Compass Box The Peat Monster

Compass Box The Peat Monster has always been one of my favourite peated whiskies. It is blended malt whisky that comes from Compass Box’s signature range. It combines some very smoky and peaty whiskies from Islay with some rich, medium-peated whisky from Speyside. The Islay malt whiskies for the original Peat Monster were all from the village of Port Askaig on the eastern shore of Islay (I believe the Caol Ila distillery sits just outside Askaig) but, as of late 2007, some malt from the south shore of Islay was included. The current blend, according to the Compass Box website is “made from a marriage of an Islay South shore malt, a peated malt, a peated malt from the Isle of Mull and a smoky Speyside malt.” The whisky is aged in refill American oak casks, bottled at 46%, has no colouring added and is not chill-filtered.

The Peat Monster is a must try for Peat-heads and lovers of complex, multilayered whiskies. It has a certain balance of richness and subtle sweetness, which pretty much describes the Compass Box house style. I remember when I first started selling Compass Box Whiskies they were described to me as being like a new world wine compared with an old world wine. These premium blends are a great opportunity for Whiskymaker John Glaser to really show off and really demonstrate the true art of blending. Great label too!

What is Blended Malt Whisky?

For your information, blended malt whisky was previously known in the UK as either vatted malt or pure malt whisky per the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009.

A blended malt whisky is a whisky that is made by blending multiple single malt whiskies from different distilleries, rather than being made from a single distillery’s malt whisky. This allows the blender to create a more complex and balanced flavour profile by combining different malt whiskies with unique characteristics. Blended malt whiskies are often more affordable than single malt whiskies whilst still offering high-quality flavour.

Other posts about Compass Box Whisky:

Compass Box Peat Monster 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Bottling

Compass Box Great King Street Limited Edition Test Bottlings