Compass Box Blurs The Line Of Scotch With New Experimental Grain Whisky

by Gary Carter
March 2, 2022

Compass Box Scotch has a new, limited edition Experimental Grain Whisky with a bit of the liquid made from 100% peated malted barley.

The newest expression from Compass Box is said to be designed to transport whisky lovers to new territories. Experimental Grain Whisky is highly limited though, with only 6,142 bottles released worldwide.

The unique whisky parcel sourced from Loch Lomond Distillery, which makes up a third of the Experimental Grain’s recipe, is 100 percent malt. But because it’s produced in a column still rather than a pot still, Scotch whisky conventions require it to be classified as grain whisky.

Compass Box Experimental Grain Whisky (image via Compass Box)

Yet, Experimental Grain Whisky contains conventionally made grain whiskies aged in re-charred barrels and hogsheads, which the distiller’s notes show delivers rich crème brûlée notes that bring depth to the Loch Lomond whisky’s unique, herbal and spicy smoke aromas.

The intense toffee, apple and vanilla notes said to be known from Compass Box grain whisky are blended with mossy, creamy peatiness, making for what’s described as an unexpected blend of contrasts.

James Saxon, lead whiskymaker for Compass Box, said in a prepared statement, “Experimental Grain Whisky tastes like no limited edition we have made before, and we even flipped the front and back labels – creating a unique mid-century modern design for the bottle as well. We set out to create the alter ego to Hedonism, our signature whisky and the world’s first ‘Vatted Grain.’

“The whisky we sourced from the Loch Lomond Distillery has been made from a mashbill of 100% peated malted barley; this component, in what is officially a grain whisky, feels like a spy traveling under a false passport. We love this tension that so often exists between the rules and a modern willingness to do things differently, in pursuit of flavor.”

Experimental Grain Whisky’s label artwork draws on technical distillation textbooks, and the subversive doodlings of Picasso. The back label sticky notes convey the work-in-progress nature of bringing whiskies to life.