Compass Box
Flaming Heart Limited Edition 2015
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
48.9% ABV (97.8 proof)
~$130 (sample provided)
Color: pale golden yellow
Smell: very balanced and approachable. There's noticeable peat smoke, sweet maltiness, toasted oak, and a slight underlying fruitiness in the date/fig/raisin vein.
Taste: rich sweetness at first...mouth-coating, chewy raisin sweetness. The oak and vanilla come through on the midpalate, along with a kiss of smoke. The medium-long finish is a bit woodier and more bourbon-like, with a pleasing combination of peat smoke and oak.
Overall: I like it a lot, very solid "B+/A-" for me. Really good depth and balance of flavors: peat smoke, oak, and raisin/fig fruit integrate beautifully here. Clearly a lot of thought went into the component whiskies, especially with regard to the mix of sherry, ex-bourbon, and French oak casks. It's exclusive and expensive, but excellent. Recommended, although I slightly preferred its funkier "This is not a luxury whisky" cousin (basically, the flip-flop of Drinkhacker's take).
