Can’t believe we’ve been through 24 different whisky expressions (and spirits) by now. I had to end the official 24 days of the advent calendar with one of my favorites. Compass Box Tobias & the Angel. A blend of my two favorite distilleries, so simple, yet so complex. The waxy notes of a 24 year-old Clynelish perfectly married to a 30+ year Caol Ila is bound to create a whisky that cannot be recreated or repeated. Mainly due to never finding the same parcels of whisky again, but partly also due to what it means to the whisky world. The art work chosen was produced at the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio in the 15th century, with the little fish being supposedly painted by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. Everyone knows John loves Clynelish since his working days with Jonnie Walker & Diageo in the late 90’s / early 2000’s before forming Compass Box, so having these two parcels blended for almost 20 years of whisky making makes complete sense.
This whisky means a lot to me. The first time that I met John Glaser, I showed up with 6+ bottles of Tobias and the Angel for him to sign in Berkeley. That was a little over three years ago.
Who knew about two years later, I would be pouring one of the signed bottles at my bar in the basement. This was an epic night of sharing drams, that as always starts in the backyard and continues through the night in the basement. This photo inspired our local whisky group to dedicate a marrying cask select of The Artist Blend with a depiction of a photo of me.
Here’s to you, friend, here’s to trusting me with pouring you a few drams. I hope you enjoyed the journey.
