Review #28-29: Compass Box Spice Tree and Great Kings Street Marrying Cask #1 Ex Highland Binny's

Compass Box Spice Tree

Spice Tree is one of the flagships for Compass Box. They have a long story about how they had to work with a French cooperage and Speyside cooperage to get around cumbersome Scottish laws and get the flavor profile they wanted. I have had one of the special releases, which was good, but over priced. I have not had the baseline Spice Tree expression. This is 60% Clynelish, 20% Dailuaine, and 20% Teaninich, blended in different casks and finished in four casks, then combined.

Highland - NAS- NCF - NCA - Sample ($60 at the local) - 43%

Color - Chestnut

Nose - Pine Sol. Went back in, yep household cleaner there, wax, peaches.

Taste - Candied figs, resinous wood, baking spices, but not big enough to be called Spice Tree

Finish - Medium Short - Sherried fruits, vanilla, sweetness

Overall - 5 - Peat Monster is far from a monstrous peat dram and Spice Tree is far from a spicy dram. However, if Spice Tree is a clever name for Pine Sol, it is well named. This is an interesting dram but the nose is just not my style. I will say that each drink is more pleasant than the prior sip. It is an interesting dram and I could see someone else really enjoying this, having said that, I probably pass next time around.

---

Compass Box Great King Street Marrying Cask #1 Finished 1 year in ex Highland Malt Butt Binny's Handpicked

The way understand it, this is the Kings Street Artist's Blend that is then taken, and aged in a sherry butt that held a Highland Single malt (Benrinnes) for a year. I looked up Benrinnes and it looks like they primarily produce whisky for blend industry with Johnny Walker and J&B being their biggest customers. They also up the ABV up from the Artist's Blend from 43% to 46%

Non-Regional - NAS- NCF - NCA - $50 - 46%

Color - Yellow Gold

Nose - Wood and cereal up front. New wood, spice, porridge, lemon, faint sherry fruit.

Taste - Nice mouth feel, Cigar boxes, raw wood, subtle sherried figs, lots of new wood.

Finish - Medium - Dry wood, woody figs

Overall - 6 - I kept going back and forth on this dram. The body and structure is beyond the price. The wood in this is big and it bashes you over the head with it. The sherry fruits really are there only in the background but they add a little bit of complexity. I think it hands of the right palate, this would really be loved, but for me it fell a little flat after the nose. A little more sweetness from the sherry would have gone a long way to balance this for me.

---

Rating system is price influenced as it is based on my shopping decisions when buying a bottle.

10 Best in Show

9 Great Dram for Special Occasions

8 Worthy of consistent spot in my collection

7 Worth picking up a bottle if in the mood

6 I would buy a bottle if it went on sale

5 I would drink it happily if offered

4 I would drink it if offered on the rocks

3 Maybe some soda will make this potable

2 I'll Pass

1 Toilet cleaner

Inclusive Ratings

Overall 6.1

Blends 6.1 (8)

Single Malts 6.1 (21)