Country: Scotland
Producer: Compass Box
Type: Blended Malt
Age: 13
Cask: American Oak & Level 7 Toast French Oak
ABV: 53.7%
Proof: 107.4
Price: Auction
Nose: Apples, orange peel, raisins, tobacco, manuka honey, browned butter, a touch of molasses, milk chocolate.
Palate: Raisins, violet, stone fruits, salted caramel frosting, baking spices, black pepper.
Finish: Long, oak spices, vanilla, everlasting tobacco, the cedar tree, black pepper.
Being in whisky for many years made a lot of friends from over the world and my last four years in the Bay Area introduced me to some incredible people that I am lucky to call friends now. With 10 of them, we decided to buy some Compass Box bottles from an auction and taste all the bottles together on Zoom. Come on, what was better during the pandemic? So I spent some hours bidding on some bottles within our budget and this Compass Box Canto Cask #47 was one of the bottles we won.
Compass Box Canto Cask range is a series of 16 single casks, cask strength malt whiskies. They all have the same whisky components, but they have all aged the last 18 months (of their 13 years) on new French and American oak of varying degrees of toast.
In John Glaser's words, "The word canto comes from a Latin word and is the principal form of division of a long poem. I like the idea of each of these single casks being a different element of an overall idea, just as a canto within a poem."
Tell Us More About Compass Box Canto Cask #47?
Compass Box Canto Cask #47 was released in France and selected by Maison Du Whisky (LMDW). 246 bottles were produced at 53.7% abv. In this lovely bottle, you will taste three malt whiskies from Clynelish, Dailuaine and Teaninich. Primary maturation for Canto Cask happened in first fill and refill American oak barrels. #47 was finished for 18 months in French oak of level 7 toasting. The French oak used for this whisky is Sessile oak, a very high grain oak and air seasoned for two years.
The Clynelish Distillery - Single Malt
The Dailuaine Distillery
The Teaninich Distillery - Single Malt
Tasting Compass Box Canto Cask #47
Great start with an apple and orange blend. I can nose all the green and red apples like they are put in a basket and handed to me in an orange tree garden. Then raisins appear with light tobacco. Manuka honey notes become distinct as toasted flavors of browned butter and molasses blend with milk chocolate. Lovely nose!
The palate has some of my favorite notes, violet! Raisins and stone fruits are joined by violet aromas then the front of my tongue feels the savory, salted caramel frosting with baking spices. Black pepper keeps the palate awake and alive. The palate is really powerful with a waxy Clynelish character surrounded by nutmeg, cassia and some funky rum.
The finish is really long, oak spices dominate the start of the last few moments. Vanilla, tobacco, cedar tree and of course black pepper. Roasted almond with still a touch of that waxy feeling on the palate.
Compass Box Canto Cask #47
Verdict
I am so regretful that I wasn't anywhere close to the experience I had with Compass Box when this bottle was released back in 2007. I would be all over the world, trying to find the 16 casks.
Canto Cask #47 fulfilled my expectations of what was actually targeted by John Glaser. From the moment I nosed the glass to the last drop, I think the whisky just gave joy. Nothing wrong, no dull or off-notes. A stunning whisky put together perfectly.
