Thanks to /u/WDMC-905 for bringing this to the Toronto Whisky Society general meeting for the year. For those of us who aren’t musical nerds (which I say lovingly), an Extravaganza is a piece of music or literary work characterized by freedom of style and structure. You see originally Spice Tree was an illegal whisky. By using a non traditional cask, the SWA felt that they were cheating… Continue reading Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza
Thanks to /u/scotchchick for the sample. Distillers usually get all the glory. We pick out single casks, store picks, and everything else and note the interesting mashbills, cask choices, and water sources. They deserve this praise because seriously it’s an art. However, when it comes to vattings and blends of whiskies, master blenders are sometimes mixed. We don’t always have them in mind when a good whisky… Continue reading Compass Box Circus
Thanks to /u/nsquare14 for sending me some samples. Really appreciate these, as he sent me some I’ve never reviewed as a thank you for the reviews. So Compass Box has recently taken the entire idea of single cask and turned it on its head. From what I’ve seen, they’ve offered various alcohol stores and independent bottlers to make blends with them. One of these is the Nectar,… Continue reading Compass Box Nectar 10th Anniversary
Thanks to my wife for this bottle, a birthday present. At my core, I’m a peat head. Yes, as years have gone by I’ve gone from that guy who loves a strong peated whisky that is super young and brash and powerful to a subtle ex-bourbon cask that takes an hour to dissect. So I’m a snob, basically. However that young whisky drinker isn’t completely… Continue reading Compass Box No Name
Thanks to /u/throzen for the sample. I recently went on and on about blends, stating how much I enjoy going back to them even though the scores are typically lower. Note I say “typically” there, to denote a time when they aren’t lower, and to raise suspicion in my reader. See, I too took English in high school, and I listened enough to eventually get an 80… Continue reading Compass Box Glasgow Blend
I’ve written before about Kensington Wine Market, a store in Alberta that has quite a whisky selection and is one of the places that I hit up when I’m out west. I’ve also written quite a bit about Compass Box. Lately I’ve seen a sad drop in quality from their offerings, however I still like what they are doing, what they are pushing for. As… Continue reading Compass Box 25th Anniversary Kensington Wine Market
Thanks to /u/xile_ for sharing this one with us. Compass Box 3 Deluxe. Sounds like we’re missing, right? Yeah, I typically remove the word “years old” in my reviews. Why? Because I need to be different, as that’s what I was told when I was a kid. Compass Box feels that the current rules for blended whisky should be changed, allowing them to explain exactly what goes… Continue reading Compass Box 3 Deluxe
Thanks to /u/WDMC-905 [+4] for this sample. We’ve all been there. That moment where you’re plugging along, trying to change life, trying to be better, and… you end up tired, in the middle of things, and dragging your ass along. You go back to trying to do those things that make you happy… However due to being tired, you’re unable to even write. Thus this may not be… Continue reading Compass Box Enlightenment
As part of one of the many whisky groups I’m part of, we all decided we’d be dicks to one another, but in a nice way. So we all showed up, each with 2 whiskies: One we want empty and one mystery. And then, without knowing the order, and leaving that up to /u/31mak , we drank each one, reviewed them, and found out we’re all pretty… Continue reading Multiple Mystery Whiskies
Compass Box – The Peat Monster, 46% ABV, $65 CAD Nose: Soft and mild peat, sea air, sweet cigar tobacco, lemon peel, oyster shells, mild pepper, and lemon zest. Taste: Peat, bryne, floral, salt, peaches and cream desert, creme brulee, lemon zest, cigar tobacco, wood ash. Finish: Med-long, very well balanced, creamy, great viscosity and mouth-feel. Peat Monster is made from the following: (Compass Box … Continue reading Compass Box – The Peat Monster
Thanks to /u/TequilaJunction for this sample. And we finish my small foray into Compass Box with a look at things that shouldn’t work, but do. You know, like a door that hangs off the hinges but makes everyone believe the house doesn’t have anything worth stealing. Or the idea of the Star Wars plan. Not the plan to make the Death Star, or the plan… Continue reading Compass Box The Lost Blend
Thanks to /u/Boyd86 for the sample. In my house I’m the cook and baker. And the guy who does the dishes too, but that’s an argument for me and my wife, and not anyone else. But back to the main point: The reason I cook and bake more often is because for me, a mixture of ingredients is bigger than the raw ingredients. I enjoy cookies:… Continue reading Compass Box Hedonism
Toronto Whisky Society 