This brand, Great King Street, is part of the Compass Box empire. The idea behind it is, I think, to bring great affordable blends back to the global hordes who love Scotch whisky - to fight the evil bottles of J&B and Dewar's and Cutty Sark that ruin and besmirch the good name of Scotch in liquor cabinets everywhere - all at a reasonable price.
Well, they've largely succeeded. For about $35-40, John Glaser and company have given us this "Artist's Blend," which is 50% aged lowland grain whisky from first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, and the other 50% being a mix of things, from sherry cask to Speyside. As you'd expect from craft presentation, no chill filtration and no coloring. Bottled at 43% ABV.
Nose: Quality is immediately apparent here - this is a very refined nose for a blend, or for a single malt, frankly. Nice bouquet of soft citrus - like lemon sorbet, maybe, especially considering the rich vanilla vein here. Everything is softly sweet with hints of great richness that come and go. The grain element here is understated, which I suppose is a testament to the age of that element.
Mouthfeel: Thin but silky.
Palate: This is seriously delicious. The lemon sorbet becomes more of a lemon gelato - milk and eggs and everything, the vanilla underpinning everything. The taste is very rounded, by which I mean nothing is harsh in any way. There are other light fruits here, but they serve as complements to the main lemon/vanilla show. Maybe peach and orange. Very very tasty.
Finish: Fairly short. The palate dries out into an oak-and-pepper finale. No bitterness, but the vanilla evaporates too quickly. The weakest part of the experience.
Verdict: This is really great value for $40 a bottle. The main problem, as I see it, is that it's not so much competing with the everyday blends we all know and hate (which are well under half the price), but rather creating a new niche - fancy blends. Which means it's basically competing against its own Compass Box siblings, along with things like the Lost Distillery Company, the nicer Johnnie Walkers, Rock Oyster, Big Peat, Sheep Dip, et al.
That said, this is a real winner. The flavors are clear and pure both on the nose and the palate, they are delicious and savory, and it has that most ineffable and desirable quality of all - the gift of "just one more," in which a drinker feels compelled to drink just a little bit more before stowing the bottle away. That's among the highest compliments I know! Go hunt some of this down - it's worth it.
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