Compass Box has always treated blended malt as a creative form rather than a compromise, and these five bottlings show that philosophy from several angles. The three editions of No Name, along with The Menagerie and Three Year Old Deluxe, move from smoky playfulness to bold and provocative transparency, showing how much character Compass Box can build when it treats blending as storytelling rather than formula, as we’ve already seen on these pages.
Taken together, this tasting is less a simple lineup than a snapshot of the house style: layered, a little provocative, and often more concept-driven than most whisky releases. It is also a reminder that Compass Box has never been afraid to challenge expectations, whether by leaning into heavily peated profiles, unusual compositions, or a label that says something very different from what you might expect in the glass.
No Name Compass Box (2017) Review
Compass Box No Name 1 is a peated blended malt released in 2017 at 48.9% ABV. It is built around Ardbeg (75.5% of the blend, matured in Recharred American standard barrels) with 10.6% Caol Ila (refill American oak barrels), 13.4% Clynelish (refill sherry butt) and a trace of Compass Box’s house malt blend (0.5%, in their heavy toast French oak hybrid casks). Compass Box released 15,000 bottles, filled without chill filtration nor added colour.
Colour:
Pale gold.
Nose:
Neat: Ashy peat smoke leads, joined by brine, tarred rope, antiseptic and a little camphor. Under that smoke sit grapefruit, lime, peach, honey, dried herbs and a soft vanilla custard note.
Palate:
Neat: Oily and firmly peaty with salty liquorice, sea spray, pepper, cloves and smoke. Citrus oil, wax, light caramel and a touch of fruitiness bring balance, with also smoked ham bringing savouriness and some more saltiness.
Finish:
Long, ashy and maritime, with lingering peat, brine, tobacco, citrus zest and dry leafy notes. The smoke lingers nicely, while a faint sweetness and pepper keep the finish alive.
Comments:
A delicious peated blended malt, with the Ardbeg and Caol Ila components clearly leading the way, while the Clynelish seems a little overshadowed by the Islay influence. It offers a lovely nose and a palate that is anything but shy, yet it remains very good throughout, finishing with a long, satisfying linger.
Rating: 7.5/10
No Name N°2 Compass Box Review
Compass Box No Name No. 2, released in February 2019 (8,802 bottles), is a peated blended malt at 48.9% ABV (non-chill filtered, natural colour) with 75.5% Caol Ila (refill sherry butts), 13.5% Clynelish (recharred American oak hogsheads), 10.5% Talisker (recharred American oak hogsheads) and 0.5% Highland blend (heavy-toast French oak).
Colour:
Between white wine and pale straw.
Nose:
Neat: Sweet, clean smoke with fresh green fruit (melon, apple), horseradish, seaweed, salt and cinnamon-rich richness. Malty cinnamon buns, cream cheese frosting, green grapes, sugared raisins and cheese develop with air.
Palate:
Neat: Medium texture with waxy Clynelish paraffin, cheese, salt, bonfire peat smoke and fruits. Toasty ash, oak, toasted dark rye, coconut, mocha, and tropical fruit salad in a wooden bowl next to a beach bonfire.
Finish:
Medium long, starting ashy then sweetening to tart green fruit, honey, green apples, banana, lemon and lingering peppery spice with thin ash.
Comments:
The nose and palate feel gentler than in the original No Name Blended Malt, and the palate is a touch leaner as well, but this remains a very fine blended malt. Despite the hefty Caol Ila share – three quarters of the recipe – the Talisker and Clynelish components still find room to speak, with the Clynelish especially showing more clearly than it did in the first release. I still slightly prefer the first No Name, but this second instalment holds its own very well.
Rating: 7/10
No Name N°3 Compass Box (2021) Review
Compass Box No Name No. 3 (10,794 bottles) closes the series with 74.7% Laphroaig (re-charred hogshead), 11.5% Bowmore (refill bourbon), 7.5% Mortlach (re-charred barrels), 6% Clynelish (refill sherry butt) and 0.5% Highland blend (custom French oak), bottled non-chillfiltered at 48.9% ABV. You’ll have to rely on the secondary market to find a bottle.
Colour:
Pale gold.
Nose:
Neat: Medicinal peat, iodine, barbecue smoke and charcoal ash dominate, with seaweed, rubber and wet dog in the background. Vanilla, pineapple, mango, lemon peel, pepper and cinnamon provide fruity contrast.
Palate:
Neat: Light sweet arrival of apples leads to peat, smoke, barbecue, bitter-dark chocolate, iodine and a charcoal wave. Floral jasmine and rose hips, simple syrup and tropical fruits (mango & pineapple) emerge.
Finish:
Very long/powerful with iodine, peat, smoke and salt/pepper; drier with lingering ash.
Comments:
Laphroaig takes clear command as expected, while Mortlach and Clynelish lend rich texture and depth. The Bowmore part proves elusive, yet whispers of salted lemons on the nose and faint tropical fruit echoes on the palate betray its subtle presence. This is my favourite of the three No Name releases.
Rating: 8/10
Menagerie Compass Box (2021) Review
Menagerie is a blended malt from Compass Box that leans on Mortlach’s muscular, meaty character plus waxy Deanston and Glen Elgin, and a trace of Laphroaig for smoke, and, of course, Compass Box’s Highland Blended Malt. All components range from 11 to 20 years old. Compass Box says they selected parcels of malt whisky that, alongside their fruity and spicy appeal, carry a subtle, underlying ‘animalic’ character that surfaces with time. Menagerie is bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour and not chill-filtered. This release of 7,741 bottles is still available, about £90 in the UK, and from €100 in Europe.
Colour:
Old gold.
Nose:
Neat: The nose starts malty and fruit forward with green apple, apricot and candied orange, then develops baking spices, beeswax and toasted pecans. A subtle medicinal and peat streak, cured leather and a forest-floor earthiness appear with time, giving the nose both sweetness and savoury depth.
Palate:
Neat: The palate is oily and substantial: rich orchard and dried fruits lead (apple, pear, dried mango), followed by toffee, marzipan and a savoury, almost meaty backbone – barbecue char and soy‑glaze notes. Gentle smoke, white and black pepper, and a touch of cocoa keep the sweetness in check.
Finish:
Medium long and slightly drying, ending on spiced dried fruit, warm oak, lingering leather and a faint medicinal smoke that fades to honeyed caramel.
Comments:
Even at 46% ABV, the Ménagerie remains untamed and roars with vibrant energy. This blended malt bursts with character – layers of fruitiness and meatiness weave through the nose, palate, and finish, delivering impressive complexity. I’d be tempted to snap one up at auction if it surfaces at a fair hammer price.
Rating: 7.5/10
Three-Year-Old Deluxe Compass Box (2016) Review
The story behind Compass Box Three Year Old Deluxe is basically a playful act of rebellion. John Glaser created it as a statement against age obsession and the whisky trade’s habit of hiding what really goes into a blend; instead of pretending the youngest component was the whole story, he made the age statement the point of the whisky.
Compass Box released it as a deliberately provocative blended malt, built almost entirely from much older whisky with only a tiny amount of 3-year-old spirit included. That tiny young component legally made it a ‘3-year-old’ whisky, turning the usual marketing logic on its head and making the bottle a kind of satirical protest.
The recipe most often cited is roughly 90% mature Clynelish (24-year-old), 9.6% mature Talisker (20-year-old), and 0.4% 3-year-old Clynelish. The joke is that the label’s age statement highlights the smallest and youngest part of the blend, while the liquid itself is an overwhelmingly older whisky.
The outturn of this ‘Three-year-old’ blended malt is 3,282 bottles filled at 49.2% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour. A few retailers seem to still have a few bottles but ask for at least €440 for a bottle, so you’d better rely on auction.
Colour:
Deep gold.
Nose:
Neat: Instantly wax meets orchard fruit – pears, green apples and lemon zest – with honeycomb, vanilla and light pastry notes. A faint coastal brine and a whisper of peat from the Talisker part sit behind the fruit, while subtle cinnamon and dried herbal twigs round out the background.
Palate:
Neat: The mouthfeel is silky and slightly oily, driven by Clynelish waxiness: orchard fruit and white grape up front, layered with honeyed malt, light clove/white pepper and a faint saline tang. The small sherried and peaty element gives a late peppery lift and a delicate smoky echo rather than dominating the palate.
Finish:
Medium‑long, drying to grapefruit pith and gentle oak spice while a sweet waxy note and lingering honey remain. The peat reappears briefly as a peppery, maritime flicker before a clean, slightly mineral fade.
Comments:
This three-year-old Deluxe drinks far beyond its stated years, and it’s a superb whisky to boot. The mature Clynelish brings richness and power, while still leaving enough room for the Talisker to shine. It’s a clear reminder that age can matter enormously when it’s handled this well.