In today's whisky landscape, the prestige of the single malt often drowns out the position of blended whiskies, leading them to bear an undeserved, tarnished reputation. Founded by John Glaser, a former marketing executive at Johnnie Walker, Compass Box was created to challenge this narrative. Glaser's vision with Compass Box was to remind us that that blended whiskies can, and indeed should, be celebrated for their complexity and craftsmanship. After all, we often forget that blended whiskies were historically the backbone of the Scotch whisky industry, offering a balance and consistent quality that consumers in those decades preferred.

Glaser's background in marketing has undoubtedly played a role in shaping the narrative and presentation of Compass Box whiskies with very imaginative expression names and very meticulously calibrated blends of malt and grain whiskies. Their releases are not just expressions of Scotch but pretty much storytelling mediums that reflect broader themes and ideas.

For the latest La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) catalogue, Compass Box has unveiled two limited edition expressions: A-Side and B-Side. LMDW describes these as "obvious references to vinyl records", an analogy that initially eluded me due to my limited exposure to the era of vinyl (I was born after that era). But upon further enquiry on how vinyls worked, the analogy became clearer. Much like the A and B sides of a vinyl record, these whiskies are designed to offer contrasting yet complementary experiences. If you purchase a blending box set from La Maison du Whisky, they can even be mixed in various combinations – you can check out that concept in the Compass Box - LMDW New Vibrations Blending Experience if interested.

Delving into the specifics, A-Side is a blended grain Scotch whisky which marries well-aged old grain whisky with younger single grain whisky that has been finished in Madeira-seasoned hogsheads.

On the flip side, B-Side is a blended malt Scotch whisky which draws from quite a variety of distilleries. The whisky is supposed to be characterised by a complex smokiness and a broad spectrum of flavours imparted by American oak.

Let’s give them a taste.

Compass Box A-Side, Blended Grain, 48% ABV

Madeira Barrique Cameronbridge Distillery Single Grain (67.7%) blended with Blended Grain parcel from Second-fill Bourbon Barrel (32.3%)

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Quite robust and punch, dominated by a striking mix of spearmint and Tiger Balm. Floral notes intertwine with honey and stewed red fruits, with a very mild waxiness underlies these bold scents.

Palate: The initial impression is one of freshness, softness and approachability. Opens with a refreshing, biscuity character with crisp sweetness of melons and pears, followed by the mild acidity of grapefruit. There’s also a light touch of lemon butter cake.

Finish: Relatively short. There’s a continuation of citrus zest, transitioning into a growing spiciness. I’m getting the warm notes of ginger, spices of aniseed, and a blend of baking spices including cinnamon. A very mild caramel note lingers at the very end.

My Thoughts:

This whisky is pleasantly enjoyable and easy to drink, though its flavour profile leans towards a straightforward, rather basic side.

While the nose was quite unique, there frankly isn’t a lot of dimensions I could get out of the palate and finish. That said, I tasted this expression beforebeing informed that it was a grain whisky. On a second thought, had I known that this was a grain whisky, I might have had a pleasantly surprised reaction to the degree of flavour I’m getting from it.

My Rating: 6/10

Compass Box B-Side, Blended Malt, 49% ABV

Madeira Barrique Balmenach Distillery Single Malt (22.6%), American Oak Pulteney Distillery Single Malt (20.3%), Refill Bourbon Barrel Caol Ila Single Malt (10.4%), First-fill Bourbon Barrel Strathmill Single Malt (7.6%) and other undisclosed blended malt parcels.

Moving on to the B-Side…

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Sweet, tropical and almost funky. Rich notes of overripe pineapple dominate, interwoven with a vibrant citrus zest. The tropical bouquet is joined by a subtle nuttiness that adds an interesting dimension to the aroma.

Palate: Rather powerful ­– I’m immediately greeted with a bold spiciness, complimented by fruitiness of red and tart green apples, mingling with a vivid citric sourness that mirrors certain Ardbeg expressions. A light but aromatic peat note surfaces, blending with fresh herbal nuances of parsley and rosemary. As it develops, layers of vanilla, caramel, and toffee unfold, framed by a subtle minerality and a chalky texture.

Finish: Frankly quite a bit of pronounced spiciness, I’m getting anise and a mouth-cooling spearmint sensation. Followed by a gentle maltiness and a unique Chinese mung bean character (the sort you might taste in an ang ku kueh). As the flavour fade, we have an almost fleeting touch of ash right at the end.

My Thoughts:

This whisky certainly leans towards the spicier side, which might not be to everyone's taste, but I find it quite captivating for its power, liveliness and chalkiness, and these are somewhat austere notes that might be appreciated by those who enjoy older Ardbeg expressions. One of the more interesting and distinct peated offerings from Compass Box.

I’d lean towards a 6.5 or 7 out of 10 when rating this whisky, but I suspect that if I were able to taste the component whiskies – and there are clearly quite a number of them – I might be even more impressed by how the final product is greater than the sum of the parts. All this is simply speculation, and perhaps borne out of my personal bias and general positive sentiments towards Compass Box.

My Rating: 7/10

@CharsiuCharlie