Compass Box The Lost Blend Review

“The Phoenix From The Flame”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highlands/Islay

Brand: Compass Box The Lost Blend 

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Bright Yellow Gold (Natural Colour)

Nose: Light and Fresh. The Earthy Peat, Ashes and Charcoal Smoke are there but certainly not in an overwhelming way. They sit sort of comfortably in the background. The principal Aromas are Sweet Barley, Caramel, Orchard Fruit, Herbs and Spices. I find Green Apples, Pear Drops, Chardonnay, light Vanilla, light Beeswax, Grapefruit, Lemon, Oak, Resin, Toast with Salted Butter, Fresh Herbs, Pineapple Juice, Ginger, Aniseed, Mint and Cinnamon. After a while I get some Floral Perfume. The Alcohol is reasonably well integrated. The ABV is spot on. On the Nose the Lost Blend leaves a pleasant, well-balanced impression.   

Palate: Good and Spicy delivery. Again, the ABV works well. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Golden Syrup, light Honey, light Earthy Peat, light Ashes, Wax, Pepper, Ginger, Aniseed, Nuts, Pineapple Juice, Citrus, Green Apple, Pear, Fresh Herbs and light Menthol.  

Finish: Bitter-Sweet and Warming but on the Short Side. I find Sweet Barley, slightly Sour Green Apples, Vanilla, Soft Smoke, Dusty Road, Oak, light Pepper, light Cinnamon, Ginger, Gewurztraminer and Peach Preserves. Dry in the end.  

No need to add Water to the Lost Blend.   

Rating: 87 

Nose: 22 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: In 2001, Compass Box launched their first Single Malt Blend called "Eleuthera", made with 80% unpeated Highland - and 20% peated Islay Malts. In 2004, Compass Box had to withdraw "Eleuthera" due to the fact that one of the key Malt components was no longer available to them. For almost 10 years the company tried to recreate the Blend but without success. In 2014 however a limited edition of only 12018 bottles was released under the name The Lost Blend. It contains Malt from Clynelish (80%) and Caol Ila (20%) as well as a very small quantity of approx. 19 Year old Spirit from the Speyside Distillery Allt-A-Bhainne that matured in American Oak Barrels. This limited edition was bottled in August 2014 without Chill-Filtration. It sells at around 100 US Dollars (November 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. Well-Balanced.   

Conclusion: I have never tasted the "Eleuthera" but I'm glad I bought a sample of the Lost Blend. Compass Box did a good job in (re) creating this Malt. It's Fresh, Crisp and Well-Balanced. Apparently the Clynelish and the Caol Ila complete each other well. It's difficult to ascertain the influence of the small quantity of Allt-A-Bhainne. On the Nose there's a good balance between the Fresh Fruit, Fresh Herbs, Spices, Peat, Ashes and Smoke. On the Palate it's more Spicy than you would expect after Nosing. Personally, I liked it a lot. The Finish could have been a bit longer in my opinion. But all in all this is a very good Blended Malt that I can fully recommend. Despite the fact that it's quite expensive! I hope that Compass Box will be able to maintain it in its Product Line in some form or the other. 

Jan van den Ende                                                            November 23, 2015

Tomintoul 16 Years Review

“Sweaty Socks and Cooked Potatoes”

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside 

Brand: Tomintoul 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Golden Amber with a hint of Orange. (Artificially coloured)

Nose: Sweet and slightly Sour at the same time. On the Sweet side I find some Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Bourbon and Milk Chocolate. But I also get Sour Green Apples, Cider, Apple-Vinegar, Cooked Potatoes and even Sweaty Socks. All this is accompanied by Nuts, Dried Fruits, light Heather Honey, Grass, Straw, Citrus Peel, Oak, Toast, Butter Biscuits, Herbs, Cinnamon, light Mint and Aniseed. The Alcohol stings a bit and that's slightly unusual at this age. I wouldn't give this Tomintoul 16 Years if I was to taste it blind. It's quite Nervous and a bit rough. Unfinished if you like. While Nosing it the second time, I noticed a light Metallic note that I didn't pick up during the first session.

Palate: Bitter-Sweet and slightly Sour with Barley, Buttered Toast, Sugared Cereals, Vanilla, Toffee, Brown Sugar, light Heather Honey, Tea, Apple-Vinegar, Mandarin, Bitter Orange, Grapefruit, Pepper, Aniseed, Menthol and Oak. The Alcohol is always just around the corner. The Delivery is a bit Thin as could be expected.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and with a light Alcohol bite at the end. I find Sweet Barley, Nuts, Toffee, Marzipan, Candy, Vanilla, Bitter Oranges, Unripe Nectarines, Refill Oak, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Menthol and Aniseed. Dry towards the end. After a few minutes I get Espresso with Artificial Sweetener and this Flavour stays around for quite a while.

I added a bit of water and on the Nose I find more Malt and a Flowery Perfume. But Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added Water. 

Rating: 81

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: 

This distillery started its operations in 1964 and only released its first Single Malt in 1973. Its nickname is The Gentle Dram. The distillery is located close to the river Avon, some 13 kilometres outside the village of Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands. Since 2000 the distillery is owned by Angus Dundee Distillers PLC, London. Most of the production is destined for Blends like Dundee and Parker's. Principal Malts are the 10, 14, 16, 33, 12 Oloroso and the Peaty Tang. 

The 16 Years was added to the core Distillery range in 2003. It matures in a mix of Ex-Bourbon casks. It's one of the least expensive 16 years around at a price of around 50 US Dollars. (November 2015). The 16 Years is Chill-Filtered. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: The Tomintoul 16 Years is a bit of a strange animal. On the one hand the ever present Alcohol gives the impression that this Single Malt is much younger but on the other hand the Wood and Wood Spice are quite noticeable. On the Nose I find some strange notes like Cooked Vegetables, Sweaty Socks and Metal. Not really what I want to find in a 16 Years Old Single Malt. The Palate and Finish are quite Bitter and Sour and I'm not too fond of that either. Needless to say that an ABV of 40% is not adequate for a 16 Year old Single Malt. It makes this Tomintoul relatively cheap of course but I prefer to pay a little more for the extra Kick, Aromas and Flavours. As can be seen on the picture below, Tomintoul is not one of the most attractive distilleries from a visual point of view. And I must admit that, after having tasted 4 expressions, I'm not really impressed by their Single Malts as well so far. Next on my list is the 33 Years. I really hope that one will surprise me in a positive way!

Jan van den Ende                                                           November 19, 2015

Certainly not the most attractive distillery in Scotland!

Timorous Beastie Review

“Modest Mouse”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Western Highlands

Brand: Timorous Beastie (Small Batch)

Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 46.8%

Colour: White Wine (Natural Colour)

Nose: There were certainly some Refill Ex-Sherry casks used in the maturation of the Malts used for this Blend. I even get a distant hint of Sulphur but it's not strong enough to spoil the Nosing Fun. The Nose reminds me a bit of the Bell's Blended Whisky so it could well be that a reasonable amount of Blair Athol was used for the Timorous Beastie. There's not a lot going on in this Department I'm afraid. I get Sugared Cereals, Toast and Margarine, Heather Honey, Dried Fruits, Berries, Unripe Apple, White Wine, Citrus, Toffee, Caramel, Straw, Refill Oak, a little Pepper and Salt and traces of Nuts and Dusty Leather. It's all a bit Young and Edgy and the Alcohol is not fully integrated.

Palate: Quite Sweet and a bit Thin despite the good ABV. Some Spice and a light Bitterness towards the end. I find Sweet Cereals, Demerara Sugar, light Vanilla, Heather Honey, Syrup, Dried Fruits and Nuts, slightly Sour Green Apples, Oak, Citrus Peel, Chilli Pepper, Salt, Ginger, Cinnamon, light Aniseed, light Licorice and hints of Dairy and Leather. The Alcohol is ever present.  

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Herbal and Spicy with Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Dried Fruits and Nuts, Sugared Orange Peel, Dried Herbs, Oak, Chilli Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger Ale, Menthol and hints of Aniseed and Licorice.

The Timorous Beastie does not improve with added Water. 

Rating: 81.5

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The name of this Blended Malt was inspired by a Mouse that appeared in a poem called "To a Mouse" by Robert Burns. In the poem, the Mouse is a tiny timid creature but in reality, this Blend is supposed to be the opposite. It's part of a series of four called Remarkable Regional Malts that covers the Highlands (Timorous Beastie), Speyside (Scallywag), Islay (Big Peat) and the Islands (Rock Oyster). Timorous Beastie is not Chill-Filtered and contains Single Malt from Glengoyne, Dalmore, Blair Athol, Glen Garioch and possibly other distilleries. It probably matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon and Refill Ex-Sherry casks. It sells at an average 55 US Dollars (November 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: The Timorous Beastie is certainly not a timid Blend. And it does show some Highland characteristics. It's Sweet but the Spices and Herbs make sure there is sufficient balance. On the other hand there's a Young, Edgy and almost "Grainy" feel to this Blend and the Alcohol is very present. These issues prevent me from giving the Timorous Beastie a higher score. The packaging and presentation are nicely done and the Price/Quality ratio is not too bad. But I would advise you to try a sample first before considering buying a full bottle. Better safe than sorry! 

Jan van den Ende                                                             November 16, 2015

BenRiach Septendecim Review

“Ben Islay”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: BenRiach Septendecim (Peated) 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 46% 

Colour: Light Gold/White Wine (Natural Colour)

Nose: Earthy Peat, Cold Smoke, Tar, Ashes, Leather, light Rubber, Cured Meat, Wet Paper, Soy Sauce, Dusty Shelves, Vanilla Flavoured Tobacco, Dried Herbs, Charred Oak, Cereals, Hay, Wax, Toffee, Red Apple, Nectarine, Grapefruit Juice, Sugared Tea, Lemon-Grass, Menthol, Nutmeg and Cinnamon. The Alcohol is reasonably well-integrated. The Nose is quite similar to Islay Malts. It's not bad but the Peat and Smoke are a bit dominant. I would have liked some more Fruit for balance. 

Palate: Peaty, Bitter-Sweet and Spicy with Dirty Peat, Cold Smoke, Leather, Tar, Soot, Ashes, Burnt Straw, Wet Newspaper, Toffee, Vanilla, Marzipan, Cinnamon, Chili Pepper, Nutmeg, Lemon-Grass, Barley, Charred Oak, Rubber, Red Apple and Mint. Slightly Sour towards the end. I miss a bit of Balance here as well.

Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Herbal and Dry with Earthy Peat, Malt, Cold Smoke, Cigar Ashes, Soot, light Rubber, Charred Oak, Smoked Meat, Wax, 
Sour Apples, Lemon, Salted Butter, Toast, Dried Herbs, Sugared Tea, Menthol, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger and Cinnamon.

The BenRiach Septendecim does not improve with added Water.

Rating: 83

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The BenRiach distillery is located in the heart of Speyside between Elgin and Rothes. It was founded around 1898 by John Duff, the owner of the nearby Longmorn distillery. Today it's one of the few distilleries with its own Malting Floors. Since 2004, it is independently owned by BenRiach Distillery Company. A lot of their production goes into the Chivas Regal Blends. The Septendecim (Latin for Seventeen) was launched in early 2012 and became a regular peated distillery expression. It matures in Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks and is not Chill-Filtered. It sells at an average 65 US Dollars (November 2015).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: This is a perfect imitation of an average peated Islay Malt. It's a bit of a One-Trick Pony as the Peat, Smoke and affiliated Aromas and Flavours are in complete control. I would have liked to find more Fruit for balance. I also find it a bit Flat on the Palate. And I'm not too fond of the Rubber notes I found. Nowadays a lot of distilleries outside Islay are producing peated Malts. I have nothing against that as long as it adds something to the original distillery character. I don't think that's the case here. This smells and taste like an Islay whisky produced by BenRiach. So why would you consider buying this if you are an Islay fan? Because it's an acceptable peaty alternative, that is reasonably priced for a 17 years old Single Malt.   

Jan van den Ende                                                             November 12, 2015