Hedonism Blended Grain Scotch Whisky CB (Compass Box) (Cask Batch MMXIV-A)

Hedonism was the first whisky John Glaser released under Compass Box in 2000, and it reframed grain whisky as something to be savoured rather than hidden in blends. It is a vatting of well aged single grain Scotch, drawn from distilleries such as Cameronbridge, Scotland's largest and oldest grain plant. This is batch MMXIV A, one of the regular small batches the house releases as its grain stocks turn over.

The component grains were distilled in continuous column stills and aged in American oak, mostly first fill, for many years. Long maturation turns the light grain spirit deep and creamy, the oak lending vanilla, coconut and a soft toffee. The batches are married and bottled without chill filtration or added colour. Compass Box is known for naming its components openly and for treating grain whisky with the same care as malt.

At 43% it is soft and sweet, vanilla, coconut and crème brûlée over a creamy, oily body, with vanilla fudge and a lemon meringue lift into a gentle, sweet finish. The whisky that made grain Scotch fashionable, and still the benchmark for the style. Cameronbridge, founded by John Haig in 1824, is the kind of grain plant whose light, sweet spirit gives Hedonism its creamy heart.