Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Compass Box, the American-founded, London-based whisky maker known for its intriguing and often spellbinding blends. From its iconic and smoky Peat Monster to the possibly even smokier Celestial to the hedonistic Art & Decadence, the brand has built its reputation on pushing limits and nailing flavor profiles. Now, Compass Box is looking backward as it releases its latest offering, The Travelling Circus.
Inspired by The Circus, a limited-edition Compass Box bottle released back in 2016, The Travelling Circus leans into the flavor that helped catapult the brand onto back bars across the world: peat. That smoky, maritime essence comes from a combination of distilleries located off Scotland’s west coast, including Talisker—one of just a handful of distilleries located on the stunning Isle of Skye—and Islay’s Caol Ila.
In full, Compass Box whisky making director James Saxon hoped to create a whisky that would “capture the grandeur and vibrancy of a night at the circus.” The majority of its components were aged in sherry casks, adding to the depth of the overall flavor.
The Travelling Circus exudes a deep fruitiness, with aromatic dry smoke and a silky flourish on the palate. The smokiness gathers additional layers thanks to the Speyside sherry notes, then finishes with a grain whisky character, due to additions from the now-shuttered Port Dundas Distillery.
“We are incredibly pleased with the arrival of The Travelling Circus,” says 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.”
The one challenge of The Travelling Circus will be actually getting your hands on a bottle, since the limited edition will only be available in John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City and Los Angeles International Airport until the end of August. Bottled at 49 percent ABV, the whisky comes with a suggested retail price of $188 per 700ml bottle.
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