Compass Box Hedonism The Muse

Compass Box Hedonism The Muse 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. Grain from Glasgow giants like Port Dundas gave blends their smooth, creamy base.

Grain is distilled continuously in column stills rather than batch pot stills, giving a light, clean spirit that matures quickly and sweetly. Ex-Bourbon oak held the spirit, the cask adding sweetness rather than weight. The light make leaves room for the oak sugars and vanillin to come forward. Marrying several grain whiskies lets the maker build a rounder, more layered profile than one cask could give.

Undiluted at 53.3%, it is intense. Butterscotch and toffee from the toasted oak, lifted by a sweet vanilla from the wood and the lactones bring coconut and cream, over a clean, fruity grain base. The texture is oily and mouth coating, a hallmark of mature grain. The finish is long and softly drying. A polished, sweet style of Scotch that wears its grain character with pride.