Excerpt: In terms of history, The Spice Tree is a fun chapter in Scotch whisky lore unfolding before us. With the mystique surrounding the label a decade ago, it can be easy to overhype this malt blend.
Excerpt: A tactile, somewhat resinous, polished leather finish wraps it up. A nice whisky, but I really enjoy the subtler, more elegant nature of the original bottling better.
Excerpt: The taste lives up to its name…spicy with clove, ginger, and a touch of cinnamon “red hot” candies along with brown sugar, red apples, and hints of vanilla and honey in the background. The finish is long and equally spicy. Excellent!
Excerpt: I can only complain about the nose a little since it is somewhat reserved for the first 6-7 minutes. Then it opens up and matches the palate's rich character.
Excerpt: Not a fan of this. It is hot, loaded with sulfur and oak, dry and all over the place. Not bad, but needs more complexity and integration to reach higher.
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House Review
Intro:
Compass Box The Spice Tree is a blend of Clynelish, Dailuaine and Teaninich, that is matured, blended and then finished in "hybrid" active casks - delivering more spice according to CB. Let's see how it is.
Nose:
Fresh pear, honey, apples, melon. Loads of pepper, spice and orange peel. Ethanol.
Taste:
Thin to medium mouth feel. Some heat Honey, tobacco, orange peel, berry and vanilla. Sharp tang of oak and sulfur.
Finish:
Long but hot, oaky, dry and loaded with sulfur.
Overall:
Not a fan of this. It is hot, loaded with sulfur and oak, dry and all over the place. Not bad, but needs more complexity and integration to reach higher.
Score:
4
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources