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. It was matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel, wood that rounds the spirit gently. Grain enters the cask light and clean, so the wood's character shows clearly against it. Marrying several grain whiskies lets the maker build a rounder, more layered profile than one cask could give.

At 43% it drinks soft and sweet. The oak lactones a creamy coconut, vanilla comes from the oak lignin, and a fudge sweetness from caramelised hemicellulose, with the soft grain spirit carrying it. It is round and creamy on the palate, sweet without cloying. The finish is creamy and slow to fade. A polished, sweet style of Scotch that wears its grain character with pride.