Penny for Your Thoughts - Chivas Regal 18, Compass Box Oak Cross
Just found a California company with a strong selection of miniatures and ordered a set of 14 that I'm interested in trying. These are the two blends in that set: Chivas Regal 18 and Compass Box Oak Cross.
Chivas Regal 18 (40% ABV) - Chivas Regal is a product of Pernod Richard. The predominant components are Strathisla and Longmorn, two large Speyside distilleries, along with some grain whisky and a blend of Islay components that lends some smokiness to the dram. Most blends are like Chivas Regal in that they're the product of large conglomerates that own multiple distilleries. For example, Johnnie Walker is Diageo's big-name blend, and the Black and Green Label iterations contain single malts from Caol Ila and Talisker.
Chivas Regal 18 is kind of the scotch I'd build in the lab if I wanted to give someone a good overview of the spectrum of scotch flavors, but turned to about a 4-5 in intensity. I get honey, malt, and a bit of musty newspaper and pencil shavings on the nose, but the 18 years that all the components aged have clearly mellowed this dram out -- it's very understated. I taste honey again, a healthy bite of apple, and some almond on the palate, which is smooth, sweet, and malty. The finish is probably the best phase, with a tiny bit of smoke or coffee that reveals there's been some peat here all along. It's a little thin, but sweet, of decent length, and enjoyable, like a muted version of Highland Park. For the price, you could do better, you could do worse -- I'd probably vote for a Talisker or Highland Park myself, either of which features a more distinctive and punchy, but similar, profile. B
Compass Box Oak Cross (43%) - Unlike Chivas Regal, which is the product of a conglomerate that owns the distilleries producing its components, Compass Box is an independent blender. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that it's the independent blender at the moment, as John Glaser is almost reversed in scotch circles. Oak Cross is a mixture of three single malts: Clynelish (a waxy, fruity whisky), Dalliuane, and Teaninich. The latter two aren't frequently released as single malts, so I don't know much about them. Having tried a few other Compass Box products, namely the excellent bottom-end Great King Street and Asyla, I was quite excited about this scotch.
Unfortunately, there is just way too much nail polish remover or young spirit character in the nose of this blend. The better aspects are like a light Highland malt, with a tiny bit of green grape and apple, and a healthy, fibrous wood. The palate is extremely woody again but also a little sour; licorice and ginger are the only two other flavors I note here. The finish is quite bitter, ranging from green grass to fresh wood. To its credit, it is long, but it has a surprising amount of bite at this low proof. If tasted blind, I would have assumed this was a young well whiskey, so I'm not impressed. Both Great King Street and Asyla are a lot better and cheaper. Pass on Oak Cross. C-