Compass Box The Peat Monster Arcana

This is kind of a fun one as I like The Peat Monster enough, and the different take on it was appealing. Let’s see what it’s like.

Compass Box The Peat Monster Arcana, Scotland Blend, 46% ABV

Minutia: Comprised on 72.9% 14-year-old Talisker in refill hogsheads, 10.6% 11-year-old Miltonduff in 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrels, 9.6% 9-year-old The Peat Monster Cask Strength in a refill custom French oak barrel with heavy toast, and 6.9% 16-year-old Ardbeg in recharred barrels yielding 8,328 bottles.. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Jonquil, ripe corn; 0.4.

Nose: Woody and earthy. More maritime than smoky.

Taste: Spicy, creamy, fruit like berries.

Finish: Musty and fruity smoke. Some vanilla. Medium-short, leaning more medium.

This gets more enjoyable once it gets into the mouth. The nose isn’t bad, but that palate is better. It’s subtle and I actually like it for its lack of monstrousness.

Score: 82

Musical Evocation: Alice Cooper – “I Never Cry”

Compass Box The Peat Monster (Painting Label)

I liked the brown label recipe, though it wasn’t quite the monster the name promises (though the intent was more monster as an amalgamation rather than aggressive punch in the face). I was glad to see the Caol Ila and Laphroaig take up a larger percentage, but not so much at the expense of the Ledaig. Though, what do I know, maybe this is better. 

Compass Box The Peat Monster (Painting Label), Scotland Blend, 46% ABV

Minutia: This blend is 64% Caol Ila, 35% Laphroaig, in refill hogsheads, and 1% of their Highland malt blend from custom French Oak barrels with heavy toast. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: White wine.

Nose: Subtle smoke, old lemon (dried from being sliced and sitting in the fridge rather than dehydrated), brine, metal, not quite pepperoni.

Taste: Smoke, white pepper, much peat but not “in your face”.

Finish: Long, ash/tobacco, meat char.

A non-peat lover won’t like this, a peat lover will. While it isn’t what people generally call a “monster”, they have achieved the desired ramp up in elegance intended with the new recipe. As with the old recipe, I’ll continue to enjoy this on its own and use it as an add-in to any whisky that isn’t quite doing it for me to bring it up toward excellence.

Score: 87

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2018

So far the only Compass Box blends I’ve gone for are Peat Monster and the No Names. I was ordering some samples and this was available as such so I figured, “why not?” since the more you get the more cost effective shipping from Europe to the United States is.

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2018 (6th edition), Scotland Blend, 48.9% ABV

Minutia: This is a doozy. As always Compass Box is super transparent about what’s in that bottle, and this has quite the mix:

*39% Caol Ila, refill barrel

*29% Deanston, refill hogsheads

*11% Clynelish, re-charred hogsheads

*8% Highland malt blend (60% Clynelish, 20% Dailuaine, 20% Teaninich), vatted then matured in custom French oak casks with heavy toast

*7% Highland malt blend (including Glen Ord, Benrinnes, and Allt-a-Bhainne), in a mixture of first fill Sherry butts, custom French oak casks, and refill American oak barrels

*6% Clynelish, refill hogsheads

Enjoyed neat in a glencairn, rested 10 minutes.

Color: A darker white wine.

Nose: Fruit on the pour. Smoky fruit, apple, green wood.

Taste: Peaty malt, some peppery feel.

Finish: Long but low-powered.

Really nice smoke/peat. I’d have liked to taste more of the fruit I smelled. Even so, I really enjoyed this - it’s a real shame this isn’t part of their regular lineup. If they could source enough of the components to make it more regularly available (and priced more modestly) that would be a wonderful thing for people who like whisky, though I suppose there is something to the scarcity that might make it a bit more special.

Score: 83

Compass Box The Peat Monster (Brown Label)

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.

Compass Box The Peat Monster (Brown Label), Scotland Blend, 46% ABV

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