Compass Box Oak Cross

[Elagabalus]

I had the opportunity to sample The Peat Monster by CB last year and wasn't very impressed. Anyone try the Oak Cross??

[UUNetBill]

I haven't tried the Oak Cross, just the Peat Monster and the Hedonism. I didn't dislike the Peat Monster; I think it's poorly named. I decent enough whisky but far from a 'Peat Monster'.

[peat-chaser]

Well, I tried most of the CB bottlings so far. Most greedy I wanted to try the peat-monster, just to realize the name is a poor joke and the whisky mediocre.
The Eleuthera and the Flaming Heart were the poorest bottlings of CB and Oak Cross was the best, but there´s still some distance to very good.

[Deactivated Member]

I found Peat Monster to be very one-dimensional and disappointing, but this year I was offered a sample of the new Peat Monster at the Munich whisky fair and it was totally different.
Much more complex, more taste of iodine / seaweed and a much better dram.

This latest version has another Islay whisky in the mix and if you know your Islays, it won't be difficult to identify which one.

I have also tasted Asyla, Oak Cross and Eleuthera.

Asyla
Colour: Light yellow, delicate.
Nose: Light perfume, slightly floral, almost citrus.
Palate: Initial cream, very smooth, vanilla, lime and a little honey.
Impression: Delicate, pleasant, but not exceptional.



Compass Box Eleuthera (Taken from my "...... Whisky for One" thread

Nose: This CB is light and delicate. But with an almost insignificant nose. It really is hard to describe.

Palate: I usually try this one early in a tasting, but today it comes fourth in the line-up and for the first time, I am now identifying some slightly different characteristics. This has a real maritime feel. Not peaty or smoky, but in amongst that light floral character are hints of sea air and salt.

Overall impression: I do like the CB Eleuthera and it was a delight to suddenly find the maritime characteristics. Maybe this was due to already having sampled a few other drams, none of which had this character!
Or maybe it has just changed over time as the bottle was down to the last quarter.
Either way, this is a good light whisky.


Of course the one you ask about (Oak Cross) is the one whose tasting notes I can't find right now.
I used it alongside Eleuthera in a tasting quite some time ago and although my preference was for Eleuthera, the majority of attendees preferred the Oak Cross.

I should still have one open in my pub so I will try and bring a small sample home and write the notes for you over the coming weekend.

MT

[laddie teun]

Tried most CB whisky
at least there interesting, although not all of them are to my taste

I found the Oak Cross rather spicy (cinamon, cloves)
It's sort of teh continuation of teh Spice Tree, which they weren't allowed to do anymore (at least: not call it whisky)
With the Spice Tree they had put in staves inside the cask taht were from difeerent kind of wood and had different toasting levels than the cask. Which resulted in a very spicy whisky (here they did get the name right

The Oak Cross has heads in the cask which are different from the wood for the cask. Bit less spicy than the Spice Tree, but in my opinion still a very nice and intersting dram.

As for the Peat "Monster" I to recently sampled teh new one (the magnum bottling), Very diffferent from the previous one, and an improvement!

[Secesh]

I tried Oak Cross about a year ago and don't remember a lot about the taste other than after the finish I had a very sweet taste in my throat. That didn't really do it for me.
The Peat Monster was far from it, but not bad. Hedonism is the best of the lineup that I've tried.

[Elagabalus]

None of you, my esteemed brethren seem very fond of it. Most of you admit a certain dementia when you declare you have had it before.

The bottle also looks horrible. If I brought this out infront on Winston Churchill he would have me sent to an irish labour camp. LOL

[shoganai]

I'm surprised this is getting such poor reviews here. I remember liking it a lot. I don't have notes, but I think it had a very nice light and sweet (but balanced) highland/speyside profile.

[Deactivated Member]

Ela,
it is well worth trying.
As I mentioned, when I used it in a tasting, it was much praised and voted best dram of the evening.
My own preference was for the Eleuthera, but that's only my own taste.

What I can say, is that the 'experts' berated it at one time for being quite different, also that it changed on the palate. I think one described it as going in too many different directions.

The people on my tasting liked this. They liked the idea that it offered something different.
Personally, I liekd the much lighter, more gentle approach of Eleuthera, but I certainly didn't dislike the Oak Cross.
MT

[Elagabalus]

Ach, maybe I'll give it a wee go then. I just found The Peat Monster to be without character and rather bland. I think I am becoming a cask strength nut.

[Deactivated Member]

I agree again about the monster, but if yo uget chance to try the new one which was released during this year, give it a go. It's much better than the original one.
MT

[Bulkington]

I sampled the Peat Monster and Oak Cross and one other at a tasting a year or so ago and preferred the Oak Cross to the others.

[Megawatt]

I have a bottle of the Peat Monster and I enjoy it quite well. I like that it is smokey but not overwhelmingly medicinal. I also appreciate the balance that the Speyside character provides. I wonder how much differently it would be perceived if it had a different name...