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, silenced in 2010, is among the grain distilleries behind bottlings of this kind.

Grain is distilled continuously in column stills rather than batch pot stills, giving a light, clean spirit that matures quickly and sweetly. Matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel, wood that rounds the spirit gently. High strength off the still means the cask, not the spirit, leads the flavour. Marrying several grain whiskies lets the maker build a rounder, more layered profile than one cask could give.

At 43% it is soft and sweet. Creme brulee from the caramelised hemicellulose, lifted by the wood gives vanilla and a creamy coconut from the oak, set over the soft tropical fruit of well aged grain. A faint waxy note gives it weight on the tongue. A long, dessert sweet finish lingers. A polished, sweet style of Scotch that wears its grain character with pride. Every release thins a stock that can never be added to.