I have always loved me a good bourbon. On the bar I have created a nice collection of blended bourbons, unique rye whiskeys and of course scotch! However, I have not felt the scotch 'creative juices' flowing in awhile and now I am most compelled to write about a company I have just discovered.
I was first introduced to Compass Box through it's US Brand ambassador who gave me a great bit of an education -on top of a desire to drink more scotch in general. He clued me in that this premium set of spirits only blend four different high end scotches, while a slew of their competitors use 40+ ultimately leading to their flavors getting more and more muddled. Compass Box shows the quality of their products in the few ingredients they use while creating the urge to have another sip.
Great King St. is their signature product which is named after the street that their office is located in Edinburgh, Scotland. A distinctive characteristic of this "Artist's Blend' is the prevalent taste of the toasted oak barrel. While some scotch companies may reuse the same barrel over and over CB is adamant about only using that barrel once to ensure the most quality flavor is produced in the aging process. Great King St. produces a toasty vanilla flare with a touch of maltiness and a very clean finish. The spices that dance on your tongue are the first fill barrel flavors that only intrigue you to what the next sip will bring.
While this scotch is great on it's own, the addition of a couple ice cubes or drops of water changes the flavor profile, opening up more of the fruity grain whisky that occupies 51% of the product. Cutting this with a dash of angostura bitters brings out more of a malty quality while the aromatics sit front and center. Add a little lemon zest and the flavors of the Sherry wood read through.
Robin also taught me the a bit about single grain whisky opposed to single malt. Typically grain whisky only will occupy a very small percentage in blended scotches, Great King St. uses 51% so the flavor remains neutral as it opens up on your palette revealing the malts of the Northern Highland and Speyside.
So not only are quality spirits highlighted but different first fill woods in the barrel aging process. Blending American and French Oak with a Sherry butt (or bottom side of the barrel) create a vanilla and spice essence that must be tried.
The next product that really got me excited is their Hedonism limited release blended grain whisky. This is a very atypical flavor where there is no malted barley present. It is very reminiscent of an American Bourbon with a lush and almost creamy flavor with a hint of orange notes. This uses only two to three different Scottish distilleries which creates a completely unique taste that has me dreaming about it right at this moment. Although I'm sure this would marry nice with other flavors it must be tried straight up to really experience it the way I have.
Peat Monster is final product I want to talk a little bit about. Being a huge of fan of mezcal, it is rare that I can find any other product that I can compare it to. This particular blend of malt scotch whiskies give this one drink more character than a Louis C.K. show. Three malt scotch whiskies are used from Islay, (which produces your typical peaty Lagavulin and Laphroaig) Speyside (where some of my favorites hail from like Balvenie and Macallan) and finally Mull (which personally I have never tasted a scotch from as there is only one distillery on the isle.) This produces a slight campfire smoke essence with a some caramel notes when a couple drops of water are added to it. Not only does the peatiness read through, but a smokey and sweet playfulness that has a long lasting finish.
I will most definitely be enhancing cocktails this week with these great new products. They hit Nebo's shelves this week; March 10th to be exact. I'm already thinking of what a spray of Peat Monster will do to the Smoke Over Bourbon cocktail or Great King St. served extra cold with a little ginger beer in one of our copper mugs.
Ron Burgundy is not the only scotch lover out there and this whole new world of Compass Box products are sure to please them all.
No comments:
Post a Comment