ralfy review 962 - Orchard House @46%vol: (OSWA winner 2022)

[@HerbertDuckshort]

After ordering a single malt in a pub the other week I found myself rotating the glass gently while stood at the bar and saying out loud; “Rolly strolly, no shaky shaky…”. The expression on the barman’s face was priceless.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . makes me proud !

[@grantgallagher8592]

I'm so glad you've stopped saying "Ralfy Roll", since it makes me think of sushi.... ;)

[@xiamengbaby]

@@grantgallagher8592 I can imagine a Ralfy Roll would be a bacon wrapped smoked salmon or smoked mackerel sushi. 😄

[@alessandroschiavon1237]

LOL man, it happens to me too… the odd thing is that English is not even my native language!

[@calebweintraub1]

Fully agree. On my fourth bottle of this one and have purchased others as gifts. Never fails to please. No rough edges and sufficiently complex. One of a relative handful that have permanent spot on my shelf (unless the price changes).

[@Vykk_Draygo]

Orchard House is a good blend. Bought a bottle last Spring. Definitely fruity and spirit driven. Lovely diversion from my usual picks. Would be a great summer sipper here in Texas. It's a great value, even here in the States. I think I paid about $45 for it (after tax). Compass Box always has some of the best labels. Love the art.

[@Jan-Sietze]

I definitely appreciate this review! I got my girlfriend into drinking whisky, only she drinks it with a lot of water (her choice). Nice detail is that she immediately picked out the Islay malt in this Orchard House, something she doesn't like...

[@JazznRealHipHop]

I’ve been keeping my eye out for this one. Compass Box does blends right!

[@alexmontanus]

Stepped away from your whisky videos for a few years somehow. Great to see you still going strong! Almost 1000, think I’m gonna stick around again.

[@sandrofazzolari8833]

Excellent perspective I think the flavour chart is an excellent idea. It is widely used here in Italy 🇮🇹 by specialist retailers. Thanks dear Ralfy. Kindest regards, S.

[@oliverdramgood8938]

Love to see you make THIS nas whisky review exception. Orchard was the whisky for me of 2021 - and your right: Clynelish & the little brother of clynelish called benrinnes when it is about waxi notes and so much fruit. Thx for linkwood apples and pears. And a drop of caol ila for complexity. Love this bottle and i had two and one in the stock.... should buy 2or 3 more.

[@michaellehner2164]

the whole series covers wonderfully the tastes of whisky in a completely different way

[@김도형-o2e]

Gotta love their transparency and passion for communication. I think wine makers in general do this better with their technical sheets and this is what I want to see implemented more on our maltiverse. The way they visualize its flavor profile with the frontal label is visually appealing and pretty informative as well. Gj Compass Box.

[@DonnerPassWhisky]

At the end of my second bottle of this. Great quality for price especially in todays inflated market. This one and Carigallichie 13 are the ones I suggest to people right now who want to try malt Scotch. Specifically these two because they are very good but also for some reason in my area they have escaped the recent inflation of prices that all the other integrity bottles I would suggest have suffered. Cheers

[@glleon80517]

I have been enjoying this whisky for a few years now and never went to the website. I love the flavor wheel. Bravo, Compass Bx, and thanks Ralfy!

[@AlitaAvenger]

Thanks for this great review... looks like a very interesting blend...🙂.

[@SauliJP]

Glad to see you reviewing some NAS whiskies again - although completely understand you not doing so in the past. But, good to see some Compass Box products on the cask, and maybe some Kilchomans in the future 🙂

[@saw2k720]

I've enjoyed perhaps 18-20 blends from Compass Box across the price range and have done so as the information they provide has greatly helped develop my understanding and appreciation. Having an unopened bottle of Orchard House in stock, it was a pleasure and a valuable learning experience to sample it with this video. Thank you Ralfy.

[@timkempisty258]

And now I know the upcoming Ardnamurchan review is going to be fun. Their QR code brings up a treasure trove of information about what went into your bottle. It's brilliant. That, plus the quality, makes you excited to pick up the next bottle.

[@wayne9124]

I checked my bottle against Ben's from the Whisky Diary, we both had the cask strength 02.22 bottling info the same and he had bottle 800 from 12886 bottles, I had bottle 801. Ben is in the UK, I'm bought mine in Australia. Coincidence possibly?

[@Watchman999]

@@wayne9124 I’m glad they weren’t the SAME number. :)

[@timkempisty258]

AD/02.22 CS USA 62/1200 Only 1200 bottles to the US? I must remember to go thank my local specialty shop. 😁 I feel like maybe I shouldn’t be drinking it. But it’s such a delight!

[@bjornbose9702]

Great education channel! Great teacher! As always time flies.

[@erikjlee1]

I love the Orchard House. Great blend.

[@Valera_Scotland]

Fourth !? Nice!! This was a very decent whisky. I do prefer the peaty beauties myself (Ledaig 10 is a current love of mine).. but this apple fruit bomb is very nice indeed

[@mr2gordons940]

Thank you for covering this one, you had responded back on review 920 that Compass Box whiskies don't appeal to you but I'm glad this one was worthy of report. I had bought a bottle 10 months back and found it a little difficult to approach. Wound up further blending some of it with a touch of Isle of Skye 8yo, the only somewhat peated whisky I have open, and enjoyed that outcome. With maybe 1/4 of the bottle left I'm looking forward to re-engaging it.

[@benmarnoch4111]

Compass Box have to be congratulated on the information down to batch level on their products. It’s fascinating to see the subtle changes from batch one to two. Ralfy did miss that the main drive of the wheel is not flavour but to indicate the composition of the ingredients used and the ages. The age of the youngest spirit is consistent at 6yo, which is based on how many rings are shaded. In both batches the highland malt blend is the oldest though a tiny part (2%). Where in batch two but for the near Aberlour bit (8%), it would have been an 8yo. When Compass box bottle batch three it would be great if Ralfy would return and give us a comparison on any variation as for once we know where (almost) every drop comes from.

[@MrMpire34]

Great video Ralfy. Was happy to see that my batch (first batch) contained a lot of the lighter side of distilleries (Benrinnes/ Linkwood). Lovely dram and I wish I could find this batch again. Btw, I'm very happy that my original/natural method of rotating my Glencairn is the rolly rolly. 👌

[@lesliemarshall3764]

I tried this at a tasting event a few weeks ago and enjoyed it very much. The blend chart was prominently displayed on the table. Compass Box make great stuff and are proud of their product. They treat their customers as intelligent consumers. Other blenders should learn from this, no more ‘secret blend of exceptional ingredients’; it’s not fried chicken!

[@chrislawson5754]

Great review of a very good dram. The “ tasting wheel” even gives you the age of each cask used. Great transparency as you say.

[@pfalzgraf7527]

Yes, there is a difference between marketing stuff as in "a specialist-salesperson is praising a product over the moon while giving off a load of hot air", and marketing as in: "someone who made the stuff and knows that they did well shows you their product (still coherently talking) and just knows that you'll like it if you know what quality is". And these days, there are of course loads of online possibilities to either give people a mirage of blinding images or to give them all the information there is to use if they are so inclined. Additionally you can give some interactive stuff to play around, like a flavour wheel or actually asking for (constructive) feedback.

[@davet7185]

This Orchard House was my own personal blended malt winner for last year Ralfy; indeed an integrity offering of very good quality. It got my top vote on the OSWAs of course in that category, so I'll be interested to see if Compass House brings us anything new this year.

[@staylor5990]

The batch number on mine was printed in white ink and was almost impossible to see unless you look at it at an angle. 21 07 21, no flavor wheel listed, I assume it may be similar to the 20 07 21. Its been pretty good so far. Considering the prices of whisky in my area right now, it was worth the $50.

[@YurySimplyaboutwhisky]

Good evening mr. Ralf M. Thank you for another review. I'd like to ask you a question regarding the blend Antiquary: I'm still having a "new" (I mean modern) bottle of 12 y.o. and it's quite pleasant whisky to be fair. Recently I've won on auction an old bottle of Antiquary 75.7cl/70 proof bottled in the end of '70th with slightly peated taste, as we know main malt in it - Toomatin, used to be a slightly peated. I'm sure you've tasted one, that's why I'd like to ask your opinion about older version. Obviously I've seen your review of modern version. Thank you for reviewing drinks and doing it for such a long, long time, I'm enjoying to watch a everyone of them. Have a nice evening. Regards Yury

[@losnoobos7938]

So far I only know the Spice Tree by Compass Box. Orchard House is still on my to do list. But I agree with you that I like it very much, how they are providing information about their Whiskies and the respective Batches

[@kareliask]

The distilleries used in this blend are such malt enthusiast crowd-pleasers that this was such a genius idea for a product. I kind of hope they do a limited edition age statement at some point, kind of like how Famous Grose has its "fancier" versions.

[@Vykk_Draygo]

I kind of like it how it is, with more limited barrel influence and a value price. But I would still buy an age statement version.

[@bernardbresslaw6521]

I've got both batches but only opened the 21 batch. I've had a few Compass Box and they've all been good but this is my favourite.

[@candidaprout2401]

Getting some good views here since I was last about. Good to see.

[@43005E]

There’s no official confirmation of this, but I’m reasonably certain that Compass Box’s flavor wheels indicate the ages of the various malts in the recipe. If you count the highlighted rings of each wedge of the flavor wheel, it corresponds to the age, in years, of that individual whisky. I can’t verify this for certain, but it has worked out in the few cases for which an age can indeed be verified, e.g. their famous 3-year-old.

[@michaellehner2164]

exactly they certainly do

[@davidb2701]

Yes, but don’t tell the others😂. It is a great whisky, so much fun😀

[@43005E]

@@davidb2701 Can never be sure of course😊, and I always consider any Compass Box offering that was in my price range. In my experience they price very fairly for the quality of what’s in the bottle, regardless of age. And I commend them for balancing their dedication to transparency and innovation against/alongside all the rules and regulations that come with being an alcohol producer. This policy doesn’t sell me on any one particular whisky, no matter how old the chart makes it out to be, but it does sell me on the integrity of the company as a whole. Naturally, I tend to enjoy their stuff.

[@arygerman6122]

I don’t know if the batch variation accounts for the mark but I have the July 2021 batch and it is a whole lot better than 84. Closer to 90 for me.

[@timkempisty258]

Second comment... and this has to do with blending. I've started an infinity bottle. At the moment, it's all bourbon matured (with maybe a stray virgin oak cask in there somewhere)... and I'm actually a little wary of adding anything too far outside that style. So far, the parts all play nicely together and I can still pick them out. I feel like I shouldn't worry about throwing a little smoke or a touch of a favorite sherry bomb in there, but I do worry that would mess it up. I'm not sure that's quite the intended spirit behind doing an infinity bottle... but I truly know nothing about doing this. So long as I don't end up with a dump bucket.

[@DUNK007]

I suggest you do a test by pouring a sample of the infinity and then adding a proportionally small amount of what you are thinking of adding. Give it some time to marry and then taste it. Alternatively you can always start a second infinity bottle !

[@ysdadlon4294]

I was able to grab a bottle of this early December, ‘22. And now I’m just waiting for “summer breeze”. It is too cold here in South Korea.

[@biged3408]

Rally, you have mentioned it takes time (years?) to develop your nose and palate. How often should one sample single malts towards gaining an appreciation, once a day? Once a week? Any guidelines for someone relatively new to single malts?

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . entirely a personal decision. Best not to rush the 'knowledge'.

[@biged3408]

@@thewhiskybothy Quality over quantity….

[@Ex0rz]

Seems like a decent malt for the price. Would fetch a bottle if it was sold here in Finland, but sadly cant find it here. Didn't Compass Box try to give out the full contents of one of their blends a few years back? They got sued for breaking the law or something like that if I recall right... I wish they would allow more transparency when it comes to blends and NAS whiskies.

[@stevelambeer8874]

Nice to see Ralfie review a NAS... I absolutely love this one, great value for money, wonderful sipper.

[@roberthodge6711]

Thanks, Ralfy! Are there any blended whiskies that you hold in high regard (perhaps in the 88-90 range)? It would be good to know.

[@marcdedecker3400]

He said so in the beginning with regards to Green Label. The older (circa 2012) version was the best and he scored it 89pts if memory serves.

[@TasmaniaIsAHole]

Smokey Joe is a nice peaty blended malt. Douglas Laing's "Rock Island", "Timorous Beastie" and "The Gauldrons" blends are great value. The old Famous Grouse age statement blended malts are fantastic as well. The 21yo is particularly amazing. Might be a little hard to find these days though. Compass Box generally make good blends too so if you identify a flavour profile and/or distillery that makes up most of the blend then you should be in good stead. Hope this helps.

[@roberthodge6711]

@@TasmaniaIsAHole Thank you for the recommendations!

[@roberthodge6711]

@@marcdedecker3400 Thanks, Marc. I suspect you can not find the old bottlings, so I’ll have to find alternatives.

[@TorNielsen124]

Over 12 years.....we have had our difference, blues & moment of pure malt delights...........this is the later 🧯♥️🥊

[@ianmason2296]

Paused this after 2 seconds just to say I love this whisky, now to see if Ralfy agrees

[@dennissmelly9599]

Is it possible to see the flavour wheel and cask chart before one buys ?

[@xiamengbaby]

Compass Box posts that info on their website.

[@cade5400]

Ralfy, how much do you normally pour the evaluate a whisky? I tend to pour about 15-20 mL as standard. I’ll do 30 mL occasionally. Very rarely I’ll pour 50-60 mL.

[@Mylatestdram]

I regain my believe in true value scotch again. I've shoot a 10yo. natural presented Glentauchers from a refill sherry butt with whopping 62,6% cask strength for just 50 silverlings yesterday.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . a result !

[@ironmantran]

I wonder how Orchard House would fair in blind tastings vs Glenfiddich ORCHARD vs DEWARs French Smooth (Calvados) ... (( ---- ANd I thought raising glasses high by them Master Blanders would raise the gravitational forces by a factor of 1.887763663737737 x and results in Earth pull of heavier molecules in the nectar . . . I AM SO WRONG ! lol ... ))

[@heisenbergguy7772]

I’m still enjoying the JW Green Label. It’s very tasty 😋

[@simongilbert2704]

i guessed 85 ;; close .

[@miserablerhurensohn]

Mine has a batch code that falls in between yours and the one they list before that.

[@mikeherren5604]

Ralfy thx for what you do. I have learned so much. Whats a good auction house in the states to use to find the sms I can’t find at any store like Springbank or Craigellachie. Thx a lot.

[@Watchman999]

I can’t get enough of this dram but they did change the recipe so maybe the new one isn’t as good. An integrity blended malt to be sure.

[@Baris-1]

I generally have a hard time stumbling upon good “fruity, zesty” whiskey. Seems like sweet/spicy/dried fruit notes are prevalent.

[@mickmac8182]

Great review as always Ralfy. Can I ask is it worth signing up to the SMWA? Been thinking of joining for a while. Would love your input. Thanks. 🥃

[@benjaminvermeylen3784]

I’m liking this a little more than you. Reminds me of the Hazelburn 10 and the Balvenie 12 Single Barrell.

[@cdakskid]

It's a shame that Johnny Walker Green Label has gone downhill. I haven't tried it in several years, but I remember it being quite good. Also, Costco used to sell it for $40 USD, which was a bargain.

[@robfut9954]

Seems a bit expensive for what it is, no?

[@carlossandiego7925]

Any idea how much it differs from batch to batch?

[@MrFranganito]

Just ordered a bottle of this one this morning, never tried it, hope is as good as it seems 😁

[@warbeard85]

Forgive my ignorance but what the hell is a whisky masterclass? Great review as always, thanks Ralfy

[@benmarnoch4111]

It’s when you go to a whisky festival, and pay a whole lot extra to go to a separate room and a brand ambassador talks you through another 4 or 5 whiskies specifically from one distillery. Obviously you get to sample them too. Takes about 45 mins then you return to the main festival.

[@warbeard85]

@@benmarnoch4111 sounds awful tbh I’d rather just taste whisky, make my own mind up and do my own research. Calling it a master class sounds really pompous as well. Thanks for the explanation

[@benmarnoch4111]

@@warbeard85 I'd say you are probably correct Geordie, you do get extra drams which aren't on the main show tables, but the tasting is always over priced and I find you waste a load of time on a handful of drams, when you could be sampling many more back outside. If you are a huge fan of a particular distillery it might be worth it, but I avoid them now.

[@shaoguangda3204]

Thought it was just me when i identified some peat in it, when I thought this whisky was fruit forward.

[@Raymaster7482]

That's a bottling where you get you money's worth! Btw: have you seen the new "cask draw and tasting experience" at Talisker? You get a warehouse tasting that contains of 5 drams for 150£ / person!!! No thank you...

[@jackharris4697]

You are a class act !!!!!!!!!

[@martywong822]

Ralfy, you miss the many circles on the information sheets. Those are the ages of all barrels. Hoops..... Did I just say something forbidden?

[@ninetyZeven]

I say give blended malts just the MALT mark, not a 'blended malt' mark. As they're all malt.

[@jaymciver9591]

If you watch enough of Ralfy's videos you'll know why he differentiates by the 'type' of mark he gives. Besides.... He's just one commentator... I'm sure there are lots of other commentators that don't differentiate between the 'type' of mark.

[@alpeshsoni35]

Thanks

[@alpeshsoni35]

Appreciate your like sir

[@majornut9728]

I realize I have to stop raising my glas to the "sun" to look at the color. ☺😂

[@piotrledochowski5824]

Greetings from Poland & MM: Magnificent Malt Minerals Milkers

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . now on the M-mention List, thanks !

[@Hellboy700]

I generally avoid blends these days. I bought a bottle of The Spice Tree from Compass Box for $70 US, and was mildly disappointed to be drinking a muted 'Deanston'. Guess what I am trying to say is, for $50 US I could have bought a bottle of Deanston 12 and had a much more enjoyable time. I know the debate and merits of single malts vs. blends. But in this day and age, blends just aren't offering any value vs most single malts. AND what's worse, is the blends in the bottle are falling short of what they once were. After having tried an old Johnny Walker Red from the 1980s in comparison to now, the difference is like looking at a photo where one is a well developed image with brilliant colors and sharp contrasts (old), and the other is an underdeveloped image with muted colors, and muddled lights and darks (new). I can only hope that companies like Compass Box take note and aim higher.

[@oliverdramgood8938]

I forgot... 35€ im Germany a must have

[@oliverdramgood8938]

@@DominikK45 than buy what you want. I love this bottle

[@bigzosso]

Good review but have I missed something here Ralfy? I thought you wouldn't review a whisky unless it had an age statement?

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . changed to including NAS reviews this year due to better quality and affordability.

[@Bo_Lew]

@@thewhiskybothy Glad to see this. Thanks, Ralfy!

[@MegaSodom]

Wow, first view on this video. Hi Ralfy.

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . hello !

[@MrPsiman]

I like Oak Cross better and I hope they bring it back with a new label and at 46%ABV. Spice Tree is also better and only $5 more and has a much more aged taste to it. Orchard House is too young tasting. If I want something that tastes young , college freshman is what I go for and they cost less

[@jayteegamble]

My sister gave me this for Xmas. I find it to be very fruity and a bit sour even. To be honest I'm not a fan.

[@clintondaseman5789]

Give it time...and add a drop or two of water.

[@lsmiii]

Do you have Daleks in your Bothy?

[@paulhoffman4712]

Where I live this option is more expensive than the Bunna 12yr old. Call me a purest but I would rather spend my money on a single malt like the Bunna 12 yr old. Just saying...

[@xiamengbaby]

I was thinking the same thing. Bunna 12, Deanston 12, Arran 10, Benromach 10, Glencadam 10 (the last two being fruity if trying to make it comparable) are all the same price or less than the Orchard House. I've only had a couple of the Compass Box offerings, the Glasgow Blend and the Spice Tree. The Spice Tree seemed kind of young and hot for a $60 bottle (that might be desirable when looking for a partner, but not a bottle of whisky 😆). The Glasgow Blend ($35) was ok for a blended whiskey, but I'd rather spend another $10 or $15 for a much better single malt.