Maintaining a variety, both in what I have open at home and in what I write-up here, is a fun part of exploring whiskey. Today's is a Scotch blended whiskey, like Monkey Shoulder, which is the only other one I've done. There will be some comparison.
Great King Street is a relatively new brand from Compass Box, who makes a number of blended Scotch whiskies of high repute. Founded in only 2000 by an American and former Johnnie Walker employee, you'll see Compass Box products in most liquor stores. They typically feature cool box artwork and compete with single malts considering both quality and price. The core range of Compass Box products are: 'Hedonism,' 'The Spice Tree,' 'The Peat Monster,' ' Oak Cross.' and 'The Story of The Spaniard.' If you take a closer look at those four core range whiskies (excepting Hedonism), they reflect the dominant styles of Scotch, showcasing peat, sherry, and French and American oak. There are also a bunch of variations and other limited editions. Compass Box is somewhat of a wild-card in the Scotch whisky industry and that's what makes them fun and interesting.
While the core offerings from Compass Box are all priced and packaged like premium whiskies ($60 and up), the Great King Street bottles are more entry level. If you're curious, the name simply comes from the street of the Compass Box office (not its HQ) in Edinburgh. I think creating this brand was a great idea, for it's not uncommon (describing myself here, though I can't be alone) for whisky fans to be hesitant toward expensive blends outside Johnnie Walker. By selling something in a lower price tier, they'll have more people trying their products and, if they're good, moving up to something fancier. Maybe this all isn't fair, the tendency to doubt or even disparage blends, but it's the reality of things after decades of successful single malt marketing. Companies like Compass Box are trying to change that perception, and to their credit are making headway.
The advantage of blends, and one of the reasons they dominated the market before more recent times, is that combining whiskies with different profiles and flavors can create depth in a way single malts can't usually achieve. Much like here in America where distillers brag about making pre-Prohibition style whiskies, in Scotland blenders like Compass Box want to do things the old-fashioned way because that's when and how Scotch became desirable worldwide in the first place. This whisky celebrates those artists of the past.
Artist's Blend was the first Great King Street expression available. It's a combination of single malt and single grain whiskies from the Lowlands, Highlands and Speyside. It's not unusual for blenders to keep their spirit sourcing a secret but Compass Box appears to be largely transparent, something I didn't know before starting this post. They say exactly where they get most of the whisky for the blend (Clynelish/Linkwood/Cameronbridge distilleries), percentages, barrel types used, and flavors imparted. It's really cool and making me like them more. In all it's intended to be a good representation of blended Scotch and also be higher quality than you'd otherwise encounter or expect. Let's see how they did.
Stats: click on Recipe and Fact Sheet download
ABV - 43% (86 proof)
Mash - ~55% malt whiskies, 45% single grain (unspecified)
Maturation - Bourbon oak, Sherry oak, French oak
Age - No age statement, so at least 3 years
Region - Lowland, Highland, Speyside
Price - <$40
Tasting Notes:
Smell - Apples and vanilla ('Caramel Apple Pops' according to D)
Color - Light amber/gold
Taste - Loads of apple, spices, some malt (plus something else... grass?)
Finish - Soft creamy feel, moderate and pleasant length
Final Thoughts:
They did well. For what it is and what it's supposed to be, Artist's Blend is really good. It doesn't come across as cheap and the apples smacking you in the face are quite enjoyable. The total package is more than good enough to drink neat. Would I choose this over my favorite (and more expensive) single malts? No. But going forward I'll prefer it to Monkey Shoulder and other inexpensive blends at its current typical price. Recommendations are a little harder. While Monkey Shoulder may be a better introduction to Scotch in general and malt in particular, this is simply a better whisky. Take that however you want.
As I think was Compass Box's intent, Artist's Blend does make me curious about their other expressions. Its brand twin, called Glasgow Blend, is everything this one is not, both sherried and smoky. That's the one to check out next.
Cheers and happy New Year!
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