Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Two New Limited Edition Scotches from Compass Box Whisky

Matt Domino
By

two new limited edition scotches from compass box whisky whidkey
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Here at The Manual, we keep a close eye on the innovators and creative thinkers in the world of whiskey. That’s why we are always interested in what is going on at Compass Box Whisky.

Compass Box is Scotland’s leading independent whisky maker. We’ve interviewed founder and lead whisky maker, John Glaser (not to be confused with Jon Glaser) and think he is one of brightest minds in the world of scotch.

Recommended Videos

Next month, Compass Box will unveil two new limited edition scotch whiskies in the United States: “This is not a luxury whisky” and Flaming Heart. Both of these releases coincide with Compass Box’s fifteenth anniversary celebrations, which have ben going on all year.

Related

“This is not a luxury whisky” is 19-year-old malt whisky that was distilled at the Glen Ord distillery in the Scottish Highlands; it is the only remaining single malt distillery on the Black Isle. The scotch was bottled at a natural cask strength (usually anything above the average 43%-45% alcohol by volume in most whiskies) of 53.1%.

RELATED: Try Two New Blends From Compass Box Whisky

The unusual name was inspired by a 1929 concept piece by the Belgian surrealist artist, Rene Magritte—“The Treachery of Images.” Magritte’s piece is a painting of a pipe, but below it, written in French script, reads “This is not a pipe.” The Compass Box “This is not a whisky” is bottled without fancy or “luxury” labeling, just a plain bottle with the title of the edition scrawled across the glass in white font. The purpose is to remove the idea of luxury from the scotch’s appearance and allow the flavor of the whisky to define what luxury actually is.

Meanwhile, the limited edition Flaming Heart is one of Compass Box’s most sought after blends. Flaming Heart was first released in 2006 and was Compass Box’s breakthrough bottle. Production has been on halt for years, but Glaser and Compass Box decided that their fifteenth anniversary was the perfect time to re-release such a crowd favorite.

Each of these special releases are already available in Europe, but will not touch U.S. shores until November 12th. All told, 4,992 bottles of “This is not a luxury whisky” and 12,060 bottles of Flaming Heart will be available for purchase once they hit the market.

If those numbers don’t spell it out for you, then we will: find these special whiskies while you can, because they ain’t going to be around for long.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Matt Domino
Matt Domino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matt Domino is a writer living in Brooklyn. His fiction has appeared in Slice and The Montreal Review, while his non-fiction…
William Grant and Sons Launches New Single Malt Whisky Brand
Aerstone Sea Cask Land Cask

William Grant and Sons is a family-owned business best known for its two well-regarded and popular Speyside whiskey distilleries, The Balvenie and Glenfiddich. Glenfiddich is one of the best-selling single malt brands in the world, although the company prefers to label it "most awarded." The Balvenie is its smaller sister distillery located right next door that produces a lineup of whiskies that are finished in a variety of cask types. But WGS has a few smaller brands in its portfolio as well, like Ailsa Bay which is distilled at the company's sprawling Girvan distillery about 55 miles south of Glasgow. Hendrick's Gin is also distilled here, along with a large amount of grain whisky used in various WGS blends. And now a new brand called Aerstone, consisting of two 10-year-old single malt expressions -- Land Cask and Sea Cask -- has been introduced.

These are two easy-sipping whiskies meant more for those who are new to the whisky category than for seasoned drinkers. This is not to say that they are bad whiskies, but they are subtle and soft with flavors and alcohol (40%) that are not meant to challenge your palate. Sea Cask is described as "smooth and easy" on the packaging, and this Speyside-style whisky is indeed light, slightly sweet, and a little spicy, a satisfying if unremarkable introduction to the single malt category. Sea Cask would work well in a highball or other scotch whisky cocktail. Land Cask, on the other hand, is described as "rich and smoky," and it has a noticeable and assertive peatiness, although nothing like what you might expect from an Islay whisky like Ardbeg or Laphroaig.

Read more
Nomad Outland Whisky Review: Scotch That Isn’t Scotch
nomad outland whisky 1

If you like the popularity of sherry-finished Scotch whiskies and the trend for forward-thinking blends from Scotland (think Monkey Shoulder and Sheep Dip), let us introduce you to Nomad Outland Whisky.

Most Scotch whiskies are aged in barrels that previously held bourbon for several years, imparting hints of vanilla, caramel, and a light nutty sweetness. But a few are either finished or wholly aged in ex-sherry casks, bringing the herbaceous spice notes of European oak and the dried fruit sweetness of Spanish sherry (along with, sometimes, a ruby tinge to whisky’s traditional amber color). Depending on whether the original sherry was Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, Fino, or Manzanilla brings additional character to the finished whisky.

Read more
The Best Blended Scotch Whiskies to Add to Your Collection
Blended Scotch

Single malt scotch gets all the love, but the reality is that blends are what the people really want. The best-selling Scotch whiskies fall into the latter category, with familiar names like Johnnie Walker, Grant's, and Chivas leading the pack. Blends are often cheaper than single malts, although that is not the case when you get into the higher-end expressions. The difference is that while a single malt is a 100 percent malted barley whisky that comes from one distillery, a blended scotch is a marriage of whisky from different distilleries that also includes grain whisky, usually made from corn or wheat. A blended malt, however, is a blend of malt whisky from different distilleries minus the grain whisky. There are many good examples of blended scotch to choose from, and some new expressions are now available from well-known brands. Here are eight blends that you should try now.
Dewar’s

Dewar's touts its whisky as being "double aged," meaning that after initial maturation and blending the blend is put into an oak cask for another six months to marry the whiskies together before bottling (other brands use a similar process). The blend consists of grain whisky and single malts drawing from the Dewar's portfolio (Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Royal Brackla, and Deveron), among others. Dewar's White Label is a very popular whisky here in the U.S., but try the age statement blends (12, 15, 18) for something a bit more complex and rich.
Johnnie Walker

Read more