Compass Box Metropolis, The Extinct Blends Quartet
Blend of Bowmore (refill bourbon cask), Aberlour (bourbon), Miltonduff (1st fill bourbon), some unnamed blended scotch parcels (bourbon and sherry casks), and an unnamed grain parcel (refill bourbon).
49% abv
Supposedly a throwback to blends of yesteryear, with Compass Box hinting at some old blended stock making its way into this blend. I’m not sure I believe that, but we’ll judge it on its own quality while setting the pessimism aside.
Nose: Lots of apple. Motor oil. Vanilla. Reminds me of one of my Dornochs.
Palate: Herbal. Peat. Honey and toffee notes. Vanilla weaves in and out with citrus. Custard and biscuit. That grungy motor oil is in there. I think I’m getting a touch of sugary vanilla frosting.
Finish: Faint all around. Malt and honey linger, but all the notes above fall off pretty quick. I don’t even get wafts of smoke. Pepper.
Score: 3.5/5
Mental Image: Vintage car repair snack.
This is really good stuff. The finish isn’t quite there, and it’s maybe a bit too simplistic of a sipper for me to score higher. But it’s really a fine dram for a fine evening, while I sit here listening to Enji’s new record Sonor. I could hope for a little more, but it’s lovely. And for the price, one could certainly do a lot better.