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Known for its highly coveted and collectable cult favorite Scotch whiskies, Compass Box Scotch Whisky will release two new expressions this fall: Ultramarine, arriving in stores in October, and Flaming Heart, arriving in November.
ULTRAMARINE BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
51% ABV; $375 SRP; 5,430 bottles worldwide
The deeply flavorful Ultramarine is the first in the ambitious Extinct Blends Quartet, which will pay homage to certain styles of Scotch from the past, reflecting the production methods and philosophies that prevailed in Scotland during specific eras.
Ultramarine takes its inspiration from the antique Sherry and pipe tobacco notes of a deluxe blended Scotch, first released in the late 1980s. It relies on mature malts from the Caol Ila and Glendullan distilleries; aged grain whiskies from the Cameronbridge and Girvan distilleries, as well as a medley of pre-blended stocks. To amass the weight of body and haunting smokiness required, Ultramarine uses malts aged in Sherry casks as well as malts with a peaty character.
Ultramarine features prominent aromas of toffee, vanilla and toasted oak, with impressions of a peaty malt kiln. Leathery dried mango builds following the first sip with peat, roasted pecan and raisin. It finishes in a nuttier, spicier and smokier direction with time.
“As whiskymakers and blenders, we take umbrage that closed single malt distilleries attract all the adulation and explosive hammer prices at auction,” says James Saxon, Compass Box lead whiskymaker. “A distillery is never entirely lost. As we see with Brora, Rosebank and Port Ellen, they can be revived – mash tuns can be refilled, stills heated up again. Blends, though, are the richest time capsules Scotch whisky has, reflecting the ideas and sensibilities of the teams of people that made them, and the styles of stocks available to the blenders from year to year. Ultramarine and the whiskies that will come after it are not recreations – that isn’t possible. They are instead tributes, our way of reimagining the DNA of some great blends of the past.”
FLAMING HEART 2022 BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
48.9% ABV; $155 SRP; 9,606 bottles worldwide
Flaming Heart 2022 the seventh edition in the Flaming Heart series from Compass Box. Inspired by a rock song and born of oak, smoke, and fire.
Each edition of Flaming Heart has a unique recipe with every version reflecting the whiskies the team had access to at the time. The series takes its name from a song by M. Ward, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, OR. The concept was born in 2006 and the intention ever since has been to bring big smoky malts into conversation with French oak’s spicy richness, balancing the brilliance of these two star components.
For the 2022 release, a new power trio of whiskies from the Laphroaig, Talisker and Caol Ila distilleries brings hearty and harmonious peatiness. Spice comes from a blend of Highland malt whiskies, further matured for at least five years in custom French Oak barrels that have been given a heavy toast. To make this bottling even more special, remnants from past Compass Box limited editions have been included, such as Peat Monster Arcana, Myths & Legends, and the 2018 edition of Flaming Heart, to deliver extra smoke and richness. The results feature a high-energy nose with smouldering peat embers, cigar wrapper and candied ginger. The palate is oily, smoky, rich and savory.
