@@whiskyonthewestcoast Oh man, that would be stellar. I may or may not have picked up one of the three certain Octomores at a certain store we have chatted about today...
great review, I have these bottles as well. I did a comparison with them and they are really close. The 15 is really elegant, the 18 has an amazing finish, and the 22 a little more fruity. The 22 shares some similarities with the no name 3. Cheers
Engaging comparison. Agree with your thoughts on batch 5. I haven’t had batch 6 but batch 7 and myself aren’t getting along too well. I’ve had batch 7 open for several months with each pour leaving me disappointed. It’s like a Frankenstein with too many components. I see it sitting on shelves discounted to $130-$140 USA. Very cool artwork though! Cheers 🥃
I'm glad we're in agreement on batch 5 John, it's simply one of my favourites. I'll defer to your judgement on Batch 7 as my impressions were just from a sample. There certainy are a ton of smaller parts in Batch 7. You likely have a better handle on it with a bottle to refer to. I still might risk it and grab a bottle of Batch 7. Cheers 🥃
Glad you snagged a bottle before it sold out. It should be 2 or 3 years before the next one. Hopefully you it lives up to expectations once you crack that bottle. Cheers man 🥃
I'm with you on the missing the live tastings. A lot of time they're halfway over by the time I get home and the other half my internet just isn't up to the task. XD I skipped the Compass Box tasting though - blended scotches just don't interest me too much because grain whiskies tend not to agree with my palate. Glad to see you give them some love though =D
You gotta think one day the stars will align and we'll actually wind up being on the same live tasting together. Until then I'll continue to start an island of misfit whiskies that is a safe space for any quality blends people don't want haha. Cheers Crank 🥃
Nice overview, Matt, this expression is one of my favorite from John, and I own only the second (2008) & the fourth (2012) editions in bottle, and probably a different one in sample...As they're not cheap now, i'm drinking the first one very rarely as it is finishing, but i remember having tried other editions, but not all....There are also a few samples I'm reluctant to review so far (I tried the whiskies during shows though) as I know I won''t be able to afford the bottles nowadays...That "3 year old De Luxe ", between other things, is one of them, mind you....😉So let's say Cheers to a visit of you maybe before 2025 ? Who knows... 🥃
It's really cool that you still have some of the 2nd and fourth edition Flaming Heart's left. The cost of Compass Box bottlings have certainly seen a sharp incline, though I'm sure that is also the case for the cost of good, aged stock to blend with. Still, it is sad to see the affordable become unaffordable. I do wonder what it would cost these days to make a blended malt comprised with over 50% 30 year Caol Ila and 20 year Clynelish. Prices aside, the 3 year De Luxe is quite the special bit of whisky to have. Here's hoping for a stop in Paris sooner rather than later. My last time was 2016, that seems too long ago haha. Cheers Greg 🥃
