Compass Box Crimson Casks is a blended Scotch whisky bottled at 46% ABV. Part of the brand’s core collection, it showcases a high proportion of single malts aged or finished in first-fill Oloroso sherry-seasoned butts. The blend includes 26.9% single malt from Benrinnes with an 11-month Oloroso sherry finish, 19.7% and 11.3% single malts from Glen Moray finished for 4 years in Oloroso sherry casks, 14.5% Glen Moray single malt aged in first-fill bourbon barrels, 8.4% single malt from a distillery near Aberlour matured in Oloroso sherry butts, 7.3% Highland blended malt aged in custom French oak with heavy toast, 6.1% single malt from Teaninich aged in a first-fill sherry butt and 5.8% Glen Moray single malt aged in refill hogsheads previously used for Spanish red wine.
The evocation of the color red is apropos for the whisky, which is a distinct shade of ruddy amber. The sherry notes are effusive on the nose, offering a massively nutty, leathery quality that is filled with intense notes of biting, oxidized wine.
But it’s more subtle than just a sherry bomb, as there’s a lot going on: cinnamon spice and marzipan sweetness, creamy texture, layered flavors, and a long finish offering crème brûlée, baked red berries, brandy flambéed apricot, and more.
The oloroso sherry comes through a bit at the finish with some oxidation notes. It's moderately rich and has just enough sweetness to serve as a good daily nightcap.
