A collection of whiskies from Compass Box, the independent Scotch whisky bottler founded in 2000 by former Johnnie Walker marketing director John Glaser, has been put up for auction this week.
The 130 expressions up for bid on Whisky Auctioneer have been assembled over the years by an anonymous whisky fan known simply as Pat, and it includes 70 limited edition releases that Compass Box has produced over the past two decades.
“This is the first time that a dedicated collection of Compass Box has become available at auction, so we’re very excited to offer our whisky fans such a varied selection of whiskies that can really add something novel to their collections,” Whisky Auctioneer’s head of auction content Joe Wilson said, in a prepared statement. “Blends have been soaring in popularity as more and more whisky fans look beyond the boundaries of what is traditionally perceived as quality, and we are delighted to spotlight the flag-bearers for the 21st century revival of the category.”
Among the bottles on the block this week is Bern’s Blended Grain, a limited edition collaboration with Florida restaurant Bern’s Steak House that was created in 2015 by blending two 40+ year old parcels of whisky from Scotland’s Girvan and Strathclyde grain distilleries. Compass Box only produced 618 bottles of this blend, of which only 120 were made available for retail. Also in the mix is 10th Anniversary Hedonism, an expression made in 2010 using Invergordon single grain that was originally distilled in 1971. Compass Box only released 120 bottles of this whisky.
These bottles represent only a small portion of the 9,000 bottle whisky library that Pat has amassed over the years, and this is the first ever dedicated auction of Compass Box bottles in the history of that brand.
“In a collection whose stated aim is amassing whiskies that offer both rarity and serious drinking pleasure, it is wonderful to see so many Compass Box releases represented amongst these 9,000 bottles,” noted Compass Box’s whiskymaker James Saxon. “We started Compass Box to share the joys of Scotch whisky with more people, an ethos that clearly resonates with this collector.
“To see so many of our past projects and releases represented – and in their own auction – is a first for us. If successful bidders would like to learn more about the stories and processes behind their new whiskies, they have only to reach out to us.”
Bidding is already underway for this auction, with the hottest item so far being Juveniles, a whisky bottled at cask strength in 2007 to celebrate the 20th birthday of a famed French bistro of the same name. Whisky Auctioneer’s Compass Box runs online now until January 18th.
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