Compass Box Whisky - Hedonism & Peat Monster

John Glaser

Compass Box Whisky was established by John Glaser, an American winemaker with a passion for Scotch whisky. After working for many years in the wine industry he changed careers and ended up as the marketing director for Johnnie Walker in London. Over time, he developed a unique perspective on both the creation and the marketing of Scotch whisky, and in 2000 created the Compass Box Whisky Company. From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland's finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the standards for quality and style in the industry. As he says: "Our role at Compass Box is to nurture the roots of tradition in order to grow the possibilities." Today, John Glaser is considered one of the most respected whiskymakers of his generation and his company is a four-time winner of Whisky Magazine's Innovator of the Year award.

In this two-part series, we will explore the highly acclaimed Compass Box whiskies and give you a closer look at what makes them so unique. We'll start off with two of our favorites:

Compass Box "Hedonism" Blended Grain Scotch Whisky

"Hedonism" is an limited edition bottling of grain whiskies - a rare find in the Scotch whisky world. About 100 years ago, grain whisky brands were more common, but their production dwindled as blended Scotch became more popular. Today, most grain whisky gets blended into the big brand names, typically at young ages. However, Compass Box has sourced very old casks of Scotch grain whisky from Cameron Bridge, Carsebridge and Cambus which have been matured in first-fill American oak barrels or rejuvenated American oak Hogsheads for fourteen to twenty-nine years. They have been carefully blended together to create a rich, textured whisky with with intriguing flavors of vanilla, toasted coconut, pecan and toffee on the nose and palate.
 
Compass Box "Peat Monster" Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
94 Points - Malt Advocate
 
Compass Box "Peat Monster" is an award-winning malt whisky blended from Islay single malts from the village of Port Askaig, an Islay south shore malt, a smoky malt from the Isle of Mull and a medium-peated Speyside malt. The blend is then matured in a mix of first-fill and refill American oak for several months to fully integrate the flavors and enhance the complexity and soft mouthfeel of the final product. Big, bold and intense, "Peat Monster" boasts pronounced notes of peat smoke accented by hints of dried fruit and spice.

Visit us next week to find out more about "Asyla", "Oak Cross" and "Great King St. Artist's Blend"!

Cheers from DrinkUpNY!