Compass Box Stranger & Stranger
46% ABV
$180 – $200
Website
What the Blender Says
WE HAVE COMBINED SCOTCH MALT WHISKY WITH WHEAT & BARLEY SPIRIT
Some may call it sacrilege, but we thought the addition of one year old ‘sacrificial spirit’ would be the perfect component to use in our limited edition blend to celebrate ten years of collaboration with our good friends at the package design company Stranger & Stranger.
In the 30 plus design projects we’ve worked on together, we typically provide a core idea and direction, but for this special project, we let Stranger & Stranger design what they liked. All I told them was we were working on a recipe incorporating some amazing one year old grain spirit we had used to season some experimental American oak barrels.
We had been calling this one year old ‘sacrificial spirit’ because we didn’t know what it would be like after a year in these crazy new barrels. Turned out, it was amazing, filled with intense wood spice and exotic shades of vanilla character.
Typical of the way we ordinarily work with Stranger & Stranger, a simple idea captured their imagination and inspired their work. Here, it was ‘sacrificial spirit’ which they used as a springboard for the intricate and fascinating design of this limited edition.
You’ll find aromas and flavours in this Stranger spirit that remind you of custard and dark sugars, fresh apple and an appealing herbal character. It has a sweetness on the palate that will call you back to the glass, owing to just one percent of the recipe using our delicious sacrificial spirit.
We hope you’ll share and enjoy with friends and family this celebration of the ten year collaboration between Compass Box and Stranger & Stranger.
AVAILABILITY
Release of 4,802 bottles worldwide. Bottled September 2018.
BOTTLING DETAILS
Bottled at 46%. Not chill-filtered. Natural colour.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This spirit would be sublime served as a post prandial, with ice, or mixed into a classic cocktail such as an old fashioned.
What Gary Says
Nose: Lovely floral and malty sweetness, vanilla buttercream frosting, honeysuckle, peach pie, pears, a spring garden with a hint of sea air.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with fruity sweetness, peaches and pears dusted with nutmeg, honey; sharpens mid-palate with some white pepper notes.
Finish: Long with spice notes, honey, and pepper.
Comments: Compass Box does it again. This is a lovely, sweet, nuanced dram. Technically, this isn’t a ‘whisky’ because of the 1% ‘sacrificial spirit’ (which is grain spirit from Girvan that hadn’t been aged three years; the minimum age requirement to be labeled Scotch whisky). But with 99% of the blend containing single malt whisky ranging in age from 17 to 22 years old, that 1% doesn’t make the end result taste ‘un-whisky like’. Whatever you call it, I’d call it delicious. If this was closer to $140, I’d call it a ‘Must Buy’ – but still highly recommend seeking out an opportunity to try it!