Dr. Scotchtagon Presents: Compass Box Spice Tree

So I’m back after what seemed like a long absence, your esteemed editor having posted my bail in time for UFC 145. Thanks to all the well-wishers that have sent emails while I was away. My attorney has advised me not to speak on the matter, other than to say that I’m certain once the facts are viewed impartially, the only conclusion one can possibly reach is that I acted in self-defense.

The whisky I’m reviewing tonight was once ruled illegal by the Scotch Whisky Association. It’s a vatted malt (blended from different distilleries) blended by John Glaser. Glaser is really serious about the types of wood he uses, which makes sense because as a blender that buys from many distilleries, the two things he has control over are the blend and the barrel. So what Mr. Glaser originally did to make this unique whisky was to put staves of new French oak in the barrels.

If you don’t know much about wood, French oak is really flavorful and used to make the supremely vanilla-ey wines favored by the critic Robert Parker. It’s also way more expensive than the typical wood used for making scotch, which is generally aged in barrels that have been used already (generally bourbon or sherry depending on the maker). Glaser put the staves in the barrel to enhance the whiskey’s flavor, but the Scotch Whisky Association caught wind of it and wasn’t pleased. They told Glaser it was non-traditional and he had to stop or he couldn’t call the stuff scotch.

By then, the combination of brouhaha and favorable reviews led to Spice Tree’s selling out. Compass Box agreed to stop making it with the staves in the barrel, I believe the solution was to use the French oak to make the head of the barrel instead to avoid the ire of the ultra-conservative SWA. That’s the story in a nutshell, on to the review:

For all the uproar over the new oak, this whisky is not too oaky. Couldn’t have been exposed to French oak for too long. Spice Tree is actually much more balanced than the Oak Cross, which is also from Compass Box. I found Oak Cross to be a little over the top. Spice Tree is very spicy and the flavor lingers for a while after it has gone down.  A nice way to start the evening before the UFC 145 prelims on Facebook. This might be my favorite scotch from Compass Box.

I’ll give it a 153 out of 158.3.