Compass Box
Orchard House
Whisky from Scotland
Bottle size:
750 ml
Shipping: R110 nationwide
Delivery is within 1–2 business days to main centres and 3–4 business days to outlying areas.
Compass Box was launched in 2000 by the American John Glaser, who was previously International Marketing Director at Johnnie Walker. To promote his whisky, John travelled through London visiting pubs and bars with samples and, in idiosyncratic style, handing out business cards billing himself as “John Glaser – Whisky Zealot”.
Orchard House gathers together some of the fruitiest malts Scotland has to offer, including whiskies from the Linkwood and Clynelish distilleries; what’s more, we have sourced many of these whiskies as new spirit and laid them down in our own oak casks. This, our monument to fresh fruitiness in Scotch whisky, has been many years in the making.
Nose:
Thick and syrupy with notes of apple pie and vanilla ice cream. There’s a touch of baking spices and fresh peaches, raspberries and cranberries, followed by hard-boiled sugary pineapple cubes. Water brings old-fashioned Fruit Salad chews and apple juice, but dials back that appealing suggestion of syrup. Leave it for around 20 minutes with water and some wood notes start to emerge.
Palate:
Nice oily mouthfeel and the immediate sharpness of raspberries. The apple and vanilla notes are ever present and help balance out the berry tartness.
Finish:
The finish is like a warm toffee apple and right at the end is where I think I detect that tiny percentage of peat. It gently wafts in and adds an exclamation point to the profile. Water softens everything out and removes much of the sharpness.