Compass Box Signature Range...

Asyla

Bottled by

Compass Box

ABV

40%

Size

70cl

Price

£25.95

Region

Speyside

Bin No

W190

The secret to making Asyla is the quality of the casks. We use only whiskies aged in first-fill American oak casks because these yield whiskies with more vanilla character, more richness and more sweetness than refill casks.

There is no other blended Scotch whisky on the market that uses whiskies of this quality. Also, there are few blended Scotches that use 50% malt whisky as we do (all un-peated malt whiskies). The result is a carefully crafted, elegant Scotch whisky that makes the perfect aperitif.

Flavour Descriptors: Sweet, delicate and very smooth on the palate, with flavours of vanilla-cream, cereals and a subtle apple-like fruit character.

Recommendations: Ideal as an aperitif served in a white wine or similar glass with chilled water to taste. Try before a meal with shavings of Parmigianno Reggiano.

Distillery Sourcing: Malt whiskies: Linkwood, Glen Elgin, Teaninich. Grain whisky: Cameron Bridge.

The Peat Monster

Bottled by

Compass Box

ABV

46%

Size

70cl

Price

£29.25

Region

Islay

Bin No

W197

A malt whisky for real peat heads, and for lovers of complex, multi-layered whiskies. What makes it fit into the Compass Box house style is the balance of richness and subtle sweetness that the old casks of Ardmore provide to the smoky-peaty Islay malts.

This is the great benefit of combining single malts from different distilleries. We are not limited to the produce of one distillery. Like a wine maker blending grape varieties, we can create layers of complexity. And, as of late 2007, they are introducing even more complexity by adding some south shore Islay malt to enhance the peatiness and earthiness.

As with all their whiskies, several months of marrying before bottling allow the flavours of each of the whiskies to knit together.

Flavour Descriptors: Rich and loaded with flavour: a bacon-fat smokiness, full-blown peat, a maltiness, hints of fruit and spice. The finish is very long, echoing peat and smoke for several minutes.

Recommendations: A fantastic late-night digestif malt whisky. Also suitable for taking the chill off a cold day. Excellent with blue vein cheeses.

Distillery Sourcing: Islay single malts from the village of Port Askaig as well as some south shore whisky (as of late 2007); and Ardmore. All aged from 10-16 years.

Oak Cross

Bottled by

Compass Box

ABV

43%

Size

70cl

Price

£27.95

Region

Highland

Bin No

W191

Compass Box work with a small mill in France that produces some of the highest quality cooperage oak in the world. It was their work with this mill that led them to experimenting with secondary maturation of malt whiskies in casks fitted with new French oak heads.

This is something no one else in Scotland does. The result is malt whisky with more character and complexity. They use this technique on about 50% of the malt whisky in Oak Cross and it results in a superior finished product.

Nose: the spiced French oak has been cleverly tamed thanks to an understated lustre to the barley.

Taste: such delicate fruit, not entirely unlike Payne's Raisin Poppets, then an oak surge towards the middle; throughout subtle spices pop and tickle around the palate. The oak/spice/barley/fruit ratio is just about perfect.

Finish: some wonderful semi-dry marzipan at the death is cloaked in cocoa.

Balance: a vatting of exceptionally high class malts which have embraced the oak without ever yielding to it. Superb! Ignore entirely the instructions on the back to add ice, water or whatever: this is genius whisky that must be drunk exactly as nature intended.

94 Points: Jim Murray's Whisky Bible