Compass Box Hedonism

Compass Box

They dared to be different !!

They set the bar for blends !

They innovated the way we think about whisky !

They made Blended whisky, Blended Malts trendy again !!

They got into trouble with the SWA.

They gave us very trendy and unique whisky labels.

But most importantly they gave us very tasty whisky with full transparency ! Well as transparent as they were allowed to be….

We partied hard until it was 1999, then in 2000 John Glaser believed the way whisky was been conceived / bottled, it could be done better, or at least differently !

Compass Box was born.. With the emphasis on creating a whisky the old fashioned way – Blended.. He set out creating a whisky for everyone, a blend of unique flavours, aromas and something full of depth and complexity that could match and even surpass the finest single malts available.

John Glaser believed good whisky was born from good wood and with up to 70% of its flavour / aroma coming from the wood, using the best casks available was the way forward – “You can only create a great whisky when you use great wood ” ..

The next Myth to go was the need for Age statements, the whisky created by Compass Box speaks for itself, there is no need to state an age on his bottles as quality is not measured by a number, it is measured by the way people enjoy the contents…

John Glaser also believes his whiskies should be as intended, no added colour, non chill filtered, and forget the myth whisky is drunk neat, its your whisky so drink it how you like it !!

What’s not to agree with ?

Hedonism – Compass Box

This is 100% grain whiskies from a number of distilleries and at a varying age..

Distillery.. Will vary according to batch but typically whiskies from the following distilleries: Cameron Bridge, Carsebridge, Cambus, Port Dundas or Dumbarton.

Region.. Lowland

Age.. NAS

Abv.. 43%

Casks.. 100% first-fill American oak barrels or rejuvenated American oak Hogsheads

Nose.. Alluring and sensual.. Vanilla, cinder toffee and citrus zest slowly integrates with soft spices, a hint of fresh cereal notes. Victoria sponge cake and coffee beans freshly ground..

Palate.. The spices lead softly into a sweetness that resonates throughout the whole experience, vanilla, toffee and ginger seem to be the prominent features here with some lemon zest bitterness and a subtle hint of oak..

Finish.. Spicy heat but remaining fresh

Thoughts.. My first thoughts when I heard about this whisky was from my early years visiting raves and underground events and one named Hedonism from the early 90s, thousands of people enjoying and expressing themselves through music, today the music has been replaced by whisky and the outcome is still the same..

Having had 3 bottles of this already there’s no need to explain how good this Blended grain whisky is, the mere fact I am on my 4th bottle should tell you everything you need to know.

The only negative to this review is the fact the bottle keeps emptying itself !!!