Crafted from specially selected peated whiskies and those matured in custom French oak barrels, this new edition pushes boundaries while paying tribute to the Flaming Heart legacy. Debuting in 2006, the expression is a fusion of rich peat smoke and new French oak influence in complex layers. To mark its quarter-century milestone, Compass Box seeks to make the loudest flavor statement by using the fewest components, intensifying the whisky’s smoky heart while enriching its character through custom cask maturation.

Whereas previous editions have featured a proportion of unpeated whiskies aged in bourbon or sherry casks, this eighth rendition, at 97.8 proof, relies on an ensemble of peated whiskies and those extra-matured in custom French oak barrels, namely malt whisky from the Benrinnes Distillery malt whisky from the Talisker Distillery, malt whisky from the Laphroaig Distillery Single Malt and “Williamson” Islay Malt.

“This release isn’t just a nod to where we’ve been; it’s a declaration of where we’re headed,” says James Saxon, Whiskymaking Director at Compass Box. “The bold character of Flaming Heart: 25th Anniversary Edition reflects everything Compass Box stands for: daring innovation, craftsmanship, and our constant pursuit of unforgettable flavor.”

Music has been a constant theme behind the Flaming Heart releases, which take their name from M. Ward’s 2001 folk and blues classic. For Compass Box’s eighth Flaming Heart release, the label design focuses on flames and a protective chamber of oak. The two cherubs surrounding a burning heart that have traditionally appeared on the woodcut effect design since the 2010 edition, they now appear as coopers, inspecting an oaken structure inside which is the heart on fire – thus symbolizing Compass Box’s 25 years of whisky making passion.

Compass Box’s Flaming Heart: 25th Anniversary Edition is available now for $165.

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Inspired by French patisseries, Nectarosity Blended Scotch Whisky takes Compass Box’s reverence for American oak casks further than ever before. Custom-toasted and charred virgin oak from Missouri are sourced and then used twice – first to house grain new make spirit for a year, then malt new make spirit for 6-8 years. With a blend of first-fill bourbon, custom American oak and Palo-Cortado sherry-seasoned casks, the driving force of its character is two parcels of whisky–the first from the Girvan Distillery and the second from the Clynelish Distillery.

Crimson Casks showcases the power of Oloroso sherry casks. Working closely with sherry cask supplier Jose y Miguel Martín in Jerez, Spain, Compass Box takes inspiration from the Forest King and can be seen donning the crown of oak. The crown symbolizing the transformative influence that wood has over flavor.

The new expressions, which are both 92 proof, will arrive on shelves nationwide this month, joining Compass Box’s most well-known whiskies, Orchard House and The Peat Monster to complete the range.

“With this new Core Collection, we bring together the world of whisky at its most compelling,” says James Saxon, Compass Box’s Director of Whiskymaking. “Nectarosity offers a riot of tasting notes, evoking the deliciousness and audacity of high-end patisseries, while Crimson Casks leads with its sherry-influenced richness and an enticing, spicy finish. Combined with the fragrant, crisp flavors of Orchard House and the sweet smoke of the aromatic and complex Peat Monster, the range satisfies on every level.”

Compass Box’s Nectarosity Blended Scotch Whisky retails for $64.99, while Compass Box’s Crimson Casks Blended Scotch Whisky retails for $74.99.

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The new expression offers all the richness and drama of a night at the circus. Bottle-hunting travelers can discover the spectacle by visiting The Travelling Circus displays at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) until the end of August.

Inspired by The Circus, a Compass Box Limited Edition blend originally released in 2016, The Travelling Circus offers an enhanced peat presence courtesy of malt whisky from the Talisker Distillery and a parcel of peated blended Scotch whisky. The label design nods to the original The Circus, refreshing it through the filter of Futurism, which valorised movement and machines.

To create The Travelling Circus, Compass Box Whiskymaking Director James Saxon assembled whiskies bold in flavor and rich in texture. The majority of component whiskies have been aged in sherry casks. Smokiness from malt whiskies from the Talisker and Caol Ila distilleries are layered with Speyside sherry character, finished with grain whisky from the now-closed Port Dundas Distillery, resulting in a 98 proof expression.

“We are incredibly pleased with the arrival of The Travelling Circus,” says Compass Box Whiskymaking Director James Saxon. “The balance of sherry cask maturation and complex smokiness is something of a hallmark for Compass Box, and those who are fans of our whiskies will enjoy dissecting this latest composition. For those new to Compass Box, this is a globe-trotting introduction to the sorts of places we can explore when creatively combining high-quality Scotch whiskies.”

Compass Box’s The Travelling Circus Blended Scotch Whisky is available for $188 exclusively at duty-free shops.

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Inspired by a whisky from the mid-20th century, Celestial is the peatiest of the Extinct Blends Quartet.

Collectors can occasionally find the highly coveted bottlings of the extinct blend that inspired Celestial, produced from the 1950s and 1960s; founded by one of the original “Whisky Barons,” the expression had strong historical connections to a distillery on Islay and one in Speyside. When the Compass Box opened a 1960s bottle that was originally destined for the U.S., they discovered a deeply complex and ghostly peat note, abundant cask sweetness verging on gingerbread and stem ginger in syrup, and a floral fruitiness.

For Celestial, the whiskymakers drew on malt whiskies from the Ardbeg and Caol Ila distilleries – two parcels that were first brought together six years ago for Compass Box’s original No Name expression.

“Celestial’s flavor profile elicits heavyweight peat smoke. Behind that is a gingery richness, notes of vanilla and grilled apples. The palate is dry and oak-forward, with meaty smokiness flowing onto cooked tropical fruits,” says James Saxon, Compass Box’s Whiskymaking Director.

For the final expression in the Extinct Blends Quartet, the whiskymakers wanted to capture an epic flight through the night sky, the home of the celestial body of Pegasus. They took that inspiration to the label design, which depicts a dramatic sky with billowing clouds and the glittering Pegasus constellation. The billowing clouds symbolize the complex columns of peatiness captured within the whisky while the cloudscapes and the night sky are a metaphor for the ever-changing world of blended Scotch whisky itself.

Only 5,532 bottles will be released worldwide, Compass Box’s Extinct Blends Quartet – Celestial is 100 proof and retails for $375.  .

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Blended scotch has long historical ties to metropolitan centers, with blending vats in Glasgow and bottling in Edinburgh making the spirit. With Metropolis, Compass Box pays homage to the energy of cities by creating a blend of malt whiskies from the Ablerlour, Bowmore and Miltonduff distilleries, combined with a parcel of blended scotch that is further matured in sherry butts. The blend yielded 5,190 bottles of this 98 proof whisky.

“With Metropolis, we continue to revive, recreate, and reimagine legendary whisky blends of the past,” says James Saxon, Compass Box lead whiskymaker. “The Extinct Blends Quartet celebrates discontinued characters and flavors, reappraising four very different expressions of blended Scotch. These exclusive blends pay homage to specific moments in time, where relationships, ideas and people created delicious whiskies.”

As with all Compass Box expressions, the producer expresses its vision through a captivating label from the design team at Stranger & Stranger. For Metropolis, step into the throng of a striving city where industriousness jostles up against elaborate architecture; people and provisions from diverse places mingle, and commerce meets culture.

Compass Box’s Metropolis is available now for $325.

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Retired in 2018, Asyla was the cornerstone of the core range until its retirement in 2018. Delos focuses on capturing the previous expression’s uniqueness, turning to older stocks to achieve this.

Named after a Greek island said to be the birthplace of the god Apollo, Delos signifies Asyla’s beauty and serenity as a whisky. Delos balances some of Compass Box’s rarest stocks of whiskey. Malt whiskies from Glen Elgin, Imperial and Miltonduff distilleries were all aged in American oak barrels.

“While inspired by the style and recipe structure of Asyla, Delos has richer and rounder flavors from using older stocks of whiskies which amplify the character, bringing more grandeur to it and making it more resonant,” said Compass Box Lead Whiskymaker James Saxon. “The delicate mouthfeel and transportive aromas within Delos are nevertheless familiarly delicious. For me, sipping Delos feels like a holiday.”

The label art features a female lute player from the original Asyla label, reimagined in mosaic form. However, she now plays a lyre, the instrument classically associated with Apollo, with the outline of the tiles broken away to reflect the coastlines of Delos and Greece.

Delos is the second release from the Compass Box’s Extinct Blends Quartet series, which celebrates discontinued characters and flavors, reappraising four very different expressions of blended Scotch. The remaining two from the series will be introduced in later this year and early 2024.

Only 5,520 bottles of Compass Box Delos were released worldwide  for $325.

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At only 7,000+ bottles being released globally, it is an exploration of Scotch whisky’s wilder side. Lead Whiskymaker James Saxon brought together this blend of single malts from four distilleries: Mortlach Distillery, Deanston Distillery, Laphroaig Distillery and Glen Elgin Distillery, combined with Compass Box’s Highland Malt Blend.

“Scotch whisky has a huge variety of flavor profiles – when whiskymaking, we pay attention to those parcels that deviate slightly from fruity, floral and spicy – ones that taste that little bit wilder than others,” says Compass Box’s Lead Whiskymaker James Saxon. “And it is these strange and beautiful creatures that we have brought together to create our Menagerie.”

Compass Box Scotch Whiskymaker’s Menagerie Blended Malt Whisky will be available at retail in April for $120.

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Peat Monster Arcana is the result of a long-running experiment into the secrets and mysteries of oak and smoke. A cask strength version of The Peat Monster was further matured in three French oak custom casks for more than two years; it was then blended with malt whiskies from the Talisker, Miltonduff and Ardbeg distilleries in order to complement the richly spicy and more subtly smoky profile that developed.

“We have been experimenting with French oak since the early days of our company,” says Compass Box Founder and Whiskymaker John Glaser. “Peat Monster Arcana is the first Compass Box to feature smoky whiskies matured in French oak. We’re delighted to be able to build on this experiment in our 20th anniversary year and we hope dedicated fans of The Peat Monster discover a new side to this charismatic whisky.”

Peat Monster Arcana joins limited edition releases Hedonism Felicitas and Rogues’ Banquet to celebrate the anniversary. James Saxon, lead whiskymaker for Peat Monster Arcana says: “it is a truly delicious release and one that has taught us so much about the influence of French oak. Of course, there will always be further mysteries to explore.”

Peat Monster Arcana Tasting Notes:

Only 3,900 bottles Peat Monster Arcana will be available in the U.S. for $95.

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Having released more than 100 whiskies since forming on October 23, 2000, Compass Box Founder and Whiskymaker John Glaser has proven that Scotch can be more than the rules that traditionally define the spirit. Taking inspiration from the wine world for its different uses of oak and pushing for greater transparency in whisky through its 2016 Transparency Campaign, Compass Box has also teamed up with partners who share the same forward vision and desire to think differently.

“Launching our business with Hedonism was widely seen at the time as unusual, because so few Scotch whisky companies bottle 100% grain whiskies,” says John Glaser. “I am hopeful that over the years, we have shown people how delicious good quality Scotch grain whisky can be and as a result, Hedonism has become a signature whisky for us. For these reasons, we love to create special, limited edition Hedonism bottlings to commemorate important milestones and events.”

Available now in limited quantities (2,226 bottles produced), Hedonism Felicitas draws together three grain whiskies, each distilled in a different decade. Led by Whiskymaker James Saxon, this expression is bottled at a higher strength to deliver a rich concentration of creamy textures and sweet flavors for which aged grain whisky is rightly celebrated. “Hedonism Felicitas is intended to convey the good fortune, happiness and gratitude we feel having met and worked with so many remarkable people,“ says Saxon.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary milestone, Glaser will host a virtual tasting of Hedonism Felicitas tomorrow, Sept. 27 at 3pm ET. It will trace the story of Hedonism from the very first whisky he created all the way to this release.

Compass Box’s Hedonism Felicitas retails for $175.

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