Compass Box Hedonism

Compass Box Hedonism is a blended grain Scotch from Compass Box, marrying grain whiskies from more than one distillery. Blended grain is a rare category, built to show the soft, sweet, creamy side of grain rather than the punch of malt. Port Dundas grain, light and sweet, was a natural fit for blends like this.

Grain is distilled continuously in column stills rather than batch pot stills, giving a light, clean spirit that matures quickly and sweetly. Ex-Bourbon American oak held the spirit, gentle wood that flatters light grain. Continuous distillation strips the heavier notes, leaving a clean canvas for the wood. Marrying several grain whiskies lets the maker build a rounder, more layered profile than one cask could give.

At 43% it is creamy and gentle. Lignin gives vanilla, oak lactones lend a soft coconut, and a creme brulee and butterscotch note, across a soft, fruity grain backbone. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, classic old grain. A creamy, lingering finish rounds it off. A polished, sweet style of Scotch that wears its grain character with pride. Few grain distilleries are bottled as single grain, rarer still when closed.