1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Featured on Day 12 of KWM Whisky Advent 2019, this is a 50ml of the legendary Compass Box Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. The original version of this whisky was so clever and innovative that the SWA (Read: Scotch Whisky Association [Read: Lords of Mediocrity]) banned it. So John Glaser of Compass Box came back to the table with a whisky that seems to dance through the hoops the SWA has placed before him. Whisky from 1st and 2nd fill bourbon casks have a secondary maturation in custom casks with heavily toasted new French oak heads. 46% NCF.
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: Fruit and woody spice notes. Like you are dipping assorted fruits (pineapple and honeydew cubes, apple slices, grapes, and more) into a chocolate fountain. Mocha and Chocolate mousse, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and espresso beans.
Palate: Oily and creamy fruit, but the wood spices shows up quite a bit as well. Peaches & cream, fruit & nut bars, french press coffee, candied ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, fruit cup syrup and grapefruit slices.
Finish: The fruit and spice mingle and linger before a dry nuttiness takes over at the end. Think toasted almonds with a light dusting of cinnamon powder.
Comment: Quite rich and round – the spice is there but it is so well integrated with the sweet fruit notes that it is never an attack. A very well put-together dram in the core range of Compass Box.
From the Producer
"A long time ago, we created a rich, bold Scotch whisky called The Spice Tree. Unfortunately, due to its avant garde method of oak-aging, we were compelled by the powers that be to discontinue production. Undeterred, we worked with our cooper friends in both France and Scotland to develop a new, hybrid oak cask that would allow us to achieve similar results, but in a way that would be acceptable to even the most conservative of observers. Et voila, THE SPICE TREE was resurrected – matured using a custom-made cask with French oak for the heads and American oak for the bodies. THE SPICE TREE is a rich, intense malt whisky redolent of baking spices and layered with toasty oak accents that complement the underlying distillery character."
50 ml