Compass Box

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by entrepreneurial visionary John Glaser, in London, England. After being in the wine industry, Glaser made the move to Diageo, where he came into the whisky industry. Compass Box is known to challenge convention and tradition in pursuit of whisky and its enjoyment. Located in a seemingly incongruous London, England, Compass Box is not a Scottish distiller but a blender of Scottish whiskies, combining the best casks from Islay, Speyside and the Highlands, and aging them in a variety of woods from sherry casks to toasted French oak. Glaser pushes the boundaries of innovation to new levels with his art of whisky-making. Seemingly uninhibited by the norms of the formidable Scottish whisky industry, Glaser has proven himself a true alchemist. In 2005, his aptitude for wine making prompted a disruptive experimental sensation; The Spice Tree release, a blended whisky made using inner staves, or wooden slats inserted into casks to enhance flavor. Wine-makers use this technique as a more economical way to add oak flavor wine.Compass Box Affinity is a unique blend of Calvados and Scotch whisky. Normandy and Scotland are both northern European known for their cool, maritime climates. While Scotland is known agriculturally for their cereals, Normandy is known principally for its apples. Orchard fruit notes are common to both Calvados and Scotch malt whisky. Many Calvados producers double-distill in pot stills, just like their Scottish cousins. Maturation in French oak is another aspect of their shared DNA. The result is a classic flavor combination of apples and spice riffing off dried fruits and vanilla. The Calvados imparts an intensity and lingering onto the character of the Scotch whiskies. The Calvados are sourced from Domaine Christian Drouin while the single malt is sourced from the Craigellachie Distillery in Speyside. This is then blended together with a proprietary combination of Highland single malts, finished with a blended Scotch of unknown origin.Pick up your bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Compass Box Hedonism is a unique blend of grain Scotch whisky. Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe, but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser.The Circle is based around a parcel of fruity and creamy single malt from the Tamdhu Distillery in Speyside. This is supported by malt whisky from the Clynelish Distillery. A touch of peated malt whisky from an Orkney distillery and a small proportion of a French oak-finished blended malt whisky complete this recipe. Pick up your bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been situated along Great King Street in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. The long, windy street was constructed in 1823 and is celebrated for the Georgian neo-classical architecture that surrounds it. Great King Street "represents the Enlightenment thinking of its day," says John Glaser, the founder of Compass Box Whisky Company, "which we feel is an appropriate connection to the sort of thinking we apply to whisky."Compass Box Great King Street Artists Blend Blended Scotch Whisky is a marriage of single malt Scotch whiskies from the Highlands and Speyside regions of Scotland, together with a single grain whisky from the Lowlands region of Scotland. "We believe it is time for the world to reconsider the joys of well-made blended Scotch whisky," says Glaser, who has earned Whisky Magazines Innovator of the Year Award four times. "That is why we have created Great King Street."In comparison to other blended whiskies, Great King Street is crafted using more malt whisky (over 50 percent) than grain whisky. "This provides more character and complexity"to the blend, says Glaser. In addition, the grain whisky used in the blend is the highest quality single grain whisky available and, having been matured for over 10 years, contributes much sweeter and richer flavors than traditional grain whiskies. Great King Street Scotch Whisky is also influenced by the three different types of casks in which the whisky matures: used, American oak barrels contribute notes of vanilla, cinnamon and woody spice to the whisky, while new, French oak barrels lend notes of marshmallow, roasted coffee and toasted biscuits and used sherry casks add touches of dried fruits and cherries. Once the whisky has been blended and matured together, each batch is bottled naturally without the use of any additives, coloring or chill filtration.Compass Box Great King Street Artists Blend Blended Scotch Whisky has an aroma of cinnamon, oak and dates, which open up to notes of creamy vanilla ice cream, poached pears and peaches on the palate. The sweet flavor of dried fruits is complemented by waves of cinnamon, woody spice and white pepper, and leads to a smooth, soft finish. "By applying the same skill, techniques and philosophy that we use for the Compass Box signature range of whiskies, Great King Street offers a style and approach to Blended Scotch that has not existed before," says Glaser. Great King Street earned a score of 91 points from Whisky Advocate, which named it the Blended Whisky of the Year in 2012."Great King Street is a new and compelling alternative for both whisky enthusiasts who ordinarily drink only malt whiskies, and for whisky novices. We call it a "craft blend."Try a craft, blended Scotch whisky today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been situated along Great King Street in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. The long, windy street was constructed in 1823 and is celebrated for the Georgian neo-classical architecture that surrounds it. Great King Street represents the Enlightenment thinking of its day, says John Glaser, the founder of Compass Box Whisky Company, which we feel is an appropriate connection to the sort of thinking we apply to whisky.Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Blended Scotch Whisky is dedicated to applying a more contemporary approach to the creation of blended scotch whiskies in the full-flavored style of the late 19th century, says Glaser, who has earned Whisky Magazines Innovator of the Year Award four times.The whisky is composed of a blend of 67 percent malt whisky from Islay, Speyside and Highlands regions of Scotland, together with 33 percent grain whisky from a Lowland distillery in Fife. The Islay malt (approximately 20 percent of the blend) comes from a distillery on the south shore of the island, and is vatted with a fruity malt from the village of Brora and a rich, sherried Speyside malt from the Aberlour region (approximately 33 percent of the blend). The whiskies have matured in a combination of first-fill sherry casks, first-fill and refill ex-bourbon barrels and new French oak casks. As a result of this unique blend, Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Blended Scotch Whisky has an aroma of peaty smokiness that is underpinned with touches of pomegranate juice, citrus and plums. Notes of sherry, berries and citrus dominate the palate, and lead to a full, round finish with a touch of sweetness.Great King Street is a new and compelling alternative for both whisky enthusiasts who ordinarily drink only malt whiskies, and for whisky novices, says Glaser. We call it a craft blend.Try a craft, blended Scotch whisky today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Compass Box Hedonism is a unique blend of grain Scotch whisky. Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe, but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser.Hedonism is a blend of grain whiskies, each of which has matured for a minimum of eight years and a maximum of fifteen years. "We only produce Hedonism once or twice per year, depending on our ability to source the quality casks we require," says Glaser. Generally, the whisky is sourced from five different distilleries, including Cameron Bridge, Carsebridge, Cambus, Port Dundas and Dumbarton. Once the whiskies are married together, they are aged for an additional two years in first-fill American oak casks or rejuvenated American oak hogshead casks. "Steps like these enhance complexity, flavour integration and soft mouthfeel," says Glaser. "Extra steps, but we think theyre worth it."Compass Box Hedonism has an aroma of ripe fruits (particularly apricots and peaches), along with touches of sponge cake and caramel. The palate is full-bodied and robust, with notes of red pepper mingled together with notes of toffee, coconuts and vanilla cream. The finish is smooth and warming, with a touch of cloves and spices that linger. The whisky was named the "Worlds Best Grain Whisky" twice by Whisky Magazine."We believe that great Scotch grain whisky is the little-known treasure of the Scotch whisky industry," says Glaser. Pick up a bottle today!

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by entrepreneurial visionary John Glaser, in London, England. After being in the wine industry, Glaser made the move to Diageo, where he came into the whisky industry. Compass Box is known to challenge convention and tradition in pursuit of whisky and its enjoyment. Located in a seemingly incongruous London England, Compass Box is not a Scottish distiller but a blender Scottish whiskies, combining the best casks from Islay, Speyside and the Highlands, and aging them in a variety of woods from sherry casks to toasted French oak.Glaser pushes the boundaries of innovation to new levels with his art of whisky-making. Seemingly uninhibited by the norms of the formidable Scottish whisky industry, Glaser has proven himself a true alchemist. In 2005, his aptitude for wine making prompted a disruptive experimental sensation; The Spice Tree release, a blended whisky made using inner staves, or wooden slats inserted into casks to enhance flavor. Wine-makers use this technique as a more economical way to add oak flavor wine.Compass Box are strong advocates for quality cask selection. They use only whiskies in their blends that are aged in first-fill American oak casks which tend to yield more vanilla character, richness and sweetness than the traditionally used casks in Scotch maturation. They also use a high a malt content, differentiating themselves from most Scotch whisky producers.This whisky is inspired by Juveniles Bistrot Vins in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris, that for over 30 years, has been a crossroads for winemakers, spirits producers, writers and various sorts of affable hedonists from all over the world. The restaurant was opened by Tim Johnston in 1987. This whisky is a bright smooth marriage of whiskies between 12 and 15 years- old, comprised of single malt whiskies from Strathmill, Balmenach and Clynelish distilleries, each bringing a distinctiveness to the whole.Pick up your bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe, but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser.Bottled at 46 percent and blended by Lead Whiskymakers: Jill Boyd and James Saxon, this single malt whisky was distilled near the village of Edderton at the Balblair Distillery, Northern Highlands. The blend is comprised of 42.3 percent Recharred American Oak Barrels imparting notes of lemon sherbet, cereals, floral notes and 57.7 percent first fill bourbon barrels which imparts notes of peaches, salted caramel, pink grapefruit. Pick up your bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe, but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser.This whisky is comprised of well-regarded malt whiskies, a combination of barrels from the Glen Elgin Distillery near the village of Longmorn, Speyside. These remarkable barrels impart notes of tropical fruit and butterscotch. Myths and Legends II is further enriched by a deep and enchantingly aromatic smoke profile.Pick up your bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe, but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser. This blend is comprised of single malt whiskies distilled near the village of Longmorn (Glen Elgin), near the village of Port Askaig (Caol Ila), and single malt whisky from Orkney (Highland Park). Expect bright notes of papaya, mango and butterscotch meld with aromatic and assertive peatiness. Pick up your bottle today!

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by entrepreneurial visionary John Glaser, in London, England. After being in the wine industry, Glaser made a move to Diageo, where he came into the whisky industry. Compass Box is known to challenge convention and tradition in pursuit of "whisky and its enjoyment." Located in a seemingly incongruous London England, Compass Box is not a Scottish distiller but a blender of Scottish whiskies, combining the best casks from Islay, Speyside and the Highlands, and aging them in "a variety of woods from sherry casks to toasted French oak."Glaser pushes the boundaries of innovation to new levels with his art of "whisky-making." Seemingly uninhibited by the norms of the formidable Scottish whisky industry, Glaser has proven himself a true alchemist. In 2005, his aptitude for winemaking prompted a disruptive experimental sensation; The Spice Tree release, a blended whisky made using inner staves, or wooden slats inserted into casks to enhance flavor. Wine-makers use this technique as a more economical way to add oak flavor wine. This No Name No. 2 limited edition comes after the original No Name released in 2017, which was known then as the companys peatiest whisky to date. No Name No. 2 is a blend of predominantly refill Sherry butt-matured Caol Ila, and Talisker matured in re-charred American oak hogsheads. The blend also includes Clynelish whisky matured in hogsheads, with a proprietary Highland malt blend finished in new French oak.Bottled at 48.9 percent ABV, No Name No. 2 is incredibly intricate, with a sophisticated peatiness and notes dried fruit and red cherries. Created by lead whisky maker Jill Boyd, No Name No. 2 is potent yet refined with an interplay of peaty evolving toward a long, satisfying finish.Pick up your bottle today!

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by entrepreneurial visionary John Glaser, in London, England. After being in the wine industry, Glaser made the move to Diageo, where he came into the whisky industry. Compass Box is known to challenge convention and tradition in pursuit of whisky and its enjoyment. Located in a seemingly incongruous London England, Compass Box is not a Scottish distiller but a blender Scottish whiskies, combining the best casks from Islay, Speyside and the Highlands, and aging them in a variety of woods from sherry casks to toasted French oak. Glaser pushed the boundaries of innovation to new levels with his art of whiskymaking, by producing his innovative French New Oak casks heads, made by a small mill in France that produces high quality cooperatione oak. Through sheer alchemy, this experimental secondary maturation of malt whiskies give Compass Box blends a complexity of character different than most Scottish Whiskies. 40 percent of the whisky in Oak cross is finished with this technique. Oak Cross is part of the Signature Range of Compass Box with clove and fruity characteristics. This Highland blend contains 60 percent malt whisky from the villages of Brora, giving the blend its fruity character. It is also 20 percent malt whisky from the village of Carron which contributes to the blends meaty quality, and 20 percent malt whisky from Alness, providing the expression with perfumed fragrant notes. For the primary maturation stage, all of the whiskies are aged in a variety of American oak casks. The 60 percent of this blend that is not re-casked in the hybrid barrels is matured for an extra 6 months in first fill American standard oak barrels. The marrying casks are a mix of first fill Bourbon Barrels and their proprietary Oak Cross casks made of American and new French oaks.Pick up a bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Compass Box is a unique blend of grain Scotch whisky. Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe, but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser. They are strong advocates for quality cask selection. They use only whiskies in their blends that are aged in first-fill American oak casks which tend to yield more vanilla character, richness and sweetness than the traditionally used casks in Scotch maturation. They also use a high malt content, differentiating themselves from most Scotch whisky producers.Their limited edition range is based on rare whiskies and allows them to constantly be creative. Rogues Banquet is a blended Scotch whisky that is the first expression to come as a celebration of their 20th anniversary. It has been crafted from malt whiskies from Miltonduff, Clynelish, and Glen Elgin distilleries, as well as grain whisky from North British Distillery. It was bottled at 92 proof with no chill filtering or artificial coloring. This release is limited to a total of 5,267 bottles.Pick one up today!

First launched in 2005, Compass Box Whisky Co.s Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky was discontinued in 2006 as a result of a legal threat by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). "The issue revolved around the SWAs interpretation of the law regarding traditional practices"in the production of Scotch, says John Glaser, the founder of Compass Box. Glaser was using French Sessile oak stave inserts in order to enhance the flavor of his aging whisky. "Alas, the SWA heard about what we were doing and decided they needed to stop us. They suggested that our technique of using high quality oak wasnt appropriate for making Scotch and threatened to take us to court." Glaser suspended production of Spice Tree Whisky for four years, during which he worked with woodsman in France and coopers in Scotland to produce a new type of cask that would do justice to the original Spice Tree Whisky he produced.Today, Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a blend of 10 12 year old single malt Scotch whiskies sourced from distilleries situated in the northern Highlands region of Scotland (primarily Clynelish, Dailuaine, Longmorn, and Teaninich). After sourcing the whisky, Glaser blends the single malts together and then ages the blend for an additional two years in custom-made first-fill bourbon hogsheads casks.Rather than use the flat stave inserts that got him in trouble earlier, Glaser worked with an oak supplier in France and a cooper in Scotland to develop a method for creating heavily toasted cask heads which impart a flavor profile similar to the flat staves used for the original Spice Tree bottlings. "The cask heads have three different levels of toasting," says Glaser, "allowing us to blend the resultant whiskies to create additional layers of complexity." After aging the blend for an additional two years, each batch of Compass Box Spice Tree Whisky is brought to proof and bottled.Spice Tree Blended Malt Scotch Whisky has an aroma of ginger, cinnamon and clove, which give way to bold notes of vanilla, malt, and brown sugar, along with a hint of dried fruits. The finish, which is long and satisfying, is well-balanced between sweet notes of vanilla and spicy notes of cinnamon and allspice.Spice Tree Whisky earned 95.5 points from Jim Murrays Whisky Bible, and earned the title "Best Scotch New Brand" in 2011.Pick up a bottle today!

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by entrepreneurial visionary John Glaser, in London, England. After being in the wine industry, Glaser made the move to Diageo, where he came into the whisky industry. Compass Box is known to challenge convention and tradition in pursuit of whisky and its enjoyment. Located in a seemingly incongruous London England, Compass Box is not a Scottish distiller but a blender Scottish whiskies, combining the best casks from Islay, Speyside and the Highlands, and aging them in a variety of woods from sherry casks to toasted French oak. Glaser pushes the boundaries of innovation to new levels with his art of whiskymaking. Seemingly uninhibited by the norms of the formidable Scottish whisky industry, Glaser has proven himself a true alchemist. In 2005, his aptitude for wine making prompted a disruptive experimental sensation; The Spice Tree release, a blended whisky made using inner staves, or wooden slats inserted into casks to enhance flavor. Wine-makers use this technique as a more economical way to add oak flavor wine. The Spice Tree blend used oak staves from 195-year-old forests, that were seasoned for two years, heavily toasted to Glasers specifications, and inserted into oak barrels. Although the release was well received by the public, the technique used to make the whisky received much scrutiny from the SWA. It was eventually banned from the market. Glaser eventually developed a new method of adding flavor, by inserting toasted new oak French cask heads into the barrels. With this revision of methodology, Spice Tree re-emerged onto the market in 2009. Compass Boxs Spice Tree Extravaganza release is a Highland blend, inspired by their controversial signature range classic, with the trademark Spice Tree ginger and clove spice character. It is composed of malt whiskies from the Glen Ord, Benrinnes, Clynelish, Dailuaine, Teaninich, and Allt a Bhainne distilleries. The blend is then aged in hybrid, ex-bourbon barrels. A significant portion of the blend is sherry-cask aged, infused with decadent notes of dark berries, juicy red fruit and dark brown sugar, the finish is long and spicy.Pick up a bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Compass Box Hedonism is a unique blend of grain Scotch whisky. Nearly a century ago, grain whiskies were common across Europe but were overtaken in terms of popularity when the larger distilleries in Scotland began focusing on single malt whisky. "When good Scotch grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, the results can be stunning," says Glaser.This special expression consists of one-year-old grain spirit from Girvan which was aged in experimental American oak barrels before being put into a refill hogshead for safekeeping. This whisky celebrates ten years of collaboration with the package design company Stranger and Stranger. This intricate and fascinating limited edition has aromas and flavors reminiscent of custard and dark sugars, fresh apple and an appealing herbal character. Pick up your bottle today!

"For those who love big, rich smoky-peaty whiskies, this is for you," says Jon Glaser, the founder of Compass Box Whisky Co. Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky has been committed to making blended scotch whisky more relevant and approachable. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity," says Glaser, who is one of the most progressive and innovative blenders of his generation.Compass Box Whisky Co.s The Peat Monster is made from a blend, or vatting, of single malt whiskies from Islay (50 percent), Speyside (30 percent) and the Islands (20 percent) that are each between 10 and 16 years old. The Islay single malt whiskies are predominantly from Caol Ila and Laphroaig, while the Speyside single malt is sourced from Ardmore Distillery (the source of the Island single malt remains a mystery).Caol Ila DistilleryNestled in a hidden cove near Port Askaig, Caol Ila Distillery (pronounced "Cull Eela,") was founded in 1846 by Hector Henderson. It borrows its name, which means "The Sound of Islay" in ancient Gaelic, from the sea sweeping past its dramatic and almost hidden location it is situated between a steep cliff and the eastern shores of the Sound of Islay. For over a century, small coal-fired boats known as puffers navigated the Sound and brought barley, coal and casks to the distillery. Although the puffers no longer exist, Caol Ila continues to use locally malted barley and pure spring water sourced from Loch Nam Ban (the water travels through limestone and peat before reaching the distillery) in order to produce its single malt whisky.Unlike other distilleries on Islay, Caol Ila intentionally distills its whisky through copper-pot stills that are less full in order to maximize contact between the whisky and copper. As a result, the whisky has a cleaner and crisper flavor profile, while still retaining the notes of peat and smoke that are characteristic of Islay single malts.Laphroaig DistillerySituated on the southern coast of Islay, Laphroaig (pronounced La-froyg) Distillery was founded nearly two centuries ago by Donald and Alexander Johnston. For approximately 150 years, the distillery remained in the hands of the Johnson family. In 1954, however, Sandy Johnson died childless and left the distillery to one of its managers.Laphroaig Single Malt Whisky one of the most strongly flavored whiskies made anywhere in the world is heavily influenced by the geography and climate in which it is distilled and matured. For instance, the peat used to dry barley at Laphroaig Distillery has high concentrations of moss, which gives the whisky an intensely smoky flavor profile. In addition, the whisky matures on the shores of Loch Laphroaig, and as a result, has a subtle undertone of tang and salt that complement its notes of smoke and peat.Ardmore DistillerySitting in the verdant Aberdeenshire countryside not far from the Grampian mountains, Ardmore Distillery was founded in 1898 by Adam Teacher. Today, the distillery remains one of the few distilleries outside of Islay that continues to peat each expression of its single malt whisky. After sourcing the finest Scottish barley, Ardmore dries it over natural, highland peat fires (the peat is sourced from New Pitsligo and St. Fergus Moss, the same peat mosses that the distillery has been using for over a century). Once the barley has been malted and peated, it is fermented in wooden fermentation tanks made of Oregon Pine before being twice-distilling through Ardmores copper pot stills."What makes The Peat Monster fit perfectly into the Compass Box house style," says Glaser, "is the balance of richness and subtle sweetness that the casks of Speyside malt provide to the smoky, peaty Islay and Island malts."After sourcing each of the single malts, Compass Box Whisky Co. marries the whiskies together for a few months in refill American oak casks before bottling each batch. Compass Boxs The Peat Monster has a intensely peaty nose, reminiscent of beach bonfires. The initial notes of smoke are balanced by a hint of fruitiness and lead to a subtle yet lingering finish.The Peat Monster earned a score of 90-95 points from Wine Enthusiast and a score of 94 points from Whisky Advocate, which also named the whisky "Scotch Whisky Blend of the Year."Pick up a bottle today!

Since its inception in 2000, Compass Box Whisky Company has been stewarded by John Glaser, one of the most progressive and innovative whisky blenders of his generation. "Like a winemaker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity by blending whisky," says Glaser, who was named "Innovator of the Year" four times by Whisky Magazine and "Pioneer of the Year" twice by Malt Advocate. While Glaser initially began his career in the industry as a marketing agent, he quickly realized that by blending quality whiskies, he was able to create a product that was greater than the sum of its rare parts.Compass Box pushes the boundaries of innovation to new levels with their art of whisky-making. Seemingly uninhibited by the norms of the formidable Scottish whisky industry, Glaser has proven himself a true alchemist. In 2005, his aptitude for winemaking prompted a disruptive experimental sensation; The Spice Tree release, a blended whisky made using inner staves, or wooden slats inserted into casks to enhance flavor. Wine-makers use this technique as a more economical way to add oak flavor wine.Inspired by an eponymously named bespoke whisky they recently created for a bar in New York City called The Spaniard, Compass Box decided to explore the sherried style further to create a new whisky for the Compass Box permanent range. The name is a nod to Glasers chance encounter with a man in the South of Spain, where he was introduced to Sherry for the first time. For this expression, 48 percent of the whiskies have been aged in ex-Sherry casks and 25 percent in ex-Spanish red wine casks.Pick up your bottle today!