Compass Box Whisky Tasting

Compass Box Whisky Tutored Tasting

With Chris Maybin

Wednesday 16th April 2014

7pm until 9pm

Tickets £10 in advance

(£6 refund against any orders placed on the evening)

Places are quite limited so please telephone 01329 822733 to book tickets, which are payable in advance, or email with any questions.

This tasting will be a little different from our normal tastings – we have hired a room at Lysses House Hotel so everyone will be seated in comfort! However this means that there will be a small charge to help cover the cost of the room and facilities, although there will be a £6.00 refund against any orders placed in the evening.

The tasting will be presented by the very knowledgeable Chris Maybin of Compass Box Whisky and we will be tasting all of the from their Signature Range. There will also be a Mamie Taylor cocktail made with their Great King Street whisky on arrival.

This whisky tasting is intended to be an introduction to the unique world of Compass Box Whisky and artisanal whisky-making including their philosophical approach and what makes them different from other whisky companies. All Compass Box whiskies are blended or vatted Scotch whiskies and range from the silky smooth Asyla, the rich smokey Peat Monster to the soft, spice and creamy blended grain whisky of Hedonism. There will be around 6 or 7 whiskies in total.

So, really, this is an ideal whisky tasting for anyone who wants to sample a broad range of Scotch whisky styles and learn about the important role of wood and maturation in whisky production.

Fareham Wine Cellar Compass Box Whisky Range
We will be trying the following whiskies,

Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blend Whisky 43%

Great King Street is a new line of craft Scotch whiskies created by Compass Box for people who love delicious whisky. Artist’s Blend is a marriage of robust, complex Highland malt whiskies and delicate Lowland grain. The style is rich, round and fruity with hints of toasty oak, vanilla and spice.

Compass Box Whisky Asyla De-Luxe Blend Whisky 40%

The ultimate “everyday,” “before dinner” or “Sunday afternoon” Scotch whisky. With just a splash of chilled water, this blend of soft, sweet grain whiskies and elegant, refined malt whiskies epitomises “deliciousness” in the world of Scotch whisky.

Compass Box Whisky Oak Cross Blended Malt 43% 70cl

A rich, medium-bodied malt whisky, from a marriage of three Highland single malt distilleries. This combines vanilla characters from American oak and light spicy, clove-like characters from partial aging on French oak.

Compass Box Whisky Spice Tree Blended Malt 46% 70cl

This award-winning malt whisky is aged on heavy-toasted, new French oak sourced from 195 year-old Vosges forests. The nose suggests clove, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. The palate is full, round and sweet, with the spice and vanilla following and complimenting the distillery characters.

Compass Box Whisky Peat Monster Blended Malt 46% 70cl

This combines very smoky and peaty single malt whiskies from the island of Islay and Mull with rich, medium-peated Speyside single malt whisky. The result is a balanced, extremely complex and very drinkable peaty malt.

Compass Box Whisky Hedonism Blended Grain, Limited Release 43%

A unique and rare vatting of 100% Scotch grain whiskies from top quality American oak casks. Hedonism’s signature is silky, long and full of vanilla cream, toffee and a touch of coconut.

Compass Box Whisky Orangerie Scotch Whisky Infusion 40% 70cl

An infusion made of smooth, sweet Scotch whisky infused with the hand-zested peel of Navalino oranges and subtle accents of Indonesian cassia bark and Sri Lankan cloves.

About Compass Box Whisky

Compass Box Whisky was founded in 2000 by master blender John Glaser. His extensive knowledge of the way oak casks interact with whisky, combined with his innovative thinking, results in a contemporary approach that expands the great traditions of whisky making. From the beginning John Glaser has set out to “revolutionise the tweedy world of scotch whisky”.

Compass Box is a small independent specialist Scotch whisky company, devoted to making some of Scotland’s premier whiskies through the art of blending. They can perhaps be thought of as analagous to wine negociants – they choose individual casks of whiskies from different distilleries, which offer complementary sets of flavours, and then blend the whiskies in small batches. Their whiskies have unusual names and the labels are contemporary in style; it’s all part of their vision: take a contemporary approach to a traditional product. At the core of everything they create is a desire to bring out a purity of flavour, a richness, a drinking experience that will call people back to their glass; to Compass Box, this is the true measure of a whisky’s quality.
“John Glaser is an artist” – Saveur Magazine

Read more about Compass Box Whisky at their website or watch more at their YouTube channel.