Review #8: Great King St by Compass Box – Artist’s Blend

Distillery: Mix of Clynelish, Teaninich, Dailuaine

ABV: 43%

Age: Aged minimum 2 years after blend

Price: $45

Color: 0.4 Daffodil, Ripe Corn, by far the lighest Scotch I’ve reviewed. According to the bottle and Compass Box’s website, this is NCF and natural color.

Nose (according to the wife): It burns! But once you get past the burn, you get a note of fresh spring flowers and a bit of honey.

Palate: Palate is pretty inoffensive and, well, bland. You get a tiny hint of really cooked down fruit and honey but mostly, there isn’t a whole lot to say about this one.

Finish: The finish is really short but it’s my favorite part of this whisky. It’s creamy with a bit of vanilla, which is very pleasant.

Conclusion: Not a whole lot to write about this one, but then again given that it’s a blend, I didn’t expect a whole lot. The finish in this one is definitely my favorite part, it’s very smooth and creamy–overall a nice surprise. Everything else about this screams young whiskies, which their website all but confirms. It’s pleasant enough to drink and perhaps not a bad one to ease someone into the world of Scotch/whisky in general. I am impressed by how much information Compass Box makes available about this blend on their website. If this was priced closer to $30, I’d say it would be a good buy.

Final Score: 70

Scotch whisky review #8, Blended whisky review #2, Whisky Network Review #9

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.

Originally reviewed Mar. 11, 2018.