Batch 185

An instantaneous blast of fresh turmeric, allspice (and a touch of clove) backed up by green apple, then fresh citrus zest. There’s no doubt that this is rye. In time, you get a hint of acetone, rye flour and a herbal sweetness a little like green Chartreuse. Shows its youth when water is added, but I like that punch in a rye. Things remain spicy, with some sweet oak tones.

It’s actually much softer than you’d expect, with baked fruits and this almost smoky build-up of spice (cracked black pepper and star anise). Water makes it a little feisty, but there’s some added tart red fruit.

Crackling spices and light acidity.

Well, this is a wee belter which should shake things up (and indeed should be shaken up).

Sugar & Spice at work.

Very fresh and lightly grassy with light-green grape and cucumber, then lemon sherbet and floral honey. In time there’s some glimpses of almond oil and while it is clearly still young (and hot) there’s a lovely soft distillate at its core. With water added you can pick out more sugared almond, then lilac blossom and vanilla.

There’s sweetness and some light fruit syrups, but also considerable heat – though what did you expect from a whisky at 66.7% abv? The palate seems thickly textured with soft fruits and though things are fairly taut at the moment there is clear potential. Nurse! The water! When it’s added and the mouth has cooled down you can pick out a tiny hint of cereal, a buttery creamy feel, some grapefruit freshness, Starburst-style juiciness and candy floss. It stands up to pretty heavy dilution without losing character.

Hot. Fruit sugars.

Though young and still coming together there’s a mid-palate weight which says that this is a distillery that’s set up for the long term. A hugely welcome and high-quality addition to the whisky world.

Welcome Hatchlings.

There’s been a remarkable pick-up in colour already, while the aromas mix musky blue and dried fruit, toasted tea cake, the pepperiness of high alcohol, but also some oxidised wine notes, and walnut. This rich undertow calms down the heat, adding balance. With water you get some petrichor, cedar and the start of some funk. Remarkable.

Rounded, with an oozing oiliness. As with the nose, the spirit kicks in about halfway, but there’s sufficient black and dried fruit to soften and balance, adding greater weight when compared to the Bourbon barrel. It already has the woolly, wet tweed notes of mature Sherry casks. Water shows a little more edginess, but there’s still this mid-palate softness on show.

Slightly fizzy, long and quite powerful.

When I visited Cardrona in the far south of New Zealand last year it was the Sherry and wine casks which showed the greatest promise. This is a really well-made whisky and better than some Sherried drams four times its age.

Popping out of its Little Black Egg.

Highly aromatic and gentle, with pear drops, banana peel, ripe melon and an orchard’s worth of apple-like aromas: green, cloudy juice, cider vinegar. Fresh, but there’s some Demerara sugar dissolving itself into the overall mix, giving an indication of depth.

As the nose indicates, there’s plenty of fresh fruits at work here alongside whipped butter, cinnamon toast, then blackberry and strawberry before the ultra-fresh fruits return. There’s also a mature quality which adds a further dimension (especially length). Water makes it into a soothing long drink to be taken on a hot day. Just lovely.

Melon and some vanilla pod.

Adding 1% of one-year-old grain spirit (from Girvan) rendered this illegal as a whisky but did add this remarkable freshness. Madness? Defiance? Or is – as ever with Compass Box – just showing what blending is about?

Sitting in the morning at Tom’s Diner.

Fresh, and slightly bready with some green apricot and a herbal (dill, rosemary), almost grassy edge. More cereal-accented than you expect from Glenmo’ although there is still a perfumed backdrop (osmanthus, dried lemon peel) on top of dry earth. Steadily builds towards butterscotch and barley sugar. It needs time (and some water) to grow and show those fruits, proving bread, oatcake and macadamia.

There’s the classic Glenmo’ silkiness, but there’s more spice and pizzazz, alongside red berry fruits, nutmeg and white pepper, this time given sweetness by agave syrup. Those atypical (and yeast-driven) bready notes are retained. Carries its strength well – a good indication of complexity and balance. Water brings out more orchard fruit, ginger juice and fresh barley.

Toasted almond, spice, some Fox’s glacier mint and finally a return to the dry earth.

Their own yeast, their own barley. This is not just a great whisky it is also a really important one.

Driving north in late summer the Poppies are In The Field.

Light, sweet, with an explosion of estery fruits: banana (foam bananas), pear and Dolly Mixtures. A smooth caramel pudding/flan aroma then starts to slide, though alongside traces of raspberry. In the background there’s a tiny hint of green malt and added intensity. In time, you get banana sandwiches on brown bread, and millionaire’s shortbread. When water’s added a yeasty element comes through alongside plum skin and hay field. 

A sweet start with light custard and more of the crunchy malt which, when combined with the raspberry note, gives an effect akin to cranachan. By the mid-palate you’re getting cut flowers and Haribo (the heart-shaped ones) and some heat, pretty much the only indication that there’s still some youthfulness to work its way out. That crema Catalana returns with water, along with slightly unripe blackberry.

The peppery heat continues (even with dilution) before fruits return alongside some white chocolate.

Maturation in 90% first-fill ex-Bourbon has given this a sweet sheen. Clearly a lovely distillate which shows huge potential. Please check it out.

As smooth as Caramel.