The Peat Monster is a masterful blend by whisky maker John Glaser of Compass Box Whisky Co, which is a blend of heavily peated Islay malts and peated Highland malts. As part of their transparency policy, those who are curious can see all the malts that go into this blend and the exact proportion of each component.
Priced at $84 SGD at travel retail stores, it is truly one of the simpler pleasures of life!
Compass Box The Peat Monster – 46% Non chill filtered.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Slight tinge of burnt tires (rubber), and a great balance of briney peat smoke. Nose is rich but fresh, if that makes any sense. There is a nice saltiness to it that is unmistakable. Although they did not disclose in the label, I am certain there is some Caol Ila in this whisky. Delightful nose! 86/100
Palate: Sweet wet peat, slightly bitter smoke and just a tiny hint of oak, which transforms into a nice tart strawberry note. The youth of this whisky is very apparent in the palate, which I highly enjoy. There is also a really nice mouthfeel, not too viscous, but still rich. 82/100
Finish: A nice lingering peat and drying sweetness. A lovely hint of ash and more tartness to end, similar to key lime pie, and salty cheesecake. 82/100
Afterthoughts: The sweetness of whisky is so surprisingly perfect! Just the right amount of floral sweetness to balance out the bitter smoke and give it a lovely complexity. It could pass off as a superbly balanced Islay single malt or a master of a peated Highland single malt. One thing though, as attractive the packaging design and naming scheme is, it does not really represent the whisky, as this is hardly a monster, but a really elegant, extremely balanced whisky. Buyers expecting a monster will be thoroughly disappointed. I would call it the Peat Unicorn.
I score it: 83/100
Thanks for reading! Kanpai!
Opinions and pictures are my own.
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