Compass Box launches peatiest whisky to date
Compass Box has released two new blended malts inspired by the concept of phenomenology, one of which is the independent bottler’s peatiest whisky to date.
The peated expression, called No Name, is comprised of liquid from three Islay distilleries, as well as a “touch of malt whisky finished in French oak”. A total of 15,000 bottles of No Name (48.9% abv) will be released worldwide, starting with Europe on 1 October 2017 and then rolling out to the US from 1 November 2017 at an RRP US$125. The second whisky, called Phenomenology, has been initially released without recipe information in order to “encourage drinkers to experience the whisky without preconceptions”. Compass Box will release the expression’s recipe and tasting notes in December 2017, however drinkers can request the information over email or social media at any time as long as they do not divulge it publicly. A total of 7,908 bottles of Phenomenology (46% abv) will be released worldwide, starting with Europe on 1 October 2017 and then rolling out to the US from 1 November 2017 at an RRP US$180. Both new blended malts have been designed to challenge a drinker’s “thinking about how a whisky is experienced and understood” through the theory of phenomenology – that is, sensory experiences. “Somehow, we saw a link between phenomenology and whisky,” said John Glaser, founder and whisky maker at Compass Box. “We’d long been working on a blend of single malts that combines seemingly dissonant flavour profiles, but together creates something compelling and, strictly speaking, unique. “We landed on a recipe that elicited a surprising range of reactions and descriptions from us, each person describing and taking away something different from the whisky. “Rather than try to settle on whose perceptions were ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, we were inspired by the phenomenological school of thought to consider how different people experience the same phenomenon. Could this approach, we mused, be applied to our ways of exploring, understanding and enjoying whisky?” In May this year, Compass Box launched the third edition of its Double Single blend – made from just one single grain whisky and one single malt.
