Blended Malt, No Age Statement, 43% ABV, $50
I’ve been meaning to try something from Compass Box for a while and encountered this one on day 6. It smells of grapefruit, vanilla and caramel with a touch of grass and a whiff of very light smoke. The taste is saturated with wood, beginning with a complement of grapefruit and vanilla toffee, the transitioning to bittersweet honey and finishing with leathery pepper burn. The burn fades reasonably quickly at the front of the mouth, but continues to burn in the back of the mouth and throat. The bitterness fades to a dull taste of oak and leather. This one is spicy throughout the experience and any sweetness is quickly vanquished by the woody characteristic.
Compass Box says:
We call this whisky Oak Cross because it offers the best characteristics of both American and French oak aging. A rich, medium-bodied blended malt Scotch whisky, Oak Cross combines vanilla characters from American oak and spicy, clove-like characters from French oak.
After trying this one, I decided to go for another Compass Box offering that I’d been contemplating for a while. I’m a big fan of citrus and spice, so I couldn’t pass up Compass Box Orangerie on sale at Spec’s. Its a blended Scotch whisky infused with orange peel, cassia and clove. I’ll follow up with tasting notes later.