Whisky Review: Compass Box The Peat Monster

Sweet, spicy, warm, and peaty. Sea salt, nougat, peat smoke, vanilla cream. Oily and soft mouthfeel. Long and smokey finish. Not overpowering in the burn. The peat takes center stage throughout the length of the finish. Notes of charred oak and a bit of ash late. Final Score and Thoughts/Buy A Bottle: Score: 87/100 The blended malt category tends to be one that holds a somewhat special place in my heart. I find whiskies of this description to be incredibly diverse and fun to explore. In some cases, I stumble upon new favorites which become staples in my own collection. Other times, I am left underwhelmed and thirsty. In the case of The Peat Monster, I am really not on either extreme end of the spectrum. I really do enjoy the dram. It is very tasty. I would even go so far as to say that I think many who are on the fence regarding peat influence in their whiskies may be drawn over to the smoky side by this blend. For all its dramatic posturing, The Peat Monster is a very drinkable whisky at its core. While I certainly appreciate the pomp involved in the presentation here, I felt that there was a certain hook missing to draw me nearer to the monster on repeat tastings. To be honest, I am kind of at a loss to explain this. The Peat Monster combines many of my favorite elements from within and without the Scotch whisky landscape. However, the whole ended up falling somewhat short of the sum of all parts. All in all, a quite competent and fun blend. Just not one that will keep me up at night.