NV Compass Box No Name, 48.9%
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The third installment in Compass Box's gothic exploration of smoke, or the whiskies that shall not be named, builds upon their bewitching sequence of distillery duets. Pairing Ardbeg with Caol Ila, then Caol Ila with Talisker, blender James Saxon invited Laphroaig and Bowmore to dance for No. 3, underpinned by the familiar Compass Box foundation malts. There's a charming balance of sweetness and peat, as the hardy coastal smokiness of Laphroaig is quelled by the ripe tropical fruitiness of Bowmore. The mouthfeel is satisfyingly creamy, with orange fondant, chocolate, honey, and apricot flavors tightly bound together by tendrils of smoke. Number 9 in the 2021 Top 20
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Whisky Advocate
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So good, they didn't name it twice. More brooding than the first iteration, with a heavy curtain of ashy sooty smoke, fresh herbal tones, lemon, and dried fruity sweetness. The palate is led by red cherry, plum, cranberry, and tangy orange peel, then hot smoke sets off a peppery firecracker. The structure is deceptively light, developing more grip as the lemon sherbet sweetness heralds the lengthy finish of beach bonfire smoke. (8,436 bottles)
Peatheads, listen up! Yes, there's pine needles, zested lemons, honey, sanded wood, nutmeg, and cinnamon within this Islay-dominated blend, but it's the billowing peat smoke that makes this special. It reeks gloriously of stacked fish boxes and heavy braided ropes on the pier. The dark fruit, baked lemons, cherry, clove, and cooked plum face entanglement in a labyrinth of shadowy stygian smoke. You could get lost in here for hours. (15,000 bottles)