Compass Box No Name No. 2

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Bottled at 48.9%, this second edition of No Name, by Compass Box, is composed of predominantly Caol Ila, blended with Clynelish, Talisker and a mystery Highland Blend. Composed of whiskies matured in Sherry seasoned oak, American oak Hogshead and French oak. 88pts Whisky Fun.

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: round, creamy, doughy, floral and fruity with a summer-y maritime effervescence; juicy, malty and honeyed with a velvety nose feel; oodles of citrus: juicy orange, lemon oil and dried apricots; a firm hint of clean smoke emerges later, with soft muddy oily peat and a touch of potpourri. 

Palate: starts bold and creamy, going through waves of flavour and intensity; buttery-creamy vanilla, tarry peat and cigar ash; chocolaty with hot spices: is that Talisker chili oil poking through?; seafood-y Caol Ila notes are there too; juicy citrus, chewy malt, melons, apricot and even a touch of tropical fruits; salted caramel, fennel seeds and Dutch licorice.

Finish: long, coating and creamy with soft vanilla, bright fruits and hot spices; cigar smoke and tarry peat; like the palate, lots of layers.

Comment: anyone hoping for a repeat of No Name No.1 will be disappointed; those in search of a complex, layered and elegant pleated malt will find themselves full satisfied; a worthy successor to the first release!

Producer Tasting Note: "Highly complex peatiness and smokiness, accented by delicate cherry fruit notes. Full and concentrated on the palate, an interplay of peaty flavours develops throughout the long, satisfying finish."

Producer Description: "For this, the second Limited Edition of the No Name series, we’re again allowing the whisky to speak for itself. Still very smoky indeed, there is a new depth and delicacy. To borrow a musical analogy, No Name was peat as power chord; No Name, No. 2 has brought some harmonics to the party. Built around an elegantly smoky Islay malt matured in refill Sherry butts, the second peated whisky we have used comes from the Isle of Skye. To these we added some old and ethereal single malt whisky from the Northern Highland village of Brora and just a dash of malt whisky finished in new French oak to add an underlying richness."

"No Name, No. 2 will transport you straight to the peat bogs and malt kilns of Scotland’s West Coast. Weighty on the palate, hugely complex and concentrated, No Name, No. 2 also introduces a degree of delicacy. Our second whisky in the series offers an elegant mix of dried fruit notes, reminiscent of red cherries, and even a floral quality. Those who snapped up No Name, and who are familiar with The Peat Monster, will love this latest exploration of the smoky whisky spectrum. No Name, No. 2 proves that peat is far from one-dimensional."

88pts Whisky Fun

"Hold on, N°2, isn’t that a name? And isn’t ‘no name’ a name as well? Love these wee paradoxes, they’re always fun. It’s like that story about some Iranian politicians who never knew how to write, in their new constitution, that it was henceforth forbidden to write the word ‘wine’. Anyway, this new baby should be rather peaty… Colour: white wine. Nose: new wellies, new tyres, new Ford, then ice wine, fresh walnuts and paraffin, then more fresh walnuts, mashed potatoes and honeysuckle. It is pretty complex, and not that peaty! Mouth: smart. Starts very dry, ashy, tarry and almost new-plastic-like again, but gets then progressively fruitier, almost bonbony. Melon sweets, Jell-O, wine gums… All that while a grassier, more peppery peat keeps singing in the back. This baby’s almost like a big band, with a roaring rhythm section and the soloists taking their turns one after the other. Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Clark Terry… Indeed, the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Finish: long and more coastal. Seawater, lemons, oysters, waxes. Comments: it is clearly coastal, and really very excellent. The packaging is superb, the price a little less so. But this is 2019, is it not. SGP:566 - 88 points."

700 ml