Whisky Review: Canada Day, Compass Box Spice Tree & Hazelnut Meringue
In the aftermath of Canada Day (145 years old...here's hoping we still recognize our country by the time we turn 150!), I thought it might be time for some reflection. I'm not an overly patriotic person, meaning I don't wear my flag on my sleeve like many of our neighbours to the south, but I do love my country (which is not to say that open patriotism is a bad thing - I have a Canada flag sewn onto my hiking pack): I just don't do well with crowds, which is why we tend to flee our fair nation's capital on Canada Day (it gets crazy here, and if you've gone downtown once for Canada Day, you don't really need to do it again) and head to Meg's parent's place, where we can spend three days relaxing with family, taking Rowan out to an amusement park, and over-indulging in good food and wine. So, we headed out Friday night, cats in tow (or at least one of them, the other had to spend the weekend at the vet as he wasn't feeling well enough to travel), and arrived five hours later...it is a long drive, especially at night, but I'd rather be able to spend three days out of town.
At the last moment I decided to take the remains of my bottle of Compass Box Spice Tree non chill-filtered, no artifical colouring, 70cl, 46% ABV, $67.25 @ the LCBO, although there is a very limited supply remaining) which I'd opened for our recent Scotch Tasting event. There was only about one fifth of the bottle left, so I thought I'd share it with Meg's father and the guests they were planning to have over for dinner on Saturday night. Meg's father (my father-in-law, obviously) is very much a wine and beer connoisseur (he likes expensive red wines and imported/microbrewery beers), and while he clearly understands my interest in / passion for whisky (I mean, he did give me my bottle of Penderyn for Christmas), he just isn't a whisky person. Yes, he sampled the Penderyn with me (he's Welsh - 1st generation Canadian - and it is a Welsh whisky, so he had to try it), along with a couple of my other whiskies, but he says whisky just doesn't "do anything for him", so I was very interested to see what he thought of the Spice Tree given the very different flavour profile.
The dinner menu on Saturday night (the 30th) was skewered grilled baby potatoes, maple-buttermilk chicken, grilled marinated vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, etc.), and a hazelnut meringue with fresh blueberries and French vanilla ice cream for dessert. Given that I'd paired the Spice Tree with a ginger-pear upside-down cake at the Scotch Tasting, I thought that we'd save it for dessert, as it would likely go well with the meringue. And did it ever! Both the ice cream and the meringue created very different flavour combinations, and it was quite something to feel the spice of the whisky slowly overcome the ice cream on the palate.
As Blended Malt (formerly known as a 'Vatted Malt'), the Spice Tree is created by blending together single malts (all between 10 to 12 years old) from other distilleries - primarily Clynelish, Dailuaine, Longmorn, and Teaninich - and then maturing the blend for another two years in first-fill bourbon hogsheads that have had the barrel heads replaced by barrel heads made of new French Oak. This interaction with the new wood is what gives the Spice Tree its very distinct, spicy flavour profile. In many ways, the Spice Tree is a more mature (although still younger, age wise), sweeter, and spicier version of the Glenlivet 15 year-old French Oak Reserve (that extra 6% ABV also adds just a bit more kick to the Spice Tree).
The Spice Tree has a deep, gold-brown colour (almost the same as Demerera brown sugar), and a nose that is exceptionally rich with spices. The official tasting notes refer to cloves, nutmeg, and sweet stewed fruits, but I also detected some cinnamon, as well as cardamom and freshly ground coriander seed. It has a very soft and sweet, yet spicy palate; you can taste the brown sugary malt and the traces of spice - nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon - almost like you are drinking a warm spiced apple pie. The finish is very long and extremely satisfying, carrying the sweet spiciness all the way down your throat. All things considered, the Spice Tree is a fantastic blended malt, and well worth picking up (if you can find a bottle...hopefully the LCBO will have more in stock soon).
For other thoughts on the Spice Tree, please see:The remains of my bottle got finished off over dessert. I had a dram, some of the other guests each had a dram, and Meg's father tried a tiny bit. While the others went back for a second helping, Meg's father remained decidedly in the "it isn't that special" camp (which is amusing since he really likes Innis & Gunn beer, which is aged in oak casks, and those casks have sometimes been used to mature Scotch whisky...). I guess I can say the same about wine...but it looks like I'm not going to convert him.
At the last moment I decided to take the remains of my bottle of Compass Box Spice Tree non chill-filtered, no artifical colouring, 70cl, 46% ABV, $67.25 @ the LCBO, although there is a very limited supply remaining) which I'd opened for our recent Scotch Tasting event. There was only about one fifth of the bottle left, so I thought I'd share it with Meg's father and the guests they were planning to have over for dinner on Saturday night. Meg's father (my father-in-law, obviously) is very much a wine and beer connoisseur (he likes expensive red wines and imported/microbrewery beers), and while he clearly understands my interest in / passion for whisky (I mean, he did give me my bottle of Penderyn for Christmas), he just isn't a whisky person. Yes, he sampled the Penderyn with me (he's Welsh - 1st generation Canadian - and it is a Welsh whisky, so he had to try it), along with a couple of my other whiskies, but he says whisky just doesn't "do anything for him", so I was very interested to see what he thought of the Spice Tree given the very different flavour profile.
The dinner menu on Saturday night (the 30th) was skewered grilled baby potatoes, maple-buttermilk chicken, grilled marinated vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, etc.), and a hazelnut meringue with fresh blueberries and French vanilla ice cream for dessert. Given that I'd paired the Spice Tree with a ginger-pear upside-down cake at the Scotch Tasting, I thought that we'd save it for dessert, as it would likely go well with the meringue. And did it ever! Both the ice cream and the meringue created very different flavour combinations, and it was quite something to feel the spice of the whisky slowly overcome the ice cream on the palate.
As Blended Malt (formerly known as a 'Vatted Malt'), the Spice Tree is created by blending together single malts (all between 10 to 12 years old) from other distilleries - primarily Clynelish, Dailuaine, Longmorn, and Teaninich - and then maturing the blend for another two years in first-fill bourbon hogsheads that have had the barrel heads replaced by barrel heads made of new French Oak. This interaction with the new wood is what gives the Spice Tree its very distinct, spicy flavour profile. In many ways, the Spice Tree is a more mature (although still younger, age wise), sweeter, and spicier version of the Glenlivet 15 year-old French Oak Reserve (that extra 6% ABV also adds just a bit more kick to the Spice Tree).
The Spice Tree has a deep, gold-brown colour (almost the same as Demerera brown sugar), and a nose that is exceptionally rich with spices. The official tasting notes refer to cloves, nutmeg, and sweet stewed fruits, but I also detected some cinnamon, as well as cardamom and freshly ground coriander seed. It has a very soft and sweet, yet spicy palate; you can taste the brown sugary malt and the traces of spice - nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon - almost like you are drinking a warm spiced apple pie. The finish is very long and extremely satisfying, carrying the sweet spiciness all the way down your throat. All things considered, the Spice Tree is a fantastic blended malt, and well worth picking up (if you can find a bottle...hopefully the LCBO will have more in stock soon).
For other thoughts on the Spice Tree, please see:The remains of my bottle got finished off over dessert. I had a dram, some of the other guests each had a dram, and Meg's father tried a tiny bit. While the others went back for a second helping, Meg's father remained decidedly in the "it isn't that special" camp (which is amusing since he really likes Innis & Gunn beer, which is aged in oak casks, and those casks have sometimes been used to mature Scotch whisky...). I guess I can say the same about wine...but it looks like I'm not going to convert him.