We continue our trip down peat vatting lane with the Compass Box Peat Monster.

At the heart of Peat Monster beats Caol Ila with another unnamed Islay single malt from a south shore distillery. The south shore has Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin, and if I had to bet, I’d put my money on Lagavulin simply because of the special relationship Compass Box enjoys with Diageo. Additionally, some Ledaig and an unnamed smoky Speyside (Ardmore comes, of course, to mind) join in.

Peated Malt Blend #3

Compass Box Peat Monster (46% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Light Straw, quick legs with some droplets remaining on the sides.

Nose: Floral peat, some faint new make scent, sweet cereal notes, some fruit bowl notes.

Palate: The peat on the palate isn’t sweet and is very much there. Sweet sharp spices on the tongue and a general sharpness with a dash of bitters and some nuts.

Linger: Long and spicy. the peat is present but the ending is more spicy. Very warming in the back of the throat.

Conclusion

I’m beginning to suspect that peated vatted malts are just not my thing. You can’t get around the fact that this is good quality whisky, yet it’s a bit pale in comparison to the Oak Cross and the Spice Tree. Nevertheless, this is a good whisky that has developed a following over the last couple of years.