Bimber Distillery and Compass Box, have announced the launch
of two new blended malt whiskies, which were created collaboratively by the two
London-based Whiskymakers.
Bimber Duality (54% ABV) was created using a peated
ex-Bourbon Bimber cask and a first-fill sherried malt from the Glendullan
Distillery. Compass Box Duality (52% ABV) was created using an intensely smoky teaspooned
whisky from the Ardbeg Distillery and a Pedro Ximénez Sherry matured Bimber
cask.
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| Bimber and Compass Box launch collaborative bottlings |
The Duality expressions are said to bring the tradition of generously trading casks to their homes in West London and have been crafted as an exploration of the symmetry and contrasts of sherry-matured whiskies and heavily peated malts.
Each is composed of components sourced from both England and
Scotland and strives to juxtapose youth and maturity with texture and intensity
to create new united harmonies.
Designed by Bimber’s Matt McKay and Compass Box’s James
Saxon, the two Duality releases were created with both Whiskymakers working in
tandem. The London-based partners explored a wide-range of component whiskies
from both Bimber’s growing warehouse and Compass Box’s extensive Scotch archive
– each selecting a distinctive sherried and peated element for their individual
Duality blended malts.
Commenting on the launch, Matt McKay from Bimber said: “It
has been a pleasure to create Duality with a team as passionate and inventive
as Compass Box. The end results speak not only to the mindsets and approaches
of both a distillery and a Whiskymaker in conjunction, but also to the
incredible versatility of the component malts which have been selected for
blending. The Bimber Duality bottling is the first time our London whisky has
been utilised in conjunction with malts from different distilleries – we’re
incredibly proud of the result and are delighted to have collaborated with
Compass Box to produce this duo of Dualities.”
James Saxon from Compass Box, added: “I’ve been a huge
admirer of Bimber since visiting in September 2020 – my first distillery tour
after lockdown! I have wanted to find a way to bring the attention to detail
and distinctiveness of Bimber’s spirits into a Compass Box project since that
day. Working with the Bimber team, we created Duality and a pair of releases to
celebrate our West London Whiskymaking connection. Duality is unlike anything
we have made at Compass Box before – the weight and texture the Bimber brings
to our heavily-peated Islay malt is truly compelling.”
Bimber Duality (limited to 340 bottles) and Compass Box
Duality (limited to 1,050 bottles) will be available from each brands website
from July 4th, for the respective RRP’s of £120.00 and £180.00.
Posted by Steve Rush