Yesterday it was Compass Box Juveniles day and today we review the other whisky released on the same day – Stranger & Stranger.

Just like Juveniles, ‘Stranger & Stranger’ is a whisky release with some external entity in mind and this time it’s the ‘Stranger & Stranger’ – the package design company that Compass Box has been working with for the last decade.

this blended spirit (spirit, not whisky and it’s no mistake) has a unique recipe, 99% is a classic scotch single malt and 1% is a very young malt/wheat spirit which didn’t hit the required 3 year old barrier to be called whisky:

4,802 bottles at 46% were produced and it’s interesting to see how the combination with the young spirit affects the liquid (if at all).

Compass Box ‘Stranger & Stranger’ (46%, £148.95/€169,90/$199.99)

Nose: Honey and wax, yellow plums and pears, very fruity with rich fruit juice. dusty (or perhaps powdery), very dense and intense for 46% whisky. After a short while even some tropical fruits, nutmeg, becoming orchard with added floral side to the fruitiness.

Palate: Spicy, tropical fruits, white pepper, dusty, and some slightly powdery smoke towards the end.

Finish: Medium length, tropical fruitiness, gentle spiciness, oak spice and white pepper, dryness and powderness along the rich fruitiness.

Thoughts: This one I like a lot. It somewhat reminding me of Phenomenology (which I liked a lot too). I didn’t feel much impact from the 1% young spirit so I’d chalk this one as a gimmick.

But while it’s real good I also notice a worrying trend – the prices for the few last Compass Box releases were noticeably higher. I assume that the cost of whisky barrels they needed to source went up a lot and so we get to pay more as well. Let’s hope it won’t continue in this current trajectory for much longer.