You had me at “hello.” As much as I’ve found I love peat, to hear there was a whisky with this name had me hooked right away. I’ve been disappointed in the past by things calling themselves peaty in the name, but Compass Box has a good enough reputation I was confident this wouldn’t disappoint. Loving three of the four primary malts, I felt I was in for a treat.
Minutia: Rested about 15 minutes, in a glencairn. The blend of this is 34% Laphroaig, 54% Caol Ila, 5% Ardmore (all refill hogsheads), 6% Ledaig (refill barrel), and 1% of their custom Highland blend (Clynelish, Teanininch, Dailuaine; from a custom, heavy toast cask).
Color: White wine.
Nose: Smoke, earth, flowers, medicinal. After being in the glass a good deal a Ledaig funk comes out.
Taste: Salt, smoke, spice.
Finish: Medium-long. The salt turns savory and ends up somewhere like a cured meat, smoke fades out a bit earlier than the rest of the finish persists.
This wasn’t quite the “monster” that was promised, but it still delivered. Like a handful of peaty whiskies, the people at your table (and possibly adjacent ones) will smell this. While this is perfectly good on its own, it does absolute wonders as an additive. As a big peat fan, if I’m not particularly feeling a whisky, a bit of this in it can carry it right up to enjoyability.
Score: 86
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