Compass Box Transistor

Compass Box is known for creating custom whiskies for specific establishments. In line with this practice, they collaborated with a brewery to produce an affordably priced blend named Transistor. Bottled at 43% alcohol by volume, it's designed for mixing or enjoying alongside beer. The nose offers notes of peaches, damp wall paint, bread, and a strong yeasty character. It's not outstanding but is perfectly acceptable. On the palate, it delivered a delightful white Kit Kat chocolate flavor, with hints of pineapple and orange at its core. The yeasty note reappears, like a spongy cake, with a youthful quality beautifully masked by the yeast. Butter is also present. The finish consists primarily of sawdust, a fine Cuban cigar, salt, and pepper. Tropical fruitiness emerges alongside the salt and tobacco notes. Considering its $50-$60 price range, this whisky is actually quite good. It isn't overly intricate or remarkable, but it offers excellent value for the money and is very enjoyable; I could happily drink this anytime. My rating is 83 out of 100.

The initial aroma is quite similar to Hedonism, with a dominant, very smooth grain character, which isn't personally preferred. It has a candy-like sweetness but with more body due to increased spiciness, possibly from malt content. Overall, the nose isn't impressive. The palate does reveal malt and caramel with a slight, pleasant bitterness that extends into the finish. However, the overly smooth character of the grain remains. Not impressed by this at all.

This limited release, a collaboration between Compass Box and BrewDog exclusively for the UK market, is intended to be consumed as a Boilermaker with beer. Sampling it neat, I found it lacked distinctiveness. The blend contains grain, making it softer than many Compass Box whiskies. Although it includes Clynelish malt, I couldn't discern any of its characteristic notes.