Blended Malt | 46% ABV

The Orchard House Is The Fruit-forward Offering I’ve Been Waiting For

After drinking and thoroughly enjoying Compass Box’s output over the course of  the last decade or so, I was beginning to lose a little faith in them when it came to a bit more fresh variety in their core range. Sure, stalwarts like Peat Monster, Spice Tree and Hedonism are great products for the price, but for me, Compass Box seemed to be focusing more on their limited releases rather than introduce something new and vibrant to the range that helped elevate them into the top tier of blenders in the first place.

I guess this first struck a chord with me after I tried The Story Of The Spaniard a few years ago. I thought it was pretty tame stuff. It lacked much-needed oomph in the ABV department and sherry/wine cask maturation will never be my go-to style of whisky. 

I was left disappointed and eager for a new experience – something quality but well-priced, but we seemed instead to be deluged by a never-ending stream of bottles like Menagerie, Rogue’s Banquet, Canvas, The Circle (no, not Sammy Hagar’s band) and the highly coveted Tobias And The Angel, which hit retail at some pretty high prices it has to be said. Let’s not talk about the auction prices some of these bottles go for now. Eye-watering stuff.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the whiskies above, just a wish that more could be done with the core offerings and something that would be a little easier on Clyde’s dusty old wallet. To prove it, I’ll point immediately to Compass Box’s Myths & Legends series as being top-drawer drams –  especially Myths & Legends II. What a wonderful whisky that was and a brilliant celebration of Glen Elgin – a distillery that’s somehow, inexplicably, still flying under the radar, although I expect not for much longer. I even have a few precious drops left of Compass Box’s sublime Three Year Old Deluxe from a few years ago – John Glaser’s attempt to capture the spirit of Brora. 

Fast forward to late 2021, and my peepers were drawn to reports of a new bottle to be added to the Compass Box core range. My interest, it’s fair to say, skyrocketed when I discovered The Orchard House would focus much more on bourbon-cask bliss… and went straight into orbit when I saw some of the single malts used in this summery, easy to quaff concoction: Clynelish, Linkwood, Benrinnes.

The price too was excellent at around the £42 mark, so as soon as I saw it, I bought it. Opened it. And really enjoyed it. Much like Andy over at Malt Box, I’d bought a second bottle before I was half-way down the first. What was going on? What was I doing?

“It’s a core release, Clyde,” I said to myself. “Calm doon!” 

But the malt madness wasn’t over yet, because as I clack away at this battered and slightly worse for wear laptop, I’m now on to my third bottle of this brilliant wee whisky… and there’s not much left. So what is it that makes it a must-buy? Let’s go down to the orchard to find out, shall we?

Review

So many details coming right up, 46% ABV
£42 readily available

So what exactly is the makeup of The Orchard House? As always, Compass Box are as generous as they are allowed to be in divulging such information and while the ages of the components are hidden, I doubt most of the stock is above 10 years old, but that’s just my opinion. 

The majority of the bottle is first-fill bourbon barrel Linkwood (39%), and that’s followed by 29% Clynelish also drawn from first-fill bourbon barrels. The third major component is 20% Benrinnes, again taken from first-fill bourbon casks. Notice a pattern? However, those three pillars are bolstered by 8% from a revatted oloroso sherry-seasoned butt from a “distillery near the town of Aberlour,” 2% from a first-fill bourbon barrel from Caol Ila, and finally 2% from Compass Box’s very own Highland malt blend. This latter ingredient features malts from Glen Moray, Balmenach and Tomatin. Phew!

Nose

Thick and syrupy with notes of apple pie and vanilla ice cream. There’s a touch of baking spices and fresh peaches, raspberries and cranberries, followed by hard-boiled sugary pineapple cubes. Water brings old-fashioned Fruit Salad chews and apple juice, but dials back that appealing suggestion of syrup. Leave it for around 20 minutes with water and some wood notes start to emerge.

Palate

Nice oily mouthfeel and the immediate sharpness of raspberries. The apple and vanilla notes are ever present and help balance out the berry tartness. The finish is like a warm toffee apple and right at the end is  where I think I detect that tiny percentage of peat. It gently wafts in and adds an exclamation point to the profile. Water softens everything out and removes much of the sharpness.

The Dregs

This is not an overly complex whisky, but one that I find difficult to reach past, hence the three bottles purchased. It’s fairly young stuff – at least the majority of the components feel that way – but I really can’t see lovers of bourbon cask-led Scotch disliking The Orchard House – especially at the price. It’s definitely one to be enjoyed in the summer and I can confirm that it makes a delicious High Ball cocktail. The ABV and fruit notes hold their own when mixed – although I still prefer it neat. Bravo, Compass Box.

Score: 7/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. CS