Flaming Heart 6th Edition CB (Compass Box)

Flaming Heart 6th Edition CB (Compass Box) is a blended malt Scotch from Compass Box. It brings together malts from more than one distillery, Caol Ila lending the peat. Port Askaig is a tiny settlement on the rugged east coast of Islay.

The Caol Ila within lends a clean, lemony Islay smoke rather than a heavy tarry one. An American oak cask shaped it, soft and sweet beneath the peat. The make balances phenolic smoke against a bright, oily citrus. Its peated character is built on malt smoked to a medium level of phenols. Smoked citrus and a saline minerality are the hallmarks of the make. Its spirit also feeds blends such as Bell's and Black Bottle. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits so many wood types. The cool Islay air gives a slow, steady maturation by the shore. The medium peating leaves a smoke that is firm but never heavy.

At a full 48.9% it is bold and oily. A coastal peat smoke runs through it, with lemon, brine and a soft oil over a sweet fruit. The texture is oily, the smoke threaded with citrus. Lemon, soft ash and sea salt see it out. A characterful smoky blended malt Scotch.