The Spice Tree Compass Box Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%

Pour a glass and it smells like someone left the spice rack open next to a warm oven. Clove, ginger, a little cinnamon. The Spice Tree is the whisky that once got pulled off the shelves, fought its way back with a cleverer cask, and has now quietly become a piece of modern Scotch history.

Expert description

Compass Box The Spice Tree is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill bourbon barrels and custom hybrid casks fitted with new, toasted French oak heads, bottled at 46%.

American John Glaser left his job as marketing director at Johnnie Walker and founded Compass Box in 2000. The company owns no distillery. Instead it buys malt from Scottish distilleries and marries it together, and Glaser always preferred the word whiskymaker to blender. As a Blended Malt Whisky, The Spice Tree contains nothing but malt whisky made from malted barley, sourced from several distilleries. No grain whisky at all.

The first release arrived in 2005. To draw more spice from the wood, Compass Box had placed flat French oak staves inside the casks. The Scotch Whisky Association decided that broke the rules on how Scotch may be matured and threatened legal action, so production stopped. A few years later it returned in hybrid casks developed with coopers in France and Scotland: American oak bodies with heads of new French oak from the Vosges forests. Nobody could object to that.

The recipe is more intricate than the label lets on. In batches bottled from March 2021 onwards, just under three quarters of the whisky is a proprietary Highland Malt Blend, split across hybrid casks with three different toast levels. Heavy toast brings dark chocolate, cinnamon and clove, medium toast rich vanilla and caramel, light toast toffee, honey and spiced apple. The rest is Glen Moray and Balmenach from 1st fill bourbon barrels, adding perfumed apple, honey and a waxy fruitiness underneath. The Highland Malt Blend itself is roughly 60% Glen Moray, 25% Tomatin and 15% Balmenach. Earlier batches were built on Clynelish, Teaninich and Dailuaine.

In summer 2024 Compass Box retired both The Spice Tree and The Story of the Spaniard from its core range, making room for Crimson Casks. What remains on the market is residual stock. The whisky is non-chill filtered and has natural colour.

Tasting notes

Nose

Clove and fresh ginger up front, followed by cinnamon and nutmeg over a soft layer of vanilla. Ripe apple and a touch of honey sit further back.

Palate

Full, round and sweet. The French oak spice wraps itself around a fruity malt core, with vanilla close behind. Gingernut biscuits, toffee and a peppery warmth across the middle of the tongue.

Finish

Long and spicy with toasted oak. Honeycomb and a hint of nectarine and plum linger while the pepper slowly fades.

Specifications

Name: Compass Box The Spice Tree
Bottler: Compass Box
Distilleries: Glen Moray, Tomatin and Balmenach
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon barrels and hybrid casks with new, toasted French oak heads and American oak bodies
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Pot still
EAN no.: 5065000482602

Flavour profile

Spicy · French oak · Vanilla · Fruity · Sweet

Did you know?

Compass Box clashed with the Scotch Whisky Association again in 2015, this time for wanting to tell drinkers exactly which whiskies, and how old, went into each bottle. The rules only allowed the youngest age to be mentioned. That fight for transparency is the reason you can now look up the precise cask percentages behind The Spice Tree.

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Frequently asked questions about Compass Box The Spice Tree

What does Compass Box The Spice Tree taste like?

It tastes of baking spice layered over sweet, fruity malt. Clove, ginger and cinnamon come from the new French oak heads, while the bourbon barrels add vanilla, honey and apple. The body is full and the finish long and spicy.

Has The Spice Tree been discontinued?

Yes, Compass Box removed it from the core range in July 2024. Its replacement is Crimson Casks, a sherry-led Blended Malt Scotch Whisky meant to pick up where both The Spice Tree and The Story of the Spaniard left off. What is sold today is remaining stock, so it will get harder to find.

Why was the original Spice Tree stopped?

Because Compass Box had put flat French oak staves inside the casks. The Scotch Whisky Association did not accept it as a traditional maturation method and threatened to take the company to court. Compass Box answered with hybrid casks where the French oak forms the cask heads instead, and that is the version on shelves today.

Is The Spice Tree a Single Malt Whisky?

No, it is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky. It contains only malt whisky, but from several distilleries, mainly Glen Moray alongside Tomatin and Balmenach in recent batches. To explore more of the style, have a look at our range of Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.

How should you serve The Spice Tree?

Neat in a tulip-shaped whisky glass, ideally after dinner. A single drop of water opens up the fruit beneath the spice. Compass Box itself suggests pairing it with cheese, dark chocolate or spice cake.

Who is John Glaser?

John Glaser is the American who founded Compass Box in 2000 after working as marketing director at Johnnie Walker. He called himself a whiskymaker rather than a blender and became known for challenging the rules, both with the casks behind The Spice Tree and his push to publish full recipes. He stepped down from the company in 2024.