Compass Box – This is Not a Luxury Whisky

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Compass Box – This is Not a Luxury Whisky

Region: Blended

ABV: 53.1%
E150: No
Chill-filtered: No
Cask Type:
– 79% First Fill Sherry Butt from Glen Ord (Malt) – 19 Year Old – 10.1% Refill American Hogshead from Strathclyde (Grain) – 40 Year Old
– 6.9% Refill American Hogshead from Girvan (Grain) – 40 Year Old
– 4% Refill American Hogshead from Caol Ila (Malt) – 30 Year Old

 

Colour: Gold

Nose: Oily, red apple, herbal, spruce tips, coconut, stewed red fruits, floral, strawberry syrup, smoke, spice.

Palate: Orange peel, ash, peat, rubber, raspberry, oak, strawberry, salted honey.

Finish: Long finish, ginger, incense, oily, pine.

Score: 89/100

Very welcoming nose, full of light smoke, and herbaceous notes; touch of syrupy red fruits and spices, along with tropical coconut notes. On the palate the notes are well-integrated, ashy peat, orange peel, red fruits, touch of salted honey, followed by a long finish with interesting incense-like note, round things off nicely, the finish lasts for minutes.

An amazing blend, wonder how this would compare against the JW Blue Cask Strength. The “This is not a luxury whisky” is very well made, welcoming nose and taste to a lot of people, without being boring like the regular Blue Label. The finish is very remarkable.

Glen Moray 13 Year Old (SMWS 35.165 – Variety – the spice of life)(1st Fill ex-Chenin Blanc)

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Glen Moray 13 Year Old (SMWS 35.165 – Variety – the spice of life)

Region: Speyside

ABV: 52.9%
E150: No
Chill-filtered: No
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Chenin Blanc Hogshead
Outrun: 180 Bottles

 

Colour: Amber

Nose: Oily, white grape, smoke, rubber, tar, strawberry, blackberry, spice.

Palate: Oloroso nuttiness, almonds, rubber, tar, mineral, oak.

Finish: Long finish, tar, mineral, stone, charred wood, nutmeg, more spice.

Score: 86/100

Really funky, nothing like a Chenin Blanc wine, and nothing like a Glen Moray, the amber colour isn’t helping either.

Super funky nose and palate; full of smoky tar, rubbery notes throughout, with a touch of red berries on the nose, definitely would’ve guessed a funky red wine cask, such as Barolo (one of the top Italian red wines, known for having rubber notes in the wine, especially the matured ones).

The palate copies the nose, with a lengthy funky finish, full of mineral, charred wood, and spice. Weird but quite a character.

Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009

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Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009

Colour: Dark ruby-purple core, light garnet rim.

Nose: Ripe cherry, raspberry, liquroice, plum, graphite.

Palate: Dry, full bodied, medium+ acidity, full grippy tannins. Black cherry, plum, graphite, black raspberry, faint orange peel.

Finish: Long finish, pepper, plum, earth, alcohol kick (went away after 4-5 hours of decanting).

Score: 79+/100

Not sure if the wine is in a dumb phase, but the nose seems somewhat closed after 2 hours of decanting. Not showing too much on the nose or palate. Despite the higher 15.5% alcohol, the wine isn’t jammy, matured black cherry and plum forward. The wine isn’t showing much at the moment, would check back on day two.

Day two is more or less the same story, nothing much have changed. Perhaps this is the true form of the wine in this stage, or it needs a much longer cellar time. Drink 2020+.

Bottom line:

Rather disappointing experience, even on day 2, I decanted it for 5 hours. It feels to me as a nicer village level Cotes-du-Rhone, like a Rasteau of some sort, instead of a midrange CDP. Concentrated berries fruit, but lacks complexity and depth. Got a lot of tannins for further aging, but I am not sure it got what it takes to become a great wine. What a shame at this price.

Breca Old Vines Garnacha 2010

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Breca Old Vines Garnacha 2010

Decanted for 3 hours.

Colour: Dark ruby core, lighter on the edges.

Nose: Noticeable alcohol on the nose, jammy; black raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, dark chocolate, baking spice, stone, violet, touch of meatiness.

Palate: Dry, medium+ body, medium+ acidity, full grippy tannins. Concentrated and rich; black raspberry, blackberry, sour cherry, crushed stone, spices.

Finish: Medium finish, black raspberry skin, touch of pepper.

Score: 79/100

Purchased this wine 3 years ago based on Robert Parker’s rating of 94, and set it aside. Figured it should be a good time to open in 2017, let’s see how it developed.

It took a long time decanting to somewhat tamed the still noticeable whiff of alcohol on the nose. After I got behind that, you can tell this wine is right up Parker’s alley; very rich and concentrated on the nose, with waves after waves of black fruits such as black raspberry, blackberry, and black cherry throughout, followed by touch of dark chocolate and spices, with some violets, stone, and meaty notes to add to the complexity.

The palate is more or less the same story, concentrated black fruits, minerals and spices, followed by a dab of pepper in the finish. The tannins are not yet resolved, still grainy and grippy, which suggests the wine still have more life to come.

A big, jammy, bold wine from Spain, I checked the label afterwards found out it contains a whopping 16.1% alcohol, although the alcohol is mostly tamed on the palate, still very noticeable on the nose. Not a very complex wine just very concentrated. This wine isn’t for everybody, some might think it’s too heavy and jammy. Decant for 3+ hours, drink now or hold for 2-3 more years.

Side note: Would recommend this wine with food, something fatty like a nice rib eye steak.

Domaine de la Denante Les Maillettes Saint-Veran 2014

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Domaine de la Denante Les Maillettes Saint-Veran 2014

Colour: Pale straw

Nose: Honey, peach, melon, stone, grass, white flower, light citrus, touch of oak.

Palate: Dry, medium+ body, medium acidity. Melon, citrus, mineral, honey.

Finish: Long finish, crushed stone, salt, faint nuts.

Score: 77+/100

First time having a wine from Saint-Veran, and it was a pleasant surprise. The wine throughout gives me a very rounded impression.

The nose was youthful, but rather complex, showing various concentrated stone fruits and touch of floral and grassiness, alongside a touch of oak.

It feels very rounded on the palate, but falls short on complexity, wouldn’t describe it as elegant either, just rather simple. Followed by a mineral driven finish with a touch of warm nuttiness in the very end.

Even though on the back label it says “Drink by 2020”, I would say this wine will definitely evolve with 1-2 more years of age. Drinking well now despite falling short on the palate, would hold.

I brought this wine to a blind tasting, since one of my whisky friend said him and his wife doesn’t enjoy chardonnay, and I went on a mission to find one that they will enjoy. I assumed he didn’t enjoy the new world, bold style, buttery Sonoma/Napa chard. This wine was a great success, it was a lot more to his liking and it feels good to re-introduce someone to a grape.

BenRiach 14 Year Old Single Cask Virgin American Oak Finish (Cask 2828)

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BenRiach 14 Year Old Single Cask Virgin American Oak Finish (Cask 2828)

Region: Speyside
ABV: 55.9%
E150: No
Chill-filtered: No
Cask Type: ex-Bourbon, finish in Virgin American Oak.

Colour: Chestnut

Nose: Cocoa, apple, orange peel, caramel, oak, icing sugar, ash, oily honey, floral vanilla, mineral, pepper, faint cinnamon.

Palate: Pink bubblegum, malt, strong oak, banana, pineapple, almond, smoke, black tea, apricot.

Finish: Long tannic finish, salt, tropical fruit, oak, caramel.

Score: 88/100

I would describe this as best of both worlds, perfect balance between ex-bourbon cask notes, and strong powerful influence of virgin American oak. The previous virgin oak I had were frankly too oaky, bites your tongue off. This is very complex which is unusual for just virgin oak.

Fruity and malty notes, along with cocoa powder, icing sugar, ash, honey, vanilla, spices, goes on and on. The virgin oak is very apparent on the palate, smack of oak, bubblegum, tropical fruits, smoky black tea, with a long oak tannic finish. Exceptional.

Glenburgie 21 Year Old 1995 (Archives)

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Glenburgie 21 Year Old 1995 (Archives)
Tasted Blind

Region: Speyside
ABV: 54.1%
E150: No
Chill-filtered: No
Cask Type: ex-Bourbon Hogshead

Colour: Light gold

Nose: Sliced pear, red and green apple, citrus peel, honey, floral, light malt, cereal, custard, oily caramel, pepper.

Palate: Apple, pear, dried apricot, malt, honey, oak, vanilla.

Finish: Long malty finish, pepper, ginger, touch of mineral and oak.

Score: 87/100

Tasted blind, prominent sliced pear and apples on the nose, followed by wonderful ex-Bourbon notes of honey, cereal, malt, and caramel custard, very rich and rounded. Big, bold flavour, hits you with honey apples, pear, dried apricot, along with malty and oaky notes, followed by a long finish with spice to kick things up a notch. Very interesting, it’s my first time trying a Glenburgie, and looking forward to more offerings from the distillery!

Auchentoshan 20 Year Old (Whiskybroker)

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Auchentoshan 20 Year Old (Whiskybroker)

Region: Lowland

ABV: 52.6%
E150: No
Chill-filtered: No
Cask Type: ex-Bourbon

Colour: Pale straw

Nose: White flower, mint bubblegum, malty cereal, citrus peel, fruitloop, eucalyptus, honey, pleasant herbal funk, green apple.

Palate: Cedar, oak, floral, stone fruit, green apple, grassy, honey, mint.

Finish: Medium+ finish, eucalyptus, oak, drying cocoa, pepper.

Score: 86/100

Quintessential lowland, floral notes dominates all the way. Lots of green apples, malt, cedar/oaky notes on the nose and palate; with a nice touch of minty, eucalyptus notes, the finish is drying on the palate, with touch of cocoa and peppery spice to round things off. After the glass is empty, leave it for 10 minutes, the glass semlls like rich raisins! Simply the best Auchentoshan I’ve tried, captures the essence of lowland profile!

Elderton E Series Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

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Elderton E Series Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Colour: Dark purple-garnet

Nose: Blueberry jam, plum, vanilla, baking spice, touch of smoked meat.

Palate: Dry, medium+ body, medium acidity, medium+ fine grain tannins. Blackberry pie, raspberry, pepper, vanilla.

Finish: Medium+ finish, touch of liquorice, more dark fruits.

Score: 77/100

Very standard, big, bold, jammy Southern Australian Shiraz blend. The nose and palate shows similar notes of jammy berries, vanilla, and baking spice, with touch of liquorice kicking in during the finish. This wine feels like a blueberry pie, from the nose to the finish. Very solid wine for the price, if you are into this sort of profile, I personally don’t mind it. Drink now!

Foreign Affair Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

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Foreign Affair Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Colour: Dark garnet core, light garnet rim.

Nose: Dominant black cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, plum, dried dates, vanilla, cedar, meat, worn leather.

Palate: Off-dry, medium acidity, medium silky tannins. Black cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, vanilla sweetness, touch of herbs.

Finish: Long finish, sweet oak, touch of spice.

Score: 85/100

Coming from Vineland (St. Catharines/Niagara), Ontario, Canada. The Foreign Affair winery specializes in Italian wine making style. They make a wide range of wines with various types of grapes, Ripasso style, Appassimento (Partial or Fully), Recioto style.

The Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30%(32%?) of the grapes were set aside for the appassimento process. Aged in French and American oak for 24 months, resulting in a wine with a whopping 15.8% ABV.

The nose is very rich and blasts you in the face with waves after waves of dark fruits. Black cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, you name it; followed by dried dates, vanilla, cedar, worn leather, and a faint suggestion of meat. Very welcoming.

On entry, you will notice a very well-rounded mouth-feel. The acidity seemed moderate, perhaps due to the sweetness balancing it off; the tannins are silky smooth.

Just like the nose, loads of black fruit, perhaps jammy, followed by sweet vanilla, and a touch of herbs. Followed by a long finish of sweet oak and touch of spice. You would not have guessed this wine is 15.8% ABV, it drinks more like 14-14.5%.

This wine is very well integrated already, I don’t see it evolving much more in the future, drink now or over the next 3 years.

In a blind tasting, I would’ve thought the wine is older than it is, judging by the colour and tannins.

Fantastic wines coming out from the Niagara region in Ontario right now, not sure about international availability, but be sure to grab one if you see it. Highly recommended for the price.

**Do note this wine is off-dry.