Compass Box manufactures some really excellent blends, and even the worst bottles I've had from them are pretty damned interesting. This one is, apparently, a love letter to Glasgow; the website opens by saying
"Aromas of sherry and smoke permeate the streets of Glasgow
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."
Looks pretty good so far! One thing that I (and everyone else) loves about Compass Box is their proud commitment to transparency. They are right up there with Bruichladdich in telling the consumer what they are imbibing. This is a very, very good thing.
The Great King Street Glasgow Blend contains the following: 34% Grain whisky from Cameron Bridge; 66% Malt, broken up as follows: 35% Benrinnes, 17% Laphroaig (!!!), 8% Clynelish, 2% Miltonduff, and 4% of their own Highland Malt (60% Clynelish, 20% Dailuaine, 20% Teaninich).
It also boasts interesting casking, as all of those whiskies were matured individually in a motley mix of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, rejuvenated hogsheads, and "French Oak Hybrid." Intriguing. This Limited Edition was all married together in a single ex-sherry vat. Bottled at a very healthy 49%, no age statement. Let's dive right in:
Nose: Sweet, sweet, sweet! Like a sherry tart was thrown into the blender and liquified. Endless sugar smells. Vanilla icing, sweet brown sherry with a slightly savory lacing, rich nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts), rich cooked marshmallows, some honey candy, some sharp salt, and strange hints of BBQ sauce (the thick meaty red kind) with peat and smoke.
Mouthfeel: Not as thick as the aroma would have you believe; a bit on the thinner side.
Palate: Interesting - a bit less sweet in the mouth, and quite a bit more smoky. Peat can be identified (that Laphroaig!), but it's very well integrated and doesn't swarm or overwhelm your tongue. Still lots of sherried sweetness here.
Salted caramel, creme brulee, some spices, some oak char. The grain whisky comes through as a thinnish generalized plastic taste at the end of the development, but nothing horrible. Smoke and caramel are the overriding flavors. There are also very distinct (and mysterious) hints of curry powder (!). Unsure what is causing that.
Finish: The smoke outlasts everything else by quite a bit. Smoke and red fruit and oak char and vanilla icing, but mostly smoke.
Verdict: Very good, especially in the sub-$40 blend category. This has character and flavor for miles and miles - you can't argue with their formula. Makes me want to visit Glasgow. I am very curious what a version of this that replaces the grain whisky with something thicker would be like - the rather thin mouthfeel is my only real quarrel here. Very well executed blend. Recommended, especially as a dessert dram with some kick to it.
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