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Compass Box The Circle No. 2
A whisky brought to you by synaesthesia. The Circle’s Sherry-aged warmth and bright tropical aromas perfectly capture the taste of the colour coral. Made in collaboration with The Circle 2019 winner, Mannie Monaghan.
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Compass Box The Extinct Blends Quartet Delos
The Extinct Blends Quartet
Fashions change, and formulae suit. Blended whiskies of the 1970s, ’80s, and ‘90s are very different from today’s versions, even when the brand name remains the same. The Extinct Blends Quartet as it unfolds will reimagine four of our favorite blended Scotches from yesteryear, using some of our rarest and most idiosyncratic stocks of whisky.
Delos
Following on the Ultramarine, the series continues with Delos. This whisky takes its name from the Island said to be the birthplace of Apollo in Greek mythology and is modeled on one of our own lost whiskies: Asyla.
With Delos, we have focused on capturing Asyla’s vibrancy and soothing sweetness, turning to older stocks to achieve this. First created in 2001, Asyla was the ethereally beautiful cornerstone of our cote range until its retirement in 2018. ‘Asyla’ is the plural form of the word ‘asylum’ and suggests places of safety, sanctuary, or retreat; a glass of this delicate, American-oak accented blended Scotch always felt like a holiday to us.
Littered with mosaics and ruined ancient temples, the island of Delos embodies the ideal of a beautiful, classical sanctuary. It is the perfect name for a whisky that reimagines Asyla using antique, rarefied components. Malt whiskies from the Glen Elgin, Imperial, and Miltonduff distilleries – all from American oak barrels – bring enticing exotic fruit and vanilla notes while lush and fragrant grain whisky preserves the delicate mouthfeel that was Asyla’s hallmark.
Like the antique mosaics of the Greek islands, too many pieces are missing to restore Asyla to our range permanently. However, the liquid contained within Delos allows us a brief escape to a new island paradise that is nevertheless familiarly sumptuous and meditative.
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Compass Box The Peat Monster Cask Strength
Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch, Whisky/Whiskey, Cask Strength Whiskey, Brands, Compass Box, AlcoholWhile The Peat Monster may boast purely Scottish ancestry, this is a whisky born in the USA. To mark its 20th birthday, and to celebrate America’s influence on Scotch whisky more broadly, we have brought The Peat Monster back to where it all began.
We originally created a peaty whisky called Monster for the Goldstein family at Park Avenue Liquor Shop in New York City, in 2003. It turned out to be so popular that we created a new batch, renamed it The Peat Monster and it joined our core range. The Peat Monster – like most Scottish whiskies – owes its maturation vessels to the US whisk(e)y industry and its practice of using casks only once. To highlight the art of America cooperating even further, we have finished part of the whisky used for this special Limited Edition in seasoned American oak barrels, made for us in Missouri. You will notice an increased presence of vanilla and cinnamon notes compared to The Peat Monster you may be familiar with.
Finally, whisky enthusiasts across the Pond tend to prefer higher ‘proof’ liquors, so we offer this expression of complex pettiness at cask strength. We are confident that fans of our releases in other parts of the world will be pleased, too! Wherever you enjoy your whisky, join us in toasting two decades of The Peat Monster and the close whisky-making ties linking Scotland with America.
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Compass Box Ultramarine Blended Scotch
Ultramarine launches the Extinct Blends Quartet and is our reimagining of a deluxe Scotch that emerged in the late 1980s. The first few batches of this iconic whisky were based around characterful stocks of malt and grain, drawn from Scotland’s Whisky Loch of the late 70s and early 80s. While still a fascinating product toady, a compelling antique quality can be found in the earliest bottlings.
Meaning ‘beyond the sea’, Ultramarine builds upon peated malts, Sherry maturation, and bold creamy grain whisky. Like the three releases that will follow, we have used our imagination and extremely tasty parcels of whisky to offer modern interpretations on great blended Scotch of the past.
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Compass Box Vellichor
Vellichor, n – the scent of second-hand bookshops
On discovering this marvelous new word, we began a quest to recreate the fragrance using Scotch whisky. Parcels were considered, identified, and pursued. The process can be compared to scouring second-hand bookshops for specific volumes.
Our search met with success when a distiller and bottler in the north of Scotland offered us casks of whiskies which had been blended together in the past, before being returned to ex-Sherry butts for further maturation. Whiskies, like old books, contain their own stories.
We combined these Sherry-matured stocks with bold and mature malt whiskies from the Macallan, Highland Park, and Caol Ila distilleries. The aroma is highly evocative for anyone with a fondness for books; the taste evolves and intensifies as any good political thriller or historical romance should.
A tribute to the storytelling potential of blended Scotch whisky, and the atmospheres of our favourite book stores.
Bottled at 44.6% ABV
Not chill-filtered
Natural colour
Lead Whiskymaker: James Saxon