Whisky Review: Compass Box Flaming Heart 4th Edition
The Compass Box Whisky Company is an independent bottler of scotch whisky that specializes in creating unique blended whiskies. While most independent bottlers focus on individual bottlings of single malt whiskies, Compass Box exclusively produces blended whiskies, both blended scotch whisky (which combines both malt whisky and grain whisky) and blended malt whisky (which combines only multiple single malt whiskies).
There is a real art to blending whisky, and the company’s founder, John Glaser, is known for being one of the most talented and creative whisky blenders on the planet. Compass Box has a core range of whiskies that are widely available, as well as limited edition whiskies which often sell out quickly.
In addition to making terrific blended whisky, Compass Box is known for its campaign to make the scotch whisky industry more transparent. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), a trade organization that represents and governs the scotch whisky industry, has some rather odd and annoying rules that prohibit full transparency when it comes to detailing the contents of a bottle of whisky. Compass Box has found themselves in trouble with the SWA a number of times due to their desire to share more information with their customers than the SWA believes customers should know. If you care about transparency in the whisky industry, please take a look at Compass Box’s transparency campaign and sign their petition to the SWA.
The Compass Box website is almost certainly the most informative website of any whisky producer. On the site, you can find as much detailed information as the SWA permits about the contents of every bottle of whisky that Compass Box produces. Additionally you can easily request even more information about a bottle of Compass Box (information that is prohibited by the SWA to be published on a producer’s website) by submitting your email address on the page of any specific whisky on their site (it is an automated process, and you will receive the informative email almost immediately).
Flaming Heart is a limited edition series that has seen five separate releases since 2006. Although all five releases have been slightly different, the general theme to Flaming Heart is the combination of spicy, French oak influenced Highland malt with peated Islay malt. Although I do own a bottle of the 5th edition, this review is of the 4th edition, which was bottled in 2012. Even though the 4th edition was released several years ago, it is actually easier to find than the more recent 5th edition. I know of at least two stores near me which still have a couple bottles of the 4th edition, whereas the 5th edition quickly sold out all around the world.
Flaming Heart 4th Edition is made up of single malt whiskies from distilleries located in the Northern Highlands, Islay, Speyside and Islands—primarily from the south shore of Islay and the village of Brora.
Type: Blended Malt
Region: Scotland
ABV: 48.9%
Non chill-filtered
Nose: Leather. Smoked meats. Sweet spice. Caramel. Brown sugar. Oak. Hint of floral. Apricot. Sherry. There is a waxiness that is reminiscent of Clynelish 14 (and indeed, Clynelish is a component of Flaming Heart).
Palate: Fresh, vibrant peat smoke, which is somehow both upfront and subdued. Sea spray. Light fruit syrup. Honey. Sweet florals—lavender, rose, and heather. Mineral water. Sherry. Very well balanced between savory, mineral peat and sweet, flowery honey. The mouthfeel is nice and creamy, a pleasure to hold on your tongue. Delicious.
Finish: Somewhat light, but rather long. Honey. Light fruits. Fading peat. A touch of heather.
Overall: This is a near perfect balance of typical Islay and Highland flavors. Extremely tasty. I wish that this wasn’t a limited edition whisky, because I would love to be able to drink this regularly. I’m not always in the mood for heavily peated Islay malts, and I’m not always in the mood for flowery, honeyed Highland malts, but I think I could always be in the mood for Flaming Heart.
Buy Again? You bet. I’m glad I have an extra bottle of this stashed away in my collection.
Score: 89/100
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
