Compass Box Myths & Legends I

Compass Box stands out as my preferred blended whiskey producer. They seldom let me down; however, in recent years, they've continued to release costly, limited edition bottles, which makes continued support challenging. What's even more frustrating is the extreme scarcity of some of these releases. In many instances, you won't even see them in shops for more than a single day. Despite this, I can't claim any of these bottles have been subpar, with some even being exceptional. For this series, James Saxon, Jill Boyd, and their team aim to correct misconceptions many hold about scotch. For the most part, I believe they succeeded. The inaugural bottle in the series is from Balblair, a distillery whose products I haven't previously sampled. While it's a solid offering, this particular bottle didn't impress me as much. The aroma is perhaps the highlight of this bottle, leaning heavily on pineapple and tropical fruits, as well as peach and lemon zest. The palate is quite sweet and rich with notes of honey and malt. The finish possesses decent length, with a hint of pepper and minimal burn. I sampled all three of the Myths and Legends collection, which might be the reason I favored this one the least. It simply lacked the depth or distinctiveness I was seeking. It's by no means a poor offering, but the other two are considerably superior.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to taste all three whiskies in this new Compass Box collection (which seems designed to encourage purchasing the entire set). Unusually for Compass Box, this is a single malt rather than a blend, a 15-year-old Balblair, based on the youngest whisky in the bottle. I don't recall ever having had a Balblair before. There's much to discover here. The aroma is bright, sharp, and airy, with notes of lemon, satsuma, and jasmine. The taste starts dry and savory, similar to a Pinot Grigio, then livens up with a surge of oak spice, lime, tart Granny Smith apples, and a hint of salt. It concludes with a gentle peppery spice, accompanied by lime and grapefruit. All this citrus creates a profile quite different from the Scotch I typically drink, and I enjoy it immensely. I'm unsure if it's something I'd choose daily, but I would be delighted to own a bottle.

The aroma is fruity with green apple and citrus, complemented by grassy herbs and pencil shavings. A few drops of water reveal hints of vanilla and leather. The taste presents bread, honey, vanilla, leather, and tobacco upfront, with the fruitiness from the nose gradually fading midway, replaced by cereal maltiness. The body is A+, silky and creamy. The finish has a mild burn that gives way to cinnamon with layers of wood and herbaceous-grassy citrus. It's mouthwatering. It's fruitier than a typical Highland or even Lowland whisky, and I love it. It's a superb pour and ranks among my favorite single malts, but comparable or better bottles can be found for two-thirds the price.

Exhibits lovely notes of vanilla, honey, pineapples, lavender, coconuts, bananas, almonds, orange juice, grapefruit, marzipan, and marshmallows.