Oak

Compass Box The Story of the Spaniard

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by American John Glaser and quickly made a name for themselves by bottling and marketing a range of blended scotch. While Compass Box found early notoriety for its conflicts with the Scotch Whisky Association but over the years they have gone from being outsiders to being respected innovators with numerous industry awards under their belts. The Story of the Spaniard is meant to be a showcase of sherry and the influence the fortified wine can have on scotch. Each of the several blends has some component of sherry maturation. The story behind the Story is a nod to Glaser’s first experience with sherry during travels in Spain.

By Adam | September 20, 2021 | Blends | No Comments |

Though Balcones has a very wide portfolio with many takes on traditional American spirits staples like bourbon and rye, they are also don’t neglect one of the first things that put them on the map: their single malt. Having clearly invested in an American single malt from the beginning, time and continued experimentation has allowed them to craft various expressions of this cornerstone offering. For the distillery’s tenth anniversary in 2019, they released two single malts only available at the distillery store, both with cask finishes. The Balcones Brujeria, which approximately translates to “witchcraft” or “witchery”, is finished in a mix of ex-Oloroso and PX sherry casks.

By Adam | August 5, 2021 | Foreign | No Comments |

Clynelish Reserve: Game of Thrones Edition

Founded in 1819, Clynelish has been operating nearly uninterrupted for over two hundred years, even when it was known for a time as Brora distillery. Though it produced single malts early on, almost all the distillery’s output has been a primary highland component to some of current owner Diageo’s Johnnie Walker series. Maybe because new single malts are rarely seen from this distillery, the Clynelish Reserve was seen as a standout when Diageo released a Game of Thrones set in early 2019 to celebrate the hit show’s final season. There is no age statement or anything to stand it apart like cask finishing.

By Adam | July 5, 2021 | Highland | No Comments |