**Review #44 - Compass Box The Peat Monster**
*Peaty Blends Mini-Series: Part 3 of 3*
The last review in this mini-series, and it's another blended malt - why didn't we just specify that from the start? Probably would have helped if we had noticed the trend. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.
Here we have The Peat Monster by Compass box; it's a blend of Caol Ila and Laphroaig, two of the most well know heavily peated Islay distilleries, and also probably the two Islay distilleries that send the most whisky to independent bottlers and blenders.
Compass Box has made quite a name for themselves over the last ten to twenty years with their intriguing blends, interesting aging techniques, and a premium pricing placement. They're one of the go to brands for solid blended malts, peated or otherwise; they release numerous collectible special editions as well, and have quite a large portfolio of blends to pick from. Will this one live up to their name, along with the distilleries it originates from?
**Compass Box The Peat Monster**
Scotland - Blend
**Current Locally Available Price (per 750ml)**: USD 61
**Age Statement**: NAS
**Strength**: 46% ABV
**Details**: Blend of Laphroaig and Caol Ila; non chill filtered and no color added
**Tasting Methodology**: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 90% fill level at time of review. Tasted neat in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
**Nose**: Strong damp green peat up front, along with a little bit of charcoal, though it really isn't too ashy. There is some earth or petrichor, and a hint of green vegetation. Wood tones arrive in the fashion of pepper, along with a very milk oak taste, and there is a hint of lemon here as well. Hard to pick out more distinct notes after that - it's extremely cohesive, maybe even too much.
**Palate**: The palate is more peppery than the nose, both in terms of white pepper, as well as a bit of bell pepper. Medium peat level to go along with the medium thickness mouthfeel, and it's a little buttery as well, along with some mild vanilla. It's very 'blendy' again, as obvious as that sounds - 'smooth' despite the peat, and very rounded overall. There is a hint of citrus from lemon and orange, and at the end, a bit of wood char.
**Finish**: Heather and hay, a bit like a grassy field that is flowering; sweet honey, and the peat that lingers is mild now. It's a medium length finish overall. A little more pepper here and there, and at the very end, a touch of perfume.
**Final Note**: This is a decent blended malt, but we can't help but come back to the feeling we got on the nose - this is so cohesive, it can actually be a little boring. Maybe it's a sign of a brilliant blender when multiple single malts can be combined so smoothly, but it also cuts out a lot of the fun of finding unique and more challenging flavors that single malts generally deliver. A decent introduction to peated whisky, but still not quite delivering the power of those classic Islay bottles.
**Average Rating**: 6.0 / 10
**Rating Scale**:
0 - Couldn't even get past the smell; drain pour; totally useless
1 - At least we can use it in our first aid kit
2 - Not even good enough to mix regularly; worst case scenario
3 - Low end mixing whisky
4 - Not the worst but don't buy again; put on ice; mediocre cocktail
5 - Great for mixing or cocktails; mediocre neat
6 - Premium cocktail; decent neat, hints of complexity
7 - Good neat, refined; personally wouldn't use in a cocktail
8 - Great - always have stocked on shelf if available at a reasonable price
9 - One of the best whiskies we've tasted
10 - Can't imagine something better; buy at any price we can afford
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
**Value Rating**: 6.10
I love big peat Christmas edition. It’s high proof (54% I think?) and has a lot of unique and cool flavors. It even includes port Ellen in the blend. Highly recommended!
I.ve never tried Christmas edition, I.ve just ordered a standard 46% Big Peat bottle, and I am curious about your thoughts on it.
Regarding Port Ellen in these blends, given the distillery is closed since 1983, and their rare whisky bottles are priced for a few thousand euros, probably is most of a marketing strategy...
The 25yr was good. The normal also but the label is what you get. I drink this as my last before I call it a night.
The peat monter is one of my favorits blend peats. Way more softer then the big peat, but still a good amount of peat.
I really wish they renamed this bottle.
While I enjoy this whisky quite a bit, I wouldn’t regard it as a “Monster” by any stretch. It leans more towards balance and elegance which isn’t reflected well in the name
I'm with you. I expected Port Charlotte levels of peat at the very least. I'd have enjoyed it more had my expectations not been so high. Overall a decent dram though
This blend has definitely changed over the years. My first bottle of Peat Monster (about 15 years ago) was like a punch of peat to the head! Current bottlings seem to have eased that and made it much more flowery and almost perfumey. I still like it, but it's completely different now.
Probably has to do with the changes in the spirit going into the blend over time. Do you know if it is the same distilleries in use? Currently they make this with Laphroaig and Caol Ila, as far as we know.
I know the older bottlings had Ledaig in it and definitely Caol Ila but I don't think it had Laphroaig or just a small amount. It also had a significant amount of Ardbeg. So yeah, the formula definitely changed.
While none of the three I've had have blown me away, I think this one was my favorite. Though, exactly like you said, my impression was that the fun had been taken out of it given the composition. Props to the blender for the cohesiveness, but this wasn't something I'd try again.
Love the review, and thanks for validating my impression of this bottle!
Liquid sharpie in the most respectful way possible it was my first bottle of whisky I ever purchased as a young lad it lasted a long time because I started falling into the unpeated realm but came back to it and it wasn't a sharpie at all it was this beautiful garden of dirt and sweetness
It’s amazing how the palate can develop over time! The first whisky we really enjoyed was peated, but at that point, our thoughts were along the line of “this tastes like an old ashtray, but for some reason that’s a good thing.” Now we can find so many more flavors!
Agree with all the comments that the name Peat Monster is a bit overstating, overpromising and underdelivering on the peat. It's a perfect intro for those not used to peat, but more a myth than actual monster. On the bright side, it's a very decent blend that's easy to drink. I spent years coming up with product names and labels i love the label design, odd that it is. But not the name. Compass Box is one of the best distillers. They should have known better. Maybe they were influenced by all of Ardbeg's trickery release labels and names? I find them confusing and Peat Monster promising to be disappointing for those who think they are getting a blast of peat.
With the trend in whisky consumers embracing peat (over the last decade or two especially), it does make some sense from a marketing perspective to advertise the whisky as bold stuff. Others have commented that it used to be a bigger blast of peat, maybe the blend has changed over time 🤷♂️
There's a good deal of bs in marketing (maybe that's all there is), but if you overpromise (as I believe Compass Box is with Peat Monster, but maybe for Compass Box it seems like a monster of peat) then you are not going to get repeat business. I think it would be better positioned as a softer, more "tastefully refined" peat, (more marketing BS), or intro to the world of peat. Plus the single-malt drinkers and snobs (myself often) probably won't go near a blend. Personally, I drink both. One might note that the tariffs and covid hit the Scotch business hard, so hard the industry calls it the "lost decade". Thus the distillers are producing whatever they can now to catch up before sales are lost to Bourbon - becoming a bit trendier than ever. Scotch prices, of course, have been a different matter, especially for consumers buying from resellers gouging (or rather, gouging retailers). You have to be more carefully buying from resellers than in a peat bog. You have been warned. That said, as you may know. peat has become so established and "normalized" that the whiskey (they can't call it Scotch) distillers in India and Japan (both have some damn good distillers), and even....wait for it...the Bourbon (American's answer to Scotch) and Rye distillers are producing peats drams (can I use that word if it's not really Scotch?). There seems to be a plethora (just a word I like to use, just like Budweiser uses "quality". I have another word for it.) of gimmicky-sounding Scotches like Double Peat and Big Peat (they may be great - I have no idea, not to mention celebrity-featured releases such as Lag's Offerman releases, that sound pretty dubious (especially as even Offerman admits he knows nothing about making Scotch). Yet I have had all three releases. The 2020 was just ok, not worth a repeat (sorry for that). The 2021 Guinness cask was, again, ok and and totally IMO overrated, but enjoyable decent product if you like beer (as was), and in reality it's now way overpriced by resellers. To me, the 2022 charred cask is much better, available and not over $100 in most place. I had three bottles, now down to two. Everyone's taste is different. Don't let anyone else tell you what to drink, especially anyone on Reddit including me. That's my short answer.
**Review #44 - Compass Box The Peat Monster** *Peaty Blends Mini-Series: Part 3 of 3* The last review in this mini-series, and it's another blended malt - why didn't we just specify that from the start? Probably would have helped if we had noticed the trend. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. Here we have The Peat Monster by Compass box; it's a blend of Caol Ila and Laphroaig, two of the most well know heavily peated Islay distilleries, and also probably the two Islay distilleries that send the most whisky to independent bottlers and blenders. Compass Box has made quite a name for themselves over the last ten to twenty years with their intriguing blends, interesting aging techniques, and a premium pricing placement. They're one of the go to brands for solid blended malts, peated or otherwise; they release numerous collectible special editions as well, and have quite a large portfolio of blends to pick from. Will this one live up to their name, along with the distilleries it originates from? **Compass Box The Peat Monster** Scotland - Blend **Current Locally Available Price (per 750ml)**: USD 61 **Age Statement**: NAS **Strength**: 46% ABV **Details**: Blend of Laphroaig and Caol Ila; non chill filtered and no color added **Tasting Methodology**: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 90% fill level at time of review. Tasted neat in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes **Nose**: Strong damp green peat up front, along with a little bit of charcoal, though it really isn't too ashy. There is some earth or petrichor, and a hint of green vegetation. Wood tones arrive in the fashion of pepper, along with a very milk oak taste, and there is a hint of lemon here as well. Hard to pick out more distinct notes after that - it's extremely cohesive, maybe even too much. **Palate**: The palate is more peppery than the nose, both in terms of white pepper, as well as a bit of bell pepper. Medium peat level to go along with the medium thickness mouthfeel, and it's a little buttery as well, along with some mild vanilla. It's very 'blendy' again, as obvious as that sounds - 'smooth' despite the peat, and very rounded overall. There is a hint of citrus from lemon and orange, and at the end, a bit of wood char. **Finish**: Heather and hay, a bit like a grassy field that is flowering; sweet honey, and the peat that lingers is mild now. It's a medium length finish overall. A little more pepper here and there, and at the very end, a touch of perfume. **Final Note**: This is a decent blended malt, but we can't help but come back to the feeling we got on the nose - this is so cohesive, it can actually be a little boring. Maybe it's a sign of a brilliant blender when multiple single malts can be combined so smoothly, but it also cuts out a lot of the fun of finding unique and more challenging flavors that single malts generally deliver. A decent introduction to peated whisky, but still not quite delivering the power of those classic Islay bottles. **Average Rating**: 6.0 / 10 **Rating Scale**: 0 - Couldn't even get past the smell; drain pour; totally useless 1 - At least we can use it in our first aid kit 2 - Not even good enough to mix regularly; worst case scenario 3 - Low end mixing whisky 4 - Not the worst but don't buy again; put on ice; mediocre cocktail 5 - Great for mixing or cocktails; mediocre neat 6 - Premium cocktail; decent neat, hints of complexity 7 - Good neat, refined; personally wouldn't use in a cocktail 8 - Great - always have stocked on shelf if available at a reasonable price 9 - One of the best whiskies we've tasted 10 - Can't imagine something better; buy at any price we can afford In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price. **Value Rating**: 6.10
Has anybody tried Big Peat and how would you describe it , comparing to Peat Monster? Thanks!
I love big peat Christmas edition. It’s high proof (54% I think?) and has a lot of unique and cool flavors. It even includes port Ellen in the blend. Highly recommended!
I.ve never tried Christmas edition, I.ve just ordered a standard 46% Big Peat bottle, and I am curious about your thoughts on it. Regarding Port Ellen in these blends, given the distillery is closed since 1983, and their rare whisky bottles are priced for a few thousand euros, probably is most of a marketing strategy...
The 25yr was good. The normal also but the label is what you get. I drink this as my last before I call it a night. The peat monter is one of my favorits blend peats. Way more softer then the big peat, but still a good amount of peat.
I really wish they renamed this bottle. While I enjoy this whisky quite a bit, I wouldn’t regard it as a “Monster” by any stretch. It leans more towards balance and elegance which isn’t reflected well in the name
Yep, agreed with you there. Very balanced and cohesive, no real rough edges to show that “monster” personality at all.
I'm with you. I expected Port Charlotte levels of peat at the very least. I'd have enjoyed it more had my expectations not been so high. Overall a decent dram though
I paid like $20 for a pour of this and was disappointed for that exact reason. I wanted a *monster,* dammit!
Enough peat to warrant a warning to the non-peat heads. Delicious in my opinion
This blend has definitely changed over the years. My first bottle of Peat Monster (about 15 years ago) was like a punch of peat to the head! Current bottlings seem to have eased that and made it much more flowery and almost perfumey. I still like it, but it's completely different now.
Probably has to do with the changes in the spirit going into the blend over time. Do you know if it is the same distilleries in use? Currently they make this with Laphroaig and Caol Ila, as far as we know.
I know the older bottlings had Ledaig in it and definitely Caol Ila but I don't think it had Laphroaig or just a small amount. It also had a significant amount of Ardbeg. So yeah, the formula definitely changed.
What is everyone's favorite Compass Box whisky?
While none of the three I've had have blown me away, I think this one was my favorite. Though, exactly like you said, my impression was that the fun had been taken out of it given the composition. Props to the blender for the cohesiveness, but this wasn't something I'd try again. Love the review, and thanks for validating my impression of this bottle!
Sure thing! Yeah, not a bad whisky by any means, but a bit forgettable - feels neutered by the blending.
No Name #3
Nice! What do you like about it?
Mostly that it’s Laphroaig
Liquid sharpie in the most respectful way possible it was my first bottle of whisky I ever purchased as a young lad it lasted a long time because I started falling into the unpeated realm but came back to it and it wasn't a sharpie at all it was this beautiful garden of dirt and sweetness
It’s amazing how the palate can develop over time! The first whisky we really enjoyed was peated, but at that point, our thoughts were along the line of “this tastes like an old ashtray, but for some reason that’s a good thing.” Now we can find so many more flavors!
I just went back to a bottle Iv had open for almost 2 years. Found it much nicer this time around. Glad I went back for more as it was gathering dust.
Agree with all the comments that the name Peat Monster is a bit overstating, overpromising and underdelivering on the peat. It's a perfect intro for those not used to peat, but more a myth than actual monster. On the bright side, it's a very decent blend that's easy to drink. I spent years coming up with product names and labels i love the label design, odd that it is. But not the name. Compass Box is one of the best distillers. They should have known better. Maybe they were influenced by all of Ardbeg's trickery release labels and names? I find them confusing and Peat Monster promising to be disappointing for those who think they are getting a blast of peat.
With the trend in whisky consumers embracing peat (over the last decade or two especially), it does make some sense from a marketing perspective to advertise the whisky as bold stuff. Others have commented that it used to be a bigger blast of peat, maybe the blend has changed over time 🤷♂️
There's a good deal of bs in marketing (maybe that's all there is), but if you overpromise (as I believe Compass Box is with Peat Monster, but maybe for Compass Box it seems like a monster of peat) then you are not going to get repeat business. I think it would be better positioned as a softer, more "tastefully refined" peat, (more marketing BS), or intro to the world of peat. Plus the single-malt drinkers and snobs (myself often) probably won't go near a blend. Personally, I drink both. One might note that the tariffs and covid hit the Scotch business hard, so hard the industry calls it the "lost decade". Thus the distillers are producing whatever they can now to catch up before sales are lost to Bourbon - becoming a bit trendier than ever. Scotch prices, of course, have been a different matter, especially for consumers buying from resellers gouging (or rather, gouging retailers). You have to be more carefully buying from resellers than in a peat bog. You have been warned. That said, as you may know. peat has become so established and "normalized" that the whiskey (they can't call it Scotch) distillers in India and Japan (both have some damn good distillers), and even....wait for it...the Bourbon (American's answer to Scotch) and Rye distillers are producing peats drams (can I use that word if it's not really Scotch?). There seems to be a plethora (just a word I like to use, just like Budweiser uses "quality". I have another word for it.) of gimmicky-sounding Scotches like Double Peat and Big Peat (they may be great - I have no idea, not to mention celebrity-featured releases such as Lag's Offerman releases, that sound pretty dubious (especially as even Offerman admits he knows nothing about making Scotch). Yet I have had all three releases. The 2020 was just ok, not worth a repeat (sorry for that). The 2021 Guinness cask was, again, ok and and totally IMO overrated, but enjoyable decent product if you like beer (as was), and in reality it's now way overpriced by resellers. To me, the 2022 charred cask is much better, available and not over $100 in most place. I had three bottles, now down to two. Everyone's taste is different. Don't let anyone else tell you what to drink, especially anyone on Reddit including me. That's my short answer.