After the Thompson Bro.s SRV5, today I review another fruit-forward blended malt, Compass Box Orchard House. A whisky geek favourite, this Clyneliesh and Linkwood heavy blend won an OSWA in 2022. That bodes well for another great quality/price ratio.
TL:DR: A deceiving blend. A fruit-laden orchard for sure. But an orchard with a smouldering fire somewhere in the distance.
Score*: 7, Very good stuff
The new kid in the lineup
I have bought my fair share of Compass box bottles in the past. Not their limited releases, which, when I started discovering the brand, were way above the limit of my willingness to pay. I was more of a regular buyer of Spice Tree first, starting when it was still matured using wooden staves (and before the SWA kerfuffle), then the Peat Monster and Great King Street Glasgow Blend, as it was then called.
At the time (2007-2009) Compass Box felt like a breath of fresh air in the traditionalist world of whisky. And then, for a while, I sort of forgot about them. In part, it was due to the focus on more and more limited releases that seldom made it to my market. And when they did, at inflated prices (vs UK ones). When I started getting back into whisky more seriously, at the end of 2022, I was intrigued to see Compass Box add a new core release which was getting a lot of love.
There had been The Story of the Spaniard a few years before (2018), but reviews have been and continue to be lukewarm at best, possibly due to the choice of bottling that at 43%. The Orchard House on the other hand got a lot of love from the get-go. Initially launched in 2021, the first batch was made entirely with whisky bought as newmake and aged in-house by Compass Box. The first batch had a significantly higher proportion than the successive lots, though the change doesn’t seem to have influenced the quality negatively.
With the news earlier this year of founder John Glaser leaving Compass Box after 23 years, it will be interesting to keep an eye on what comes next for the brand. Will the new fund which acquired a majority stake in 2022 manage to steer Compass Box to continued success? I am a bit apprehensive but still hopeful.
In the meantime, time to review the Compass Box Orchard House blended malt.
Compass Box Orchard House
Specs
Price paid: A gift, usually available for around €45 from several online stores
Lot: L 26 01 23
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Blend components: Predominantly based on Clyneliesh and Linkwood, with some additions of Benrinnes, Caol Ila and “a distillery near Aberlour”. The components are between 8 and 6 years old. The full blend makeup is available on the Compass Box website, here.
Tasting Notes
Colour: White wine, not surprising given the natural colour and the make up, which is over 90% aged in first-fill bourbon casks and relatively young.
Nose: As the name would hint, this is a fruity dram. The nose brings loads of apple and pear notes and just a hint of strawberry. Then vanilla, lemon and lime, beeswax and some floral jasmine notes. There is a hint of freshly baked buttery pastry. With some time in the glass, it gets significantly spicier with white pepper, ginger and a touch of aniseed. The peat smoke is barely noticeable, just a touch of smokiness in the background.
Taste and finish: The mouthfeel is quite rich. Compared to the nose, things take a big left turn. The peat is immediately noticeable giving a smoky, charred character to the underlying notes of malt, apple & pears and lemony citrus.
The finish is long. The lingering aftertaste brings together the notes of both nose and palate. Ash, wax, orchard fruit, vanilla, citrus, and a noticeable ashiness from the peat provide a rich and long finish.
Score*: 7, Very good stuff at a great price.
True to its name, this is a rich fruity dram. But somewhere in the distance, there is a fire going and someone better get that bucket chain gang going before it burns the farm.
It is intriguing to taste this side by side with the Tompson Bor.s SRV5 I reviewed just a few days ago. While the SRV5 builds on its aromatic profile from nose to palate to finish, the Orchard House lulls you in a sense of security and then takes a noticeable turn left with a mild but recognisable peaty palate. Depending on mood I might prefer one or the other. They are both great drams.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Would I buy it again?
I could easily copy the comments I made on the SRV5 here. At 45€ t is a great value. And once It gets lower in the bottle I am very likely to replace it. Even in my usually overpriced market, this has a competitive price, unlike Compass Box’s The Peat Monster and The Spice tree which for some reason jump to 50% higher prices. Just in case anyone from CB reads this, you might want to have a word with your Italian distributor.
Would I offer this to a new whisky drinker?
This would make a great step up for someone used to drinking something like Glenfiddich 12 and wanting to challenge their palate a bit more. On the the hand, if someone is sensitive to peat, and dislikes the smokiness, the small proportion of Caol Ila in the blend might be off-putting. Overall I would see this as a whisky for a newbie wanting to take an early step up in their drinking adventure, but as usual, know who you are drinking with and their likes and dislikes.
I always find it interesting, after writing my tasting notes, to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the Compass Box Orchard House l I enjoyed:
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