Compass Box Enlightenment Limited Edition Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Difford's Guide

alc./vol: 46%

Proof: 92°

Vintage: Non-vintage

Aged: No age statement

Product of: Product of United Kingdom United Kingdom

A release of 5,922 bottles in May 2016, this blended malt comprises 48.2% Clynelish malt aged in first fill American oak, 36.7% Glentauchers malt aged in first fill American oak, 10.8% Balblair malt aged in first fill American oak, and 4.3% Mortlack malt aged in rejuvenated American oak barrels.

The 'Enlightenment' name is a reference to Compass Box's "Scotch Whisky Transparency Campaign" and whisky maker, John Glaser describes the release as "A whisky to ponder the world of Scotch not only as it is, but as it could be." Commenting, "Since launching the Compass Box Whisky Co., we have always believed that the more information we can share with our customers about the Scotch whisky we produce, the better. Unfortunately, it recently became clear that our beliefs fall foul of current EU and UK regulations, which specifically prohibit us from sharing information about the age of the component whiskies we use with our customers. All our Limited Editions are special but with this one there is an added purpose – to draw attention to the issues with the current regulations and encourage the industry to respond.

"By law, we're not allowed to tell customers the age of the component whiskies used to create Enlightenment. We can tell you that Enlightenment is a blend of malt whiskies from the Clynelish, Glentauchers, Balblair and Mortlach distilleries. We can tell you that you will find a bright apple and pear quality on the nose, soft spice and light citrus fruit notes on the palate with a mouth-watering finish full of an alluring apple peel waxiness. We can tell you the casks the whisky was matured in - but crucially we can't tell you how long for.'

Review and Tasting


Sampled on 11/06/2016

Appearance:

Clear, light to mid-golden amber.

Aroma:

Green apple skin and ripe pear with creamy fruitcake, pear drops, dried strawberry and mild black pepper. Water harmonises, amplifying mild pencil shavings.

Taste:

Medium-bodied and incredibly fruity with vanilla oak, ripe apple, pear drops and elegant Christmassy spice. As with the nose, water tones back fruit and amplifies spicy oak. Dilute to taste.

Aftertaste:

Stewed apple and pear drops with lingering parma violet and very mild spicy oak.

Overall:

Wonderfully fruity with pronounced stewed apple and pear drops with faint parma violet and a perfectly balanced spicy oak garnish.

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Product Information

Closure: Natural cork stopper

More about Compass Box Enlightenment

Produced by: Compass Box Whisky Company
UK consumer PR by: MPR Communications
UK trade PR by: MPR Communications
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