.compass box - hedonism - quindecimus

‘Everything in moderation, including moderation.’

– Oscar Wilde

Fifteen years after their first whisky release - the original Hedonism, Compass Box has reinvented and revamped that idea and went a little further, resulting in another limited bottling of their blended grain.

.compass box - hedonism - 2007

The Hedonism from Compass Box is a blended grain whisky. Yes, you read that right, a blended grain. When the company started in 2000, the Hedonism was their first release. A bold move, since back then - even more then now, grain whiskies were neglected as being "proper" whiskies and were almost only used for sweet fillers in blends. Each year, Compass Box releases a new batch of this rare grain blend, all releases different from the previous ones and all with a very limited number of bottles per batch, where anything from eight to 17 casks are married together.

.the snow grouse

40% abv, €25, blended grain

Nose: nothing much at first, later vanilla, and that's about it.
Palate: smooth, nothing much, a little vanilla and a slight bitter
Finish: short, bitter
Mark: +/++++

Conclusion: Boring, less disgusting as remembered from an earlier tasting on a festival, but not something I would get into the house to enjoy. I would rather buy wodka.

More info from the website: Like the hardy Ptarmigan or The Snow Grouse (Lagopus Mutus) as it’s known in the Scottish Highlands, this Blended Grain Scotch Whisky is perfectly at home in severely cold conditions. The unique and extra gentle Smoothchill™ Filtration process that the spirit goes through, produces a remarkably light Scotch whisky that retains all of its sweet, smooth flavours and results in a completely new taste sensation, a sweet gloopy mouth-feel and a cool taste explosion when served ‘seriously chilled’. So try it neat after it has been exposed to a short spell in the Arctic conditions of your freezer.