Compass Box was founded in 2000 by American John Glaser and quickly made a name for themselves by bottling and marketing a range of blended scotch. While Compass Box found early notoriety for its conflicts with the Scotch Whisky Association but over the years they have gone from being outsiders to being respected innovators with numerous industry awards under their belts. The Story of the Spaniard is meant to be a showcase of sherry and the influence the fortified wine can have on scotch. Each of the several blends has some component of sherry maturation. The story behind the Story is a nod to Glaser’s first experience with sherry during travels in Spain.
Brand: Compass Box
Region: Blended
Age: NAS
Strength: 43%
Price: $65.99
Maturation: It’s complicated
Batch: TS2019A
Location: London
Nose: Floral, sweet, vinegar, apple, daisy, clover, vanilla, chamomile
Palate: Citrus punch, sherry, fruit
Finish: Char, floral, burnt sugar, oak, ash
Comments: Each batch is a slightly different blend, so be sure to check the website for the unique details.
Adam – The Spaniard opens with a pleasantly soft sherry bouquet made up of florals laced with vanilla and apples with an ever-so-slight vinegar halo to keep things from getting too saccharine. Strangely, the nose can fade with a little time but is lovely when in full bloom. On the palate, a citrus tang rides that continued line of sherry. The palate expands some with a bigger sip, allowing some of the florals from the nose to creep in. Halfway through the bottle now, the oak and ash elements have diminished on the finish while the sweetness from the sherry remains and only gives a puff of light char at the end. Very approachable, simple enough without being dull. More importantly, this scotch tells its full story from nose to finish without any unfortunate drop-offs.
Ben – It has a tartness on the tip of my tongue. It doesn’t drink like a whisky; it drinks like a beer or cocktail, where it doesn’t hang around.
It’s like they were going for sherry and instead got Inigo Montoya.
Kate – This Spaniard tastes like a Pim’s cocktail. It has the cucumber and pears and apple that appear in a cocktail. And it drinks like a cocktail. It’s like they were going for sherry and instead got Inigo Montoya.
Henry – Springtime on the nose. Apple blossom, orange blossoms, with a note of honey and vanilla. Vague fruity sweetness on the front of the palate, with astringent tannin, burnt sugar, and char at the finish. Only the ashy astringency remains.
