Compass Box Spice Tree (46.0%): Good things come in threes: This is my third Compass Box review in a row this week... I actually cannot believe that I didn't review Spice Tree here before. It has been a regular in our whisky cabinet for almost a decade and we easily go through a few bottles a year. Current batches of Spice Tree are blended 82% from Compass Box's signature Highland Blend matured in different type of casks with various toast levels and 18% from single malt whiskies distilled at Clynelish and Dailuaine distilleries. It is bottled without caramel coloring and it is not chill-filtered.
Color: Orange blossom honey, polished copper color with long, continuous and oily legs around the glass.
Nose: Honey, candied orange peels and nutmeg. Allspice, rock candies and crystallized ginger. Syrupy, doughy and spicy (duh)... Cinnamon rolls, cardamom pods and cloves. Vanilla, mahaleb cherry and apricot preserves.
Palate: Honey and all kind of baking spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ground ginger. Incredibly creamy, thick and viscous... Ginger and molasses cookies, stewed prunes and Zante currants. Cake batter, raisin muffins and vanilla frosting. Ground espresso and cacao powder.
Finish: Long with honey, cinnamon and white pepper.
Overall: I really don't have a favorite in Compass Box's Signature Range. I think I can call all of them as my favorites... In a brilliant way none of those whiskies are meant to be superior to or in competition with another. Every expression is created for a different reason: For a particular time of the day or a specific mood or to accompany food, sometimes just to please you and not to interfere with your pub-night with friends, sometimes simply to be chased with a perfect pint of ale... It is a smart line-up. For me Spice Tree is a spirit I like to savor mostly later at night... Maybe with a dessert or after the dessert with a cup of espresso, neat... A good whisky with even a more impressive price tag...
Price: $55
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