Monday, September 26, 2016

COMPASS BOX ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF TWO NEW LIMITED EDITION BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKIES

Compass Box, one of Scotland’s leading artisan whisky makers, has today announced the launch of two new limited edition blended Scotch whiskies.

Compass Box - Three Year Old Deluxe (49.2% ABV) Limited to 3,282 bottles, is comprised of 0.4% three year-old malt whisky produced near the village of Brora, 90.3% malt whisky of a different but considerably older age from the same distillery and 9.3% peaty malt whisky distilled on the Isle of Skye. Current regulations specify that only the age of the youngest component whisky may be shared with consumers through the description, presentation or labelling of the whisky, hence the name.

Compass Box - Three Year Old Deluxe & Spice Tree Extravaganza

Compass Box – Spice Tree Extravaganza (46% ABV) Limited to 12,240 bottles, has been released to mark the 10th anniversary of the original Spice Tree bottling being banned, due to its somewhat avant-garde approach to cask maturation. This latest limited edition reinterprets its original namesake through the use of older components and a significant portion of sherry-cask matured aged malt whisky.

Commenting on the launch of Compass Box - Three Year Old Deluxe, Compass Box Founder, John Glaser, said: ‘‘The style of the whisky is nothing like what most people will think of when they see the name.  The rich vanilla notes, waxiness and decadent baked orchard fruit notes from the larger parcel of Highland malt whisky provide a beautiful platform on top of which the brooding qualities of the peaty malt whisky and the clean, bright character of the three year old parcel are able to shine.”

Although they are unable to share details of the age of all the component whiskies through description, presentation or labelling, Compass Box believe they have found a solution to get the information they seek to share into the hands of interested consumers. Explaining their position, John Glaser said: “Our Scotch Whisky Transparency Campaign set out to effect a change in the regulations governing the way Scotch whisky is promoted – this would have been the neatest solution.  However, for several reasons – including, believe it or not, ‘Brexit’ – it looks unlikely that the industry will support such changes in the short-term. So we have found a legal workaround that allows us to achieve our primary goal – getting complete, clear and unbiased information into the hands of the people who are actively seeking it.”

He went on to say: "The legal advice we received is clear: while we must not actively promote the ages of the components used in our blends, we can provide information when we are asked for it by interested consumers.  So starting with our Limited Editions ‘Three Year Old Deluxe’ and ‘Spice Tree Extravaganza’ today and extending to our full range of whiskies from 1st November, we are simply asking interested consumers to get in touch with us by calling our office, emailing us, contacting us on social media or speaking to us at events.  The information is there, we’ll do all we can within the current regulations to share it with you – all you need to do is ask".

Commenting on the launch of Compass Box – Spice Tree Extravaganza, John Glaser, said: “One of the definitions of the word ‘extravaganza’ is ‘a literary or musical work marked by extreme freedom of style and structure’.  That’s a good way to think about this whisky.  As the name suggests, the liquid draws its inspiration from The Spice Tree but reinterprets it through the use of older components and a significant portion of sherry-cask matured aged malt whisky. In this way, The Spice Tree’s trademark spice character is retained but set within a richer, more elegant frame with a new depth of flavour and complexity.”

Compass Box - Three Year Old Deluxe and Spice Tree Extravaganza, will be available from October from specialist retailers for the respective RRP’s of £200.00 and £100.00.

Posted by Steve Rush