COMPASS BOX SECRETS OF SMOKE
Limited Edition (2024)MASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 104
AGE – NAS
DISTILLERY – Compass Box (blending Ardmore, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Laphroaig, an unnamed blended malt parcel, and Compass Box’s own Peat Monster blend)
PRICE – $65 (on sale from ~$150)
WORTH BUYING? – Yes and no…
My intro to Compass Box was their Peat Monster blend, given to me as a gift. It lived up to its name, and helped me to understand how the rumor that blended whiskies are somehow inferior to single malts is a fallacy.
My next encounter with Compass Box was their Orchard House, another fantastic argument in favor of blends, this time making a case for the sweeter side of things. Great for mixing or neat on its own, Orchard House would be a standard on my shelf if I weren’t such a variety hound.
Then a 2025 custom blend for K&L cinched my appreciation of Compass Box’s blending prowess. Balancing 21 to 24 year old whiskies from Bowmore, Glendullan, and Caol Ila, this commission unfurled like a picnic on a beach near the forest. A smoky seaside brininess swirled around pungent vanilla and caramel, with melon, lightly baked pineapple, a bit of oak, and a dash of black pepper amidst the maritime salt. Altogether lovely.
So when I saw this Secrets of Smoke release go on massive discount at K&L, after a cursory glance at existing reviews to understand why that might be, finding no strong dissuasion I picked a bottle up—the fifth in my Year of Twelve Bottles. Was it worth including in my precious dozen?
Here we are, five days after uncorking and two pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – pale butter yellows with brass and gold highlights, very reflective of the world outside the glass
NOSE – wood smoke, ash, very subtle diesel, custard, cream, subtle but sharp lemon, fresh cut white peaches, whiffs of bacon
TASTE – ash, wood smoke, vanilla, custard, cream, the tang of lemon and lightly baked apricot, a strong peppery prickle on a creamy texture
FINISH – strong ash, then apricot, lemon, custard, a lingering prickly heat from the ABV
OVERALL – an ashy, creamy blend, accented by the citrus and fruit notes
At the original full price, I’d have been quite disappointed. At less than half that price, I’m still disappointed but I won’t hold a grudge. Caol Ila makes up a third of the blend, and its signature ashy peat is front and center. It’s not my favorite manifestation of peat. Drenched in sherry it can be quite nice. But the several wine cask influences at work in this bottle are too subtle to offer enough balance for my tastes. This is a surprise, I will say, given that the sweet influence of wine casks is a key part of Compass Box’s sales pitch for this release.
The lemon, custard, cream, and fruit notes are nice but very familiar. Doused in ash, their inviting charms are overshadowed. This gives me an idea for why this release might have sold such that lingering stock finally went on steep discount. Despite many favorable reviews, the experience is fairly average. No secrets of smoke nor of any other common whisky note have been revealed here. It’s all very standard. And ashy. Love ash? Maybe you’ll dig this.
Of course, I’m only on the bottle’s second pour. It might open up in new directions over time. But in its present form, I foresee this whisky gracing many Penicillin, Rob Roy, and Blood & Sand cocktails. I don’t see myself sipping it neat that often, if at all.
So, not worth counting among my twelve bottles for the year, no. But too late! And that’s the gamble. There are certainly far worse losses in this world one might suffer than a disappointing whisky.
Sláinte!
Last Call
I tried it in a Rob Roy.
2oz Compass Box Secrets of Smoke
1oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Excellent. The sweet vermouth tempers the ashy peat nicely. The cocktail has a lovely balance between savory smoke notes and the vermouth’s dark sweetness. The bitters add the subtlest texture in compliment of the whisky’s own.
This whisky will be going to cocktails for sure. And I’m not mad at it.
Cheers!
