FAREWELL TO OLD FRIENDS…

THE SPICE TREE

&

THE STORY OF THE SPANIARD

Every now and then, a much beloved whisky must go into retirement. It is always a bittersweet time as they will have undoubtedly served us well, sharing their stories and bringing colour to the Compass Box journey. This year, we’re saying goodbye to old friends The Spice Tree and The Story of The Spaniard.

The Spice Tree first appeared in 2006 causing controversy from the outset. In 2007, largely due to this whisky, we won Innovator Of The Year in Scotch Whisky. Funnily enough this was also the year The Spice Tree had to be first retired for pushing the boundaries of Scotch whisky too far for the Scotch Whisky Association.

As a result, we developed our own hybrid-cask program for The Spice Tree that many in the industry have now adopted. It allowed us to bring rich spice notes and intensity to our Scotch whiskies. This whisky has always been about one thing: oak-derived spice.

Pour some of The Spice Tree for rich, baking spice, toasty oak and a fruity maltiness.

The Story of The Spaniard was our first long-term commitment to making sherried whisky. We set out, not to make a sherry bomb, but to create something balanced, complex and nuanced.

The first batches of The Story of The Spaniard had not just sherry-seasoned casks but also wine casks: our nod to the great similarities of whiskymaking and winemaking. The recipe has evolved over time, and yet that underlying full, soft and sumptuous character of sherry has always remained.

In The Story of The Spaniard you’ll find a whisky that is full, soft and sumptuous on the palate with jammy flavours of pears poached in red  wine, citrus peel and spices.

Don’t worry, you’ll still find The Spice Tree and The Story of The Spaniard on shelves for a little while. But for now, we wanted to share the news of this momentous milestone in Compass Box history.

These are the last two bottling codes for The Spice Tree and The Story of The Spaniard respectively L 21 12 23 and L 21 06 23. You’ll find these printed on the back of the bottle.

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Compass Box Whisky 3 Water Lane, Richmond, TW9 1TJ

We’re immensely proud to announce that our latest feature-length documentary is OUT NOW!

Created in partnership with the team behind Ardray, the film delves into the world of blended Scotch and tells the story of this oft-misunderstood category in an unprecedented level of detail, through conversations with whisky history expert Justine Hazlehurst; master blender Calum Fraser; Bar Swift manager Rachel Reid; and members of the Ardray team.

One of the most intriguing new-wave blends on the scene, Ardray is a malt-rich blended Scotch whisky bottled un-chill filtered at 48% ABV, with only its natural colour. Head over to YouTube now to watch the full film, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss one of our videos!

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Shop the last of our latest releases while stock lasts

These are the very last remaining bottling’s from some of our recent launches. Don’t miss out on your chance to grab one of our bottlings before they’re gone for good!

Whisky Sponge Equilibrium III Highland Single Malt 22 years old

Whisky Sponge Ed.95 ‘SideBurn’ 31 years old

Decadent Drinks Ltd DECADENT DRINKS LTD, WEST BUILDING RUTHVENFIELD GROVE,

INVERALMOND INDUSTRIAL ESTATE PERTH, Highlands PH1 3FN United Kingdom

Ardbeg 14 Year Old “Unicorn Tales – Anthology Release” Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml)

$149.99

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This freshly release single malt is a one-of-a-kind bottling from Ardberg. The first ever Ardberg aged in rare Madeira casks, it combines the nuances of Madeira cask maturation with Ardberg’s traditional Bourbon barrel notes. Matured for 14 years in a marriage of these pristine casks, this is a Scotch overflowing with complexity in the form of rich, luscious tropical aromas plus zesty citrus and rich smoked notes across the palate. According to Ardberg, “The “Anthology” will tell a story of three rare and strange liquids: Experimental maturation in which Dr. Bill crossed classic Ardbeg smoke with sweeter, more delicate notes. The result: a merging of ‘cask’ species, creating entirely new Ardbeg.” EXTREMELY LIMITED – Don’t wait on this one!

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Irish whiskey & the licence to experiment with non-oak maturation

One key distinction of Irish whiskey is the allowance of wood species other than oak for maturation, a practice not permitted in Scotland. This means non-oak maturation is allowed in Ireland which gives producers licence to experiment, as this blog post explains.📖  Read the Post

Talisker 30 Year Old 2022 Release 49.6% 70cl

A  beautifully matured, inherently collectable and stunningly complex 30-year-old single malt from celebrated Skye distiller, Talikser. Aged for three decades in American oak, this rich, elegant expression really tells the story of its remote, rugged coastal location. Sumptuous and luxurious, tasting notes include salted caramel, orchard fruits, soft spices, and that unmistakable coastal peat smoke. A triumph in long-aged Scotch.

£833.33

LAX Travelers, The Macallan Has Touched Down

Macallan is no stranger to supplementing its whisky with artful touches, having debuted various art installations and limited-edition prints for its new releases over the years. Now, the distillery is bringing an interactive, visually alluring pop-up to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), designed specifically for its Travel Retail-exclusive Colour Collection.

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We’re on vacation and will resume publication on August 13th!

After publishing daily since 2009 and publishing 28,000 articles in the interim (without a break), we’re on vacation!

We are delighted to let you know that Glengoyne Distillery has been presented with the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award 2024. This is the second consecutive year that we have received this award, placing us in the top 10% of global attractions based on consistently high reviews from you, our visitors.

It’s a testament to the team’s continuing commitment and hard work to ensure our distillery visitor experiences are the best in the world—a big thank you to everyone who has visited us. Come meet Robert (look at that smile!) and the rest of the team at the distillery. We would love to have a dram with you.

Slàinte Mhath,

Team Glengoyne

VISIT US

Stephanie McIntyre – 18 Years of Excellence 

This week we’ve been celebrating over 18 years of service by Stephanie McIntyre, Production Support Assistant, as she filled her final whisky cask.  Starting her journey within Ian Macleod Distillers as Distillery Ambassador in 2006, Stephanie excelled, sharing with visitors her passion for the distillery and the whisky industry through tantalising stories and tutored tastings. Her undeniable love for whisky production saw her then embark in the role of Production Support Assistant.  Stephanie, thank you for the significant contributions you’ve made to Glengoyne Distillery during your time with us. Happy Retirement!

A New ‘Pour Your Own’ in our Distillery Shop.

We’ve got a brand new ‘Pour Your Own’ distillery cask in our shop

A 15-year-old olorosso hogshead (55.4% abv), the liquid has a warm glow of amber which comes from the 100% European Oak Sherry Cask we use at Glengoyne.

The Nose – dried fruits, sweetness of brown sugar with apricots and almonds

The Palate – rich with spice, and dark fruit with marmalade and caramel.

The Finish – long sweet warmth.

Bob, in our retail team, has been calling it “the ultimate after-dinner whisky”.

Visit Glengoyne Distillery

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “A spirit still is the second still used for making single malt Scotch whisky. Most single malt Scotch is made using double distillation. You have the wash still first and then the spirit still second. The spirit still can be run faster because it’s not as gassy as the wash. And it is from the spirit still that we get foreshots, spirit and feints.”🎬 Watch the Video | 📖 Read the Post