The world of Whisky is one of many a myth and legend. One for example is that blends are not as good as single malt whiskies.

To each his own, but a ”Blended” Whisky has no form of lesser quality. Johnnie Walker, Monkey Shoulder or Nomad, to name just a few, can be absolute  “bang for your buck” Whiskies.

And the Art of Blending is one of almost fabled Mysticism, one that the experienced folks at Compass Box know intimately.

So let us bust a few myths…

At a Glance:

Names such as Highland Park, Caol Ila and Glen Elgin ring a large bell in every Whisky connoisseur’s ear and are known for high quality whiskies.  Can Compass Box do it right by putting these together?

I do think so. A promising mix of well known and state of the art whiskies give this blend a nice spring breeze, filled with pollen thick aromas of Malt, Honey and Pear in the glass.

Compass Box combined different parcels of whisky for this blend. Due to very different tastes and distinct characteristics in the liquids that were used, we can expect a nice and complex result.

Quick facts:

Style:                   Blended Whisky

Distiller:             Unnamed Orkney (possibly HP), Caol Ila and Glen Elgin

Region:               Scotland

Bottler:               Compass Box

Distilled:             n/a

Bottled:               July 2019

Stated Age:         none

Bottle Size:         70cl

Cask:                   Unnamed Orkney: Re-charred American Oak Hogsheads, Caol Ila: Refill Sherry Butt.

Three different types of Glen Elgin casks: Re-charred American Oak Barrels, Refill Bourbon Hogsheads and Re-charred American Oak Hogsheads.

Peat & Smoke:   When a ever so slight with of it

Limitation:         Limited edition Please note that Myths & Legends III has been labelled with the incorrect bottling quantity. The number displayed on the neck label is 4,446 but should be 4,564.

Alc.:                     46 % Vol

Coloured:           No

Chill-Filtered:   Yes, Light 5 Micron Filtration

Price:                  Around 150,- EUR

Deep Dive:

We are looking at a bottle Stefan and I secured as part of a whole set containing Myths and Legends one, two and three. Compass Box’s releases are stunning when it comes to design, and they nail that one on the head time and time again.

Now interesting in this Blend is the composure, with the Unnamed Orkney and Caol Ila one would expect a more upfront hint of smoke. But as the blend only contains 9.5% Highland Park (maybe) and 6.5% Caol Ila the smoke is very very delicate. The remaining percentage is divided between the three Glen Elgins as follows: 67.8% Re charred American Oak Barrels 8.2% Refill Bourbon Hogsheads and 8.0% Re charred American Oak Hogsheads.

In The Eye:

A nice golden sheen of sunlight softly trickling through the window.

In The Nose:

A nice whiff of a warmer Spring day comes out when you open the bottle. Put it in the glass and swirl, you get a little cloud laden with rich aromas of Pear, honey, Butterscotch after some time it reveals some floral notes. Very delicate, very, let’s say, pleasant, a whisky you could sniff all evening.

On The Palate:

A promise of ”deep and enchantingly aromatic smoke profile” is given from the marketing department. Take a sip, and a lovely taste, warm and golden, rolls over the tongue assuring you: “Its ok, tonight all you need to do is  relax”. A coating of herbs, honey, hay and a hint of Citrus play on the tongue. Seems like a good old Western Barn Dance promising of a pleasant night to come. The promise then fades pretty quick, to be honest I find it a bit underwhelming (or maybe I’m just having a bad day, who knows…).

On The Way Down:

A medium but full bodied, very promising taste goes down, and it is nice indeed. Only I wish it could stay longer, but sadly it has to be home in time after the party. So it goes away very quickly, way before the best part of the evening is reached.

A whisky with a lovely story mixed in your glass like many myths and legends, but with complete transparency in what they did with it.

Does that take away the mystery? No I think not. I love being able to see what exactly is in it because that is a very rare occasion indeed to have it ready in this depth and detail. A Blend like this made with so much love in detail and making, is it worth 150 euros?

It could have been interesting how one can lose himself in the maze of casks intertwining, going left and right until one is completely lost at the heart of the Labyrinth… Though with the fabled Minotaur on the Bottle I would have wished for a bit more punch, maybe there should have been a bit more alcohol.

All in all a very nice dram with a interesting back story, lots and lots going on here with the different casks and combination of Whiskies. A good Blend, though pricy. But absolutely a Story to discuss with fellow Whisky Lovers!

Humbly yours Jason