Next up in our Compass Box quartet was The Double Single, named for it bringing together one single grain whisky (Girvan) and one single malt whisky (Glen Elgin)… with the idea that bringing them together elements beyond the sum of their parts.
And what did we think?
- Nose – Initial hit of varnish, has heft, sharp, then shifted into blood oranges, then green apples with a tartness, spice like paprika, cloves, cinnamon, marmalade sweetness, vanilla sponge cake, icing super, dancing around… after some time, took on a musty sweetness
- Palate – “My god its complex!” Chilli flakes, sweet chilli spice, silky smooth, coats then spices flare gently, no question it is robust, complex with different elements playing counter point to each other
- Finish – Very sweet with an interesting contrast to the palate
For one, on the nose it reminded of Mr Kipling’s “French Fancies”. And what a remarkable palate. It was without a doubt the preferred whisky to accompany a good cigar. In short, we loved it!
And what do the folks at Compass Box have to say?
Flavour Descriptors In The Double Single we have combined single malt whisky from the Glen Elgin distillery and single grain whisky from the Girvan distillery. The elegantly complex, ethereal malt whisky character is balanced on a decadent cushion of rich, sweet, vanilla-tinged grain whisky character.
Recommendations The combination is a deeply satisfying yet versatile whisky, perfect served as a rich aperitif before a winter’s dinner, or as a rewarding post-prandial any time of year.
BMC’s Compass Box Quartet:
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I have a tendency of over-using euphemisms like “insanely good”, but in this case such a classification is spot-on! I love how the green apple is so “alive” in this that you can almost bite a big chunk out of it! Also, the packaging is just-wow… even for Compass Box standards! When this whisky was released, I did a small interview with Compass Box’s whisky maker Jill Boyd, who created the latest iteration of The Double Single together with John Glaser. We focused only on this particular whisky and she shared a lot of very interesting insights into the difficulties and challenges of making a blend from no more than two ingredients…
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Sounds like it was terrific to Jill’s take on the Double Single – we certainly thought it fully hit its mark. Clearly an example where the sum is greater than its parts. 🙂
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