Compass Box "Orchard House" Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (750ml)

Staff Reviews

GW

Gary Westby

Gary Westby

I would have bought this whisky at double the price. This offering from Compass Box is one of my biggest surprises of 2021, so much gentle fruit, deftly balanced with concentrated, natural malt and subtle rancio complexity. This is so much better than most single malt at the price and my favorite new release in many years. This is seamless and involved stuff!

Notes

Few things in the whiskey world are as exciting as a new addition to the Compass Box core lineup. Known for phenomenal, creative blends and exceptional value, the Compass Box team has knocked it out of the park with Orchard House. This essentially replaces the old Oak Cross that was discontinued several years ago, but it's a completely different whisky all together. It's 100% malt whisky, selected from distilleries known for their fruitiness. Lively and fragrant with a gentle oak influence, Orchard House was greatly influence by the late Dr. Jim Swan. His research inspired CB to fill their barrels at 58% ABV instead of the nearly ubiquitous 63.5% ABV, common in Scotland. This lower proof filling actually extracts more sugar from the wood than the higher proof fill. It also allows for less dilution of the aged spirit when bottling below cask strength. Two-thirds of the Orchard House blend is derived from these 58% fill casks, adding more creamy vanilla, sweet citrus and stone fruit components. Orchard House also features the effects of a changing barrel market. These are somewhat like 1.5 fill barrels. It is now standard practice in the bourbon world to rinse down freshly emptied barrels with water. This allows for the maximum alcohol yield before final blending and bottling. It also takes a bit of the rougher edge off the oak for Scotch maturation. This change in practice has lead to a serendipitously gentler aging of Orchard House that really allows the CB team to shine.