Compass Box Glasgow Blend Scotch Whisky Review & Tasting Notes

 

Congratulations if you’ve made it past the title and are still reading. It reveals that you are open-minded and into the #DrinkCurious philosophy. You see, there are whisky drinkers out there who, when they see the word blended, immediately get all huffy and believe what’s in the bottle must be substandard. They only drink single malts. Or at least they do until someone opens their eyes and proves they’re cheating themselves (this is one of the beautiful things about blind tastings).

 

Don’t worry; the same folks who only drink single malts also poo-poo single-grain whiskies and treat them like they’re the ugly, redheaded stepsister to single malts.

 

You’ve likely heard this from Walt Whitman: There is no such thing as bad whisky. Some whiskies just happen to be better than others. I’m here to tell you that Walt is full of crap. There are some godawful whiskies out there that are unfit for human consumption. I know because I’ve reviewed enough of them!

 

Blends get a bad rap because there are enough Busts out there. Distillers try to save mediocre barrels by blending them with better ones, hoping that the bad is diluted enough by the good so no one notices. Truth be told, there are some equally undrinkable single malts and single grains.  

 

I won’t suggest that producing a single malt or single grain Scotch is easy. I have no formal training as a distiller. I understand the process just fine. But there’s a difference between being book smart and street smart.

 

However, I will tell you that producing a single malt or grain is more straightforward than building a good blended whisky. The reason is that the Master Blender (the equivalent of an American Master Distiller) has a result in mind. The question for them is, How do I get there? There’s artistry involved. There’s patience. There’s trial and error. But, a talented Master Blender can do amazing things with components, stuff that will blow your mind.

 

There are three types of “blends” concerning Scotch whisky. Blended Malt is a blend of malted whiskies from more than one distillery. Blended Grain is a blend of grain whiskies from more than one distillery. And a Blended Scotch is a blend of malt and grain whiskies that can come from one or more distilleries.

 

One of the consistently better Scotch whisky blenders is Compass Box Scotch Whiskymaker. Founded in 2000 by John Glaser (an American living in London), he aimed to bring the art of blending back into fashion. He started Compass Box in his kitchen! John’s belief that a single distillery cannot create what a blender can (hence, the artistry I previously mentioned) by working with multiple distilleries allows him to explore and experiment until he finds something he finds truly special.

 

Today I’m sipping on Compass Box Glasgow Blend, which used to be called Great King Street Glasgow Blend.

 

“In his 1930s book ‘Whisky,’ Aeneas MacDonald teaches us that Glaswegians historically preferred fuller bodied and more flavour-packed whiskies than people in other parts of the world. So what better name for a whisky such as this?

 

Glaswegians are also famed for their sense of humour, which is why the city’s Wellington statue – traditionally dressed down with a traffic cone – is featured on the front label.” – Compass Box

 

One of the things I appreciate about Compass Box is its transparency. They’re not perfect, but they go beyond what many others do. Rather than keep everything in the blend a secret, you get most of the information. We quickly discover that this Scotch is made of the following components:

 

• The Cameronbridge Distillery, first-fill Bourbon barrels, single grain whisky (35.2%)
• Undisclosed Distillery Near the Town of Aberlour, first-fill Oloroso Sherry butt, single malt whisky (29%)
• The Laphroaig Distillery, refill barrel, single malt whisky (18.2%)
• The Clynelish Distillery, first-fill Bourbon barrels, single malt whisky (9.9%)
• Undisclosed Distillery Near the Town of Aberlour, revatted Oloroso Sherry butt, single malt whisky (5.1%)
• Undisclosed Highland Malt Blend, heavily-toasted custom French oak cask, blended malt whisky (2.6%)

 

That concoction is then bottled at 43% ABV (86°), is non-chill filtered, naturally colored, and a 750ml bottle runs in the neighborhood of $35.00. I picked up a bottle at a favorite local liquor store. It carries no age statement, but that’s not unusual for a blended Scotch.

 

Before we get any further, you should be aware that I tried Great King Street Glasgow Blend toward the beginning of my whisky journey, and I was not a fan. But I also didn’t care for peated whiskies then. My palate has developed, as has my love of peat. So, I’m coming to Glasgow Blend with an open mind and not knowing what to expect.

 

Appearance: I poured this blended Scotch into my Glencairn glass and drank it neat. Inside, the liquid looked like brassy gold. A thicker rim unveiled watery tears, which left behind sticky droplets.

 

Nose: Brine and peat competed for my attention. Both obtained it. They attempted to conceal smells of raisins, plums, roasted almonds, apples, and pears. Inhaling the vapor through my mouth had vanilla roll across my tongue.

 

Palate: There was a slight waxiness to the texture. It was full-bodied and offered flavors of salted caramel, peat, and baked apples on the front of my palate. The middle featured raisins, cherries, and honey, while the back tasted of clove, seaweed, and French oak.

 

Finish: I found the finish long and bold with peat, brine, and French oak. Those were offset by baked apples, vanilla, and honey.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Interestingly enough, the peat and seaweed from the Laphroaig content were easy to pick out despite being only 18% of the blend, as was the Clynelish waxiness of the mouthfeel, yet that was only 10%. I found it fascinating that Compass Box could maintain these signature qualities with all the variants involved.

 

There’s also a lesson to be learned: Never be afraid to return to something you initially disliked. Our palates change with both age and experience. I’ve often been surprised that things I was not too fond of years ago are now delightful. Such is the case with Glasgow Blend. It earns every bit of my Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.