The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
The esteemed independent blender Compass Box is poised to release its sixth installment of rock-inspired Flaming Heart, known as a rich, spicy and smoky vatted malt drawing on heavily toasted French oak aging and some Islay whiskies. Flaming Heart was first introduced in 2006, so it’s a periodic rather than annual limited edition series. This batch yielded over 15,000 bottles plus several hundred limited edition magnums, so fans should have no difficulty in finding one. Flaming Heart 2018 was bottled at 48.9% ABV and will retail for $150/£120.
Compass Box is also coming out with a full-on brand extension in The Story of the Spaniard, their first new addition to the company’s permanent range is almost five years. The name comes from the key malts used in the blend having been aged in Spanish Sherry and wine casks, with the decision to base the blend around these being inspired in its turn by the Greenwich Village bar The Spaniard. Just shy of half of the content has been aged in Sherry casks, with a further quarter coming from Spanish wine casks. The whisky is bottled at 43% ABV and will retail for £50/$65.
