Compass Box No Name 1st Ed.
Whisky : Compass Box No Name (1st Edition)
Country/Region : Scotland/Blend (Ardbeg 75%, Caol Ila 11%, Clynelish 13%, Other 1%)
ABV : 48.9%
Cask : Rechar/Refill ex-Bourbon Casks/Hogshead
Age : 13-16 Year (99% of blend, 1% younger)
Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ Home
Nose : Saltine crackers and motor oil, or is it seaweed and tar? It smells of salt and machinery with a bit of ginger spice and honey sweetness. Lurking in the background is a hint of English Breakfast tea.
Palate : Salty sea shore, wet sand, faint smoke, and a heavy dose of medicinal iodine dominate the palate. Holly, florals, and holiday ginger give depth to the peat rich flavors. Herbal dried autumn leaves and chimney smoke give a real seasonal impression.
Finish : Lingering salt water taffy and tingling spices.
Score : 6
Mental Image : A chilly Autumn evening; the air scented with the chimney smoke rising across the neighborhood and the piles of dried orange, red, and brown leaves raked earlier in the day.
Something Better : Rock Oyster 18 Year (more salt, more refined, less bite, better balance)
Something Similar : Highland Park 18 Year (similar rich salt and smoke maritime notes, less finish)
Something Worse : Ardbeg 10 Year (less body, similar maritime, more citrus)
Notes : “The idea for this limited edition was sparked by the discovery of a parcel of casks of mature, heavy-peated single malt whisky from a well-known distillery located along Pier Road, in the Southeast of the island of Islay.” — Compass Box.
My wife identifies with the Peat Monster as her spirit animal. Despite the name and the brilliant illustration, the Peat Monster is not so monstrous, so when I came across No Name— reputedly even peatier than the monster— I knew we had to try it. A quick google search to figure out which distillery sits along Pier Road strongly suggested that the backbone to this blend was Ardbeg. With all this knowledge in hand I presented my findings to my Ardbeghead wife and knew her interest would also be piqued.
No Name is a salty maritime dram laced with tar and coal soot. It is definitely peatier than the Peat Monster, though it is still restrained— far from being a peat bomb— the teenage peat and additional creamy highland malt round off some of the phenolic bite. It is a dram that pairs well with fish and creamy stinky cheese. It is a solid blend and another successful ‘the sum is better than the parts’ conglomeration of malts by Compass Box.
The Second Edition of this whisky is just now rolling out; the Ardbeg is gone, and now the star of the show is a mature Caol Ila backed by a dash of Talisker and Clynelish. If I get my hands on a dram of that, I will definitely revisit the First Edition bottle again for a comparison.
