink.

There's nothing particularly noteworthy about this, apart from its backstory.