Spirit of the Trail #5: Tolmie Peak Lookout & Compass Box Spice Tree

It’s summer, and we all want an escape from the isolation of our homes, so what better time to (safely) explore some trails and whiskies? In my Spirit of the Trail series, I pair a trail experience (hike/run/race) with a whiskey. The pairing may be based on the physical trail itself or a specific situation that occurred on that adventure. The goal of this post is to capture the spirit (sorrynotsorry) of the experience of both trail and whiskey. Hopefully you learn something new – I want to inspire exploration out on the trails and in your glass!

After tasting this whisky and hearing the brilliant blender, Jill Boyd, speak at a recent Women Who Whisky event, I knew just the perfect trail to pair with it!

The Trail:

The Tolmie Peak Lookout (Ashford, WA) sits atop Tolmie Peak in Mount Rainier National Park. The trailhead is near Mowich Lake, and is a total of seven and a half miles in length with roughly 1,100 feet of elevation gain. It rambles through the forest, with a steady gain over a spicy, root-laden trail that keeps you focused. A few miles up the trail, Eunice Lake appears. If you look up, you can see the lookout from the lake (and wonder about how much elevation is left.) After some wildflower-lined switchbacks, you finally reach the top, with Mount Rainier majestically dominating the view.

Fun Trail Fact:

I’ve hiked this trail a few times to watch sunset, and it’s always been a memorable experience. The first time we caught a very brief cloud inversion before the view was obscured by fog. On the hike down in the dark, we saw glowing eyes in the dark, and feared it was a bear, so we yelled at it. Thankfully, we were safe from ursine threats, but we probably gave that poor deer a heart attack. The second sunset hike was in perfect weather and the alpenglow was stunning!

The Whisky:

Compass Box Spice Tree (Scotland) is a blended malt whisky* that is exploring a traditional product in a non-traditional way. (Not unlike visiting a well-loved trail during a different time of day!) It starts off with wood flavors, just like the beginning of the trail. Clove and baking spices hit you next, like going up that spicy climb. It warms in the mouth, like golden hour at sunset. Finally, it mellows out with some vanilla, and leaves hints of orange zest and honey, like the fading light of the day. The finish is long with the spice lingering like the descent back down towards the trailhead.

Fun Whisky Fact:

The barrels used for maturation of this whisky are unique in that they’re a hybrid – an unusual offering in the strictly regulated Scotch whisky world. The cask heads (top/bottom flat part of the barrel) are made of French oak, and the staves (body) are made of American oak (ex-bourbon). Each oak species adds different flavors to a whisky during maturation, and this combo makes the most of that opportunity.

Here’s to more adventures out on the trail and in your glass. Sláinte!

*A note on blended malt whisky: This is just a specific classification of whisky that tells you it’s still made of barley, but instead of coming from one distillery (like a single malt whisky), it’s sourced from multiple distilleries. There are also other blends that include grain whiskies (not barley), but if you see “malt” on the label, that means barley. Blended doesn’t mean a lesser quality, it’s just a specific approach to this delightful beverage. If you’re interested, check out these details from Compass Box that explain more about what went into this specific bottling.