I am delighted to review another one of the Compass Box blended scotch series, and this time around it’s The Spice Tree! Not only is the whisky really rich and intense, it also comes with a bit of a spicy controversy in it’s backstory. Let’s get into all that and more with the Compass Box “The Spice Tree” whisky review.

About Compass Box

Compass Box was started back in the year 2000 by John Glaser. They are known shake things up a little and come up with interesting blends. The Compass Box Whiskymakers, as they call them, typically source distillates from a range of Scottish distilleries and blend and mature them together to create their range of whiskeys.

Their recipes and processes are not always the most orthodox, but I think that’s what makes them interesting. What I like the most about their work is that each whisky starts with a vision of how they imagine the whisky to smell and taste, and they’d always back it up with a story weaved around it which just enhances the overall whisky drinking experience.

About The Spice Tree & It’s History

The Spice Tree is one of the 4 whiskies under Compass Box’s core collection. Apart from the Spice Tree, the core collection includes Orchid House, The Peat Monster, and The Story of The Spaniard.

The central idea behind The Spice Tree is to bring out the richness and the flavour from French Oak. French oak is known to give spiciness to the whisky. Moreover, the tannins that develops the astringent notes are also more prominent with French oak. That being said, Compass Box set out to create their first edition of The Spice Tree with their own take on the traditional whisky making methods and processes.

What Happened to the First Edition of The Spice Tree?

The back of The Spice Tree bottle gives a subtle idea on what happened. While it’s not the whole story and Compass Box has been smart enough to turn it into a great marketing message, it does give you a hint on what went down. Here is what it says:

A long time ago, we created a rich, bold Scotch whisky called THE SPICE TREE. Unfortunately, due to its avant garde method of oak ageing, we were compelled by the powers that to be to discontinue production.

Undeterred, we worked with our cooper friends in both France and Scotland to develop a new, hybrid oak cask that would allow us to achieve similar results, but in a way that would be acceptable to even the most conservative of observers.

Et voila, THE SPICE TREE was resurrected – matured using a custom-made cask with French oak for the heads and American oak for the bodies.

The truth of the matter was that Compass Box used staves of French oak wood within the barrels during the whisky maturation. The intention was to increase the contact and interaction between the whisky and the wood to make it more intense, but as per the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) this was a violation of the traditional practices and had Compass Box take the whisky off the shelves in 2006, just a year after its release.

Compass Box had to make changes to their maturation process for The Spice Tree in the re-released version which is available now. They got rid of the staves and instead, developed a hybrid cask which had American oak for the body of the cask and French oak for the cask head.

The Blend of The Spice Tree

True to its vision, approximately 74% of the whisky used in the blend comes from French oak barrels of different degrees of toasting. And respectively about 26% of the whiskey is from first fill bourbon barrels.

About 29% of the final blend comes from heavy toasted French oak barrels bringing in the dark chocolate, clove, and cinnamon notes. 25% comes from medium toasted French oak barrels that brings the sweetness in the form of vanilla, caramel etc. And 20% comes from lightly toasted French oak barrels that bring in the honey and toffee notes.

If you look at the composition in terms of whiskey region, then again 74% of The Spice Tree is Highland Scotch whisky and the remaining 26% is Speyside Scotch. So ultimately what you get is in the final product is a very Christmassy, sweet forward, and yet spicy, intense whisky.

The overall composition can be better explained in the table below.

Source.

Now it’s time to actually pour a dram and dive into its taste and smell.

On the Nose

As soon as you take a whiff you are going to hear the Christmas bells ringing. The Spice Tree has really pleasant and sweet & spicy aromas all around, with vanilla, honey, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. There is also a beautiful citrusy note coming from what seems like orange zest mixed with dark chocolate. It takes me back to watching Nigella Lawson baking her Christmas cake on TV. Trust me, if you see that video and have a whiff of this whisky, you will feel like the cakes baking in your own kitchen.

Top notes on the nose include:

• Baking Spices
• Vanilla
• Honey
• Cinnamon
• Dark Chocolate
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Cloves

On the Palate

True to its name, the mouth feel is spicy. The whisky is oily enough to coat the inside of the mouth really well and let that spice ring through. I can taste the ginger and cloves very evidently. The sweetness of the whisky is more on the fruity side. Typically, the spicy whiskies bring with them some bitterness but surprisingly in this one, the bitterness is subdued, and you can feel it more towards the back of your throat and not towards the tongue.

Top tasting notes include:

• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Caramel
• Honey
• Black Pepper
• Oak

Basic Details

• Whisky Type: Blended Whisky
• Country: Scotland
• ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 46%
• Colour: Natural, Non-chill Filtered
• Cask: Custom Made French Oak & First Fill Bourbon Barrels
• Distillery/ Place of Origin: Compass Box
• Whisky-maker: John Glaser
• Notable Awards & Recognition:
  • International Spirits Challenge 2022 – Gold
  • Whiskies of the World 2021 – Gold
  • World Whiskies Awards 2020 – Gold

Conclusion

I think Compass Box has done a really good job with The Spice Tree. It is a whisky with really welcoming and friendly aromas that will remind you of Christmas all year long. Its taste is intense, yet well-rounded and complex enough to stand shoulder to shoulder to many single malts. And to top it all, it comes in a beautiful bottle oozing with creativity that sits so well on your bar.