Many of you will be familiar with Ardbeg Serendipity; a 12 year old blended malt that sprung, rather fortuitously, from a little carelessness at the bottling plant. A few casks of very old Ardbeg were accidentally vatted with a small portion of young Glen Moray (a distillery which was also under Glenmorangie PLC’s umbrella at the time).
It’s the sort of story that sparks controversy. Perhaps it was indeed a little too serendipitous and might sound more like the work of a well paid marketing department than that of a hapless blender. At least a great whisky came out of it – which is the bottom line after all.
When John Glaser of Compass Box created Lady Luck, the inspiration was “a lucky blend.” Sound familiar?
John vatted 25 and 29 year old casks of Caol Ila – a malt known for its oily, smoky character – and some 14 year old Imperial – a sweet, smoky Speyside. It sounds like the perfect marriage, let’s find out…
Nose: Oily, cold ashes and that sweet citrus character that you find in Ardbeg. Hints of something herbal, like blue Agave tequila. Semi dry spices like cardamom and the vaguest hint of wood varnish.
Palate: Tangy citrus, oily and very gentle lapsang souchong, almost sappy.
Finish: Warming spices, herbal. Bitter dark chocolate.
Overall: A well crafted whisky, at 46% which makes all the difference here.
Compass Box released 754 bottles of Lady Luck, all beautifully presented in true house style – the bottle itself is lovely. The oily, savoury style makes it an ideal aperitif whisky and even if the £125 price tag seems a tad steep, the old and rare casks of Caol Ila justify it somewhat.
– The Chaps at Master of Malt –
VL