Review #230 - Compass Box No Name No. 3
This special release from Compass Box, bottled in 2021, is the third in the series of 'No Name' blended malts. These blends have all focused on peated malt, with Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Talisker, and Laphroaig headlining some of the blends. In fact, on the back of this bottle of this third edition, they give us a detailed breakdown of the components:
74.7% is Laphroaig aged in recharred hogsheads
11.3% is Bowmore aged in refill ex-bourbon barrels
7.5% is Mortlach aged in recharred barrels
6.0% is Clynelish aged in refill ex-sherry butts
0.5% is Compass Box's famous 'Highland Blend' aged in highly toasted French oak casks
Those are some excellent distilleries in the mix - some good expectations, then, before we even taste it. Quite a range of casks, as well, which points to a more complex flavor profile. There's no age statement given, either as a whole, or for the individual components, as the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) won't allow that breakdown to be publicly stated.
As per usual with Compass Box, we get quality presentation: 48.9% is the strength, and there's no added coloring or chill filtration to worry about.
Compass Box No Name No. 3
Scotland - Blend
Price Paid: USD 140 (2023)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 197 (2024)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 48.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Refill ex-bourbon, refill ex-sherry, recharred hogsheads, recharred barrels, and highly-toasted French oak casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; bottled in July of 2021; 10,794 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 3 months; bottles at 60%, 50% (blind tasting), 40%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Medium bordering on strong peat smoke, and the flavors go a few directions. There's a woody character, along with heather or flowers, almost a perfume note; hints of vegetal and savory layers are found underneath. Light citrus of lime and lemon curd, and a soft spirit note; becomes more creamy and sweet with time.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick, with a creamy texture, some nice weight to the spirit. Peat smoke is medium to strong, and it comes with lots of light fruit and baking flavors: barley sugar, vanilla, meaty orange, lemons, yellow cake, thick custard. Hints of wood smoke here and there, white pepper adds soft spice, and there's a bit of ash and tangy lime later.
Finish: Lingering smoke - medium-long for the finish, with oily texture, hints of wood char, and weighty spirit adding to the effect. There's a bit of sweetness still from vanilla, refined sugar, and lemon curd, as well as savory charred orange rind and an aftertaste of hot peppers.
Final Note: Really nice peated blended malt. The flavors aren't especially strange or diverse, but there's enough complexity to keep it interesting all the time. The quality that really made this stand out to us was the texture, the mouthfeel - thicker than the ABV would make us think, and the weight of the spirit as it lingers into the finish really stood out. Great velvety texture, and along with the creamy mouthfeel, some creamy flavors as well - quite good.
Special edition whiskies - they often aren't good value, even if it's a good flavor experience. This is tasty, but it comes with a price, and because of the limited nature of the product, that value ratio is only going to get worse as the price rises. It's already gotten $50+ more expensive for a bottle in our area in the last year, so if you're looking to buy, we recommend doing it sooner rather than later.
Our Average Rating: 7.9 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.64
Check out our other Compass Box reviews:
Review #181 - Compass Box Orchard House
