More blended and secret malts


October 16, 2023

More blended and secret malts

Just because there's more of them, always more…

Compass Box 'B-side' (49%, Blended Malt, for La Maison du Whisky, 1,380 bottles, 2023)

Hot off the press, this new blended malt (NAS) that's sheltering malts from many Scottish regions. We'd love to see the Compass Box team go completely global one of these days. I mean, from Japan to Canada via Europe and Africa (for example). And why not trans-distillate? Rum, brandy and tequila? Mezcal and malt whisky? Islay and limoncello? Colour: straw. Nose: a bit of everything, with fern and leaves at the helm, plus zests, lemongrass, fresh barley, apples, then a little wet earth (after a light rain) and a very subtle smokiness. Nothing really stands out, but it's really nice. Mouth: the smoky and waxy sides are more prominent on the palate. Some smoky phenols, some heather honey, citrons, celeriac, lemongrass… It's all fresh and without any signs of immaturity (even if it's only NAS). Finish: medium, still fresh, still on lemons and celeriac. Touches of earthy and lemony smokes in the aftertaste. Comments: It's always hard to find much precision in blends as broad and varied as this, but it's a very good one for sure, rather refreshing. I seem to find some lovely Clynelish accents here and there.
SGP:562 - 86 points.

Compass Box 'A-side' (48%, Blended Grain, for La Maison du Whisky, 870 bottles, 2023)

A similar concept, only with grains. In theory, I should have tried this one together with other grain whiskies, but since A should go with B, let's have it now. Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, it is a rather fatter, even rather malty grain whisky. There sure is some coconut and vanilla, but orange-blossom-flavoured brioches and biscuits are keeping it afloat. Imagine, an NAS blended grain being this nice on the nose! Mouth: it's good, relatively well-bodied, with good oranges, not too much varnish, not too much coconut, and not too much vanillin. Candyfloss and barley syrup. Finish: medium, sugary, but not sticky. Comments: a simple NAS blended grain above 80 points, that's totally unprecedented at WF Towers. Well, in general, we wouldn't even touch them as we tend to believe they aren't even whisky (S., you despicable snob). Probably the best you could do with nearly empty spirits.
SGP:720 - 81 points.

Well, it's like with the Beatles or the Stones, some B-sides were much better than their A-sides. Now let's try a quick blend, 50/50… Colour: light gold. Nose: nice, good balance, not a lot of action but yeah, it works. But this is where you understand that you should rather go like 2/3 malt and 1/3 grain. Mouth: better on the palate, even excellent, the malt really shoots the grain. Good earthy fatness, some coastal notes and a very nice mineral side. I'm proud. Finish: medium, zesty, mineral, very slightly smoky. No dull graininess in the way (and no lousy coconut either, hurray!) Comments: almost an LP. Right.

Perhaps one or two more…

Special Malts #2 (46.8%, Symbiotica, bourbon & manzanilla, 2023)

Colour: white wine. Nose: flinty, chalky, a little greasy, with a lot of porridge, crushed fresh almonds, sourdough, plasticine, yoghurt… Mouth: rather raw, somewhat in the style of some Tobermories, loaded with more porridge, mashed turnips, leaves, flints, bitter teas, cinchona, sour fruits (unripe ones), drops of chalky brine of some sort… Finish: medium, saltier yet. Sucking beach pebbles, more plasticine too. Comments: it's really raw. I like some parts for sure, but good luck if you want to convert friends who are Chivas Regal drinkers to malt whisky with this one. I'm not sure it was its purpose in the first place, having said that. The GPS coordinates of the distilleries are indicated on the label, but we were running a bit late...
SGP:362 - 80 points.

D.R.K.N.S.S. (46%, Asta Morris, dark sherried, 601 bottles, +/-2023)

And bam, I thought it was a blended malt, but I discover it's yet another disguised single malt. Well, never mind, let's go for it... I suppose the name refers to the dark colour, no? But it's not that dark… the plot thickens… Colour: light gold. Nose: cake, kougelhopf, roasted nuts, toasted brioche, praline, Starbucks cappuccino, just a touch of gunpowder… Mouth: good maltiness, with a little stout, caramel, millionaire shortbread, then more and more black tea and Guinness. Maybe that's the reason why they chose that name. Finish: rather long, spicier, with rather a lot of clove and pepper. Peppery sherry and bitter oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: very, very all right! Forgot to mention the usual walnut wine that usually appears with this kind of rather heavy sherry. The latter wouldn't let any proper distillery character come to light, I would add.
SGP:461 - 84 points.

Why not some older undisclosed malt while we're at it? Just for sports…

Burberrys 1968/1988 (43%, OB, single malt)

Let's do this quick… Colour: brown. Nose: an old cream sherry, really. I'm finding more sherry than, for example, in old Macallans or Glenfarclas from that era. Awesome touches of beef bouillon, instant ramen (it's pretty glutamate-y), prunes, toffee and truffles, as well as a small glass of very old Chambertin (or any other proper old pinot noir). Mouth: sweet, PX-y, with some metallic touches (copper) and a lot of plum wine, slivovitz, more bouillon, beef jerky, mushrooms… And bags of raisins. In fact, I wouldn't cry foul if you said it's an old Macallan. Finish: medium, perhaps a wee bit tired. Comments: excellent whisky and the antique/replica bottle was adorable. We could have spent more time with it, clearly.
SGP:552 - 91 points.

		Empty spirits
		This terminology pertains to all spirits that are distilled in tall columns, sometimes gigantic and multiple, including grain whiskies, certain North American whiskies, vodkas and many rums. The term, not necessarily pejorative, refers to highly purified distillates which contain, upon exiting the still, very few congeners and, most notably, a very high proportion of ethanol. In essence, they are empty or nearly empty of everything that isn't pure alcohol. As a result, it is generally necessary to add texture and flavours post-distillation, through the use of highly active wood, casks rich in tertiary components (like wine, brandy or peated whisky), or various additions during the filling or bottling stages, such as juices and syrups, sugar, glycerol, wood chips, wood extracts (boisé), coffee, caramel etc., depending on what is more or less legal, or in rare cases just impossible to control. The best solution, albeit the most costly, is a very long maturation in casks, as is the case for Scottish grains originally intended for very old, prestigious blends. But let's not be mistaken, not all 'empty spirits' are bad; some are even excellent, so the term is definitely not always pejorative.