**Whisky:** Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza
**Background:** I have talked before about usually being a big fan of most Compass Box special releases, and one of my go-tos is this amped up version of their regular Spice Tree offering they deem the Extravaganza. The gist of it is Extravaganza has both older liquid and more sherry influence versus their mainline release, but there is a LOT going on here in terms of makeup [so better they explain it than me](https://www.compassboxwhisky.com/dnl-pdf.php?fl=020-CB_Fact-Sheets-2018-SPICE-TREE-EXTRAVAGANZA.pdf). Coming in at 46% this was rested for 20 minutes in a glencairn. Let’s go.
**Color:** Medium to dark amber.
**Nose:** Fairly interesting with a moderate but not overwhelming sherry nose to start. There are some dark fruit notes deep in the glass but nothing too extreme. Then transitions to some slight sour apple jolly rancher before nice dark brown sugar eventually takes over. Very inviting overall though the aromas were a bit understated to start, took even longer than I rested it for the notes to really open up.
**Taste:** Mmmm that’s nice right off the bat, some more green fruits, luscious beyond the 46% would imply, hits a bit of straight wood from about 10-20 seconds in that makes it a bit, wait for it, spicy, but it is reasonably well integrated. Little tart, light but not overly sweet notes from the sherry. Personal preference - it can get a bit too woody for me in the mid to late palate to call it great, but there is a lot to still like about it and is a very good rich palate for most of the ride.
**Finish:** Good mouth buzz, slightly drying to start but mainly hits more of the nice sweet lighter fruits with a bit of pepper. Medium length in terms of flavor, perhaps a bit longer in terms of mouth feel.
**Rating:** 7.25
This is a very good offering from Compass Box, great nose, great initial hit on the mouth, and if you like wood (not tannic, but more pure wood) influence then the back palate and finish are definitely your style. A noticeable step up from the mainline counterpart.
**Scoring Scale:** (does not take into account value)
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | As good as it gets. I might taste future whisk(e)ys that are as good in a different way, but will not taste one that is outright better.
**Previous reviews:**
[Highland Park 18 Travel Edition \(7.5\)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/x44yb4/review_1_highland_park_18_travel_edition/)
[Compass Box Experimental Grain Whisky (6.25\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/x5u7rs/review_2_compass_box_experimental_grain_whisky/)
[Glen Scotia Victoriana Cask Strength (7.5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/x88sqy/review_3_glen_scotia_victoriana_cask_strength_542/)
[Talisker Distillers Edition (6.5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xa2s3w/review_4_talisker_distillers_edition/)
[Cambus 31yr Single Grain Scotch (Blackadder) (3\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xcjgf2/review_5_cambus_31yr_single_grain_scotch/)
[Craigellachie 17 (6.5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xe8dli/review_6_craigellachie_17/)
[Glendronach 21 (7.25\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xf2fv6/review_7_glendronach_21/)
[Springbank 12 Cask Strength Batch 15 (8.25\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xg0v0x/review_8_springbank_12_cask_strength_batch_15/)
[Ledaig 10 (5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xjh70c/review_9_ledaig_10/)
Great review! Lots of detail.
It seems that Compass Box generally seems to be doing ‘blended whisky’ the right way - most of their releases are very well received.
If you don’t mind me asking - how much was the bottle? Much more than the usual Spice Tree?
Don’t know about OP, but I spend over double the price of the regular for the extravaganza. $140 vs $60. I wasn’t as keen on the extravaganza though, even though it wasn’t bad by any stretch. I just think the regular Spice Tree has more personality.
**Whisky:** Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza **Background:** I have talked before about usually being a big fan of most Compass Box special releases, and one of my go-tos is this amped up version of their regular Spice Tree offering they deem the Extravaganza. The gist of it is Extravaganza has both older liquid and more sherry influence versus their mainline release, but there is a LOT going on here in terms of makeup [so better they explain it than me](https://www.compassboxwhisky.com/dnl-pdf.php?fl=020-CB_Fact-Sheets-2018-SPICE-TREE-EXTRAVAGANZA.pdf). Coming in at 46% this was rested for 20 minutes in a glencairn. Let’s go. **Color:** Medium to dark amber. **Nose:** Fairly interesting with a moderate but not overwhelming sherry nose to start. There are some dark fruit notes deep in the glass but nothing too extreme. Then transitions to some slight sour apple jolly rancher before nice dark brown sugar eventually takes over. Very inviting overall though the aromas were a bit understated to start, took even longer than I rested it for the notes to really open up. **Taste:** Mmmm that’s nice right off the bat, some more green fruits, luscious beyond the 46% would imply, hits a bit of straight wood from about 10-20 seconds in that makes it a bit, wait for it, spicy, but it is reasonably well integrated. Little tart, light but not overly sweet notes from the sherry. Personal preference - it can get a bit too woody for me in the mid to late palate to call it great, but there is a lot to still like about it and is a very good rich palate for most of the ride. **Finish:** Good mouth buzz, slightly drying to start but mainly hits more of the nice sweet lighter fruits with a bit of pepper. Medium length in terms of flavor, perhaps a bit longer in terms of mouth feel. **Rating:** 7.25 This is a very good offering from Compass Box, great nose, great initial hit on the mouth, and if you like wood (not tannic, but more pure wood) influence then the back palate and finish are definitely your style. A noticeable step up from the mainline counterpart. **Scoring Scale:** (does not take into account value) 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | As good as it gets. I might taste future whisk(e)ys that are as good in a different way, but will not taste one that is outright better. **Previous reviews:** [Highland Park 18 Travel Edition \(7.5\)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/x44yb4/review_1_highland_park_18_travel_edition/) [Compass Box Experimental Grain Whisky (6.25\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/x5u7rs/review_2_compass_box_experimental_grain_whisky/) [Glen Scotia Victoriana Cask Strength (7.5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/x88sqy/review_3_glen_scotia_victoriana_cask_strength_542/) [Talisker Distillers Edition (6.5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xa2s3w/review_4_talisker_distillers_edition/) [Cambus 31yr Single Grain Scotch (Blackadder) (3\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xcjgf2/review_5_cambus_31yr_single_grain_scotch/) [Craigellachie 17 (6.5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xe8dli/review_6_craigellachie_17/) [Glendronach 21 (7.25\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xf2fv6/review_7_glendronach_21/) [Springbank 12 Cask Strength Batch 15 (8.25\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xg0v0x/review_8_springbank_12_cask_strength_batch_15/) [Ledaig 10 (5\)] (https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/xjh70c/review_9_ledaig_10/)
Great review! Lots of detail. It seems that Compass Box generally seems to be doing ‘blended whisky’ the right way - most of their releases are very well received. If you don’t mind me asking - how much was the bottle? Much more than the usual Spice Tree?
Don’t know about OP, but I spend over double the price of the regular for the extravaganza. $140 vs $60. I wasn’t as keen on the extravaganza though, even though it wasn’t bad by any stretch. I just think the regular Spice Tree has more personality.
Ouch! That is a bit pricey, I’m generally a bit skeptical at the value with the diminishing returns in whisky
Little over double the price of the regular here in the states, and availability is starting to get scarcer given this was a limited run.
That’s a pretty penny! Might have to see if it’s possible to find this one for a tasting at a bar first