Compass Box - Great King Street - Experimental Batch - #TR-06 - Tasting Notes

Nose
Salty and smoky notes, seaweed, and a bit mineral almost. A very coastal feel.There are some orchard fruits and vanilla lying underneath this all. Dried fruits and peat, liqeurish, eucalyptus mix together. Bit of heavy flowers notes also.

Palate
Bit bitter and dry earthy feel to it at first, like taking a bite in a piece of peat. It gives a very dry and herbal feel to the palate. And slowly shows some more sweet notes like honey, dried apricots, red apples and vanilla. Some raisin and malty notes. Bit oily, salty, figs, and wood far away.

Finish
Bit dry, and not a very long finish. Little hint of chocolate and raisins.

Score
It is a dram that makes you thirsty, the earthy dryness and saltiness I find a bit too high here must say. Its not bad, but dont know if I would buy a bottle. For the moment I give it a 6,5 out of 10. Thanks for Adrian Barnett with providing me with a sample of his bottle to try this.

About this expression
To determine the newest addition to the Great King Street, Compass Box released two different blends to get feedback on it.

"Since the launch of the Artist’s Blend in 2011 we’ve been thinking about the style of the second permanent whisky in the Great King Street range. Blending provides a platform for limitless styles, so the world is our oyster. Two styles have emerged as the leading contenders - one smoky, the other lightly sherried – and so we have released a small experimental batch of each to help us decide."

Batch #00-V4 (Orange)
A one-off, limited release of 3,439 bottles

28% Lowland grain whisky / 72% malt whisky Speyside, Highlands, Islands & Islay

Maturation is mainly 1st fill sherry casks + refill bourbon cask

Batch #TR-06 (Blue)
A one-off, limited release of 3,805 bottles
33% Lowland grain whisky / 67% malt whisky Islay, Speyside & Highlands

Maturation is mainly 1st fill bourbon casks with finish in new French oak