Blended Scotch doesn't need a sales pitch. The eminently popular style—which combines both malt and grain whisky components into an approachable whole—accounts for more than 90 percent of all Scotch sales worldwide. Indeed, it is the most widely consumed category of whisky on the planet.
Yet, amongst a certain subset of connoisseurs (read: single malt drinkers), it's persistently derided as lesser than. To them, its approachability is regarded as a flaw rather than a feature. It can either be easy to drink or it can be worthy of their critical adoration.
Compass Box is an outlier: it does it both ways. Founded in 2000 by a former marketing director for Johnnie Walker, the brand has a stated mission of “making the world of Scotch whisky a more interesting place.” It accomplishes this one beautiful blend at a time. And this month, its Core Collection is expanding to include two new bottlings that even the snobbiest single malt sippers would have trouble scoffing at.
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First up is Nectarosity, a 92-proof blended Scotch meant to evoke the aromas and flavors of French pastries. As advertised, it noses like a cinnamon-dusted danish. The palate features brioche, fudge, and a hint of wildflower honey. Ultimately, there's a syrupy richness to the whisky, reminiscent of what you’d expect from a well-aged single malt. To achieve this result, the whisky makers relied on a series of virgin charred American oak barrels, along with casks seasoned with palo cortado sherry.
Though most blended scotches on the market today can’t (or are not allowed to) disclose the whiskies used in their creation, Compass Box is a champion of transparency. It proudly discloses the main grain in its mix—sourced from Girvan Distillery—as well as the star malt: a rich liquid from Clynelish. Nectarosity arrives on American shelves this month at a suggested retail price of $65 per bottle.
It’ll be joined by a slightly more expensive sibling called Crimson Casks ($75), a veritable sherry bomb that sings with dark fruit and baking spice. Though this one is also bottled at 92-proof, it’s a blended malt as opposed to a blended Scotch. The difference is that it combines whiskies from a handful of single malt producers without the use of lighter grain spirit—the stuff that the self-styled connoisseurs are forever complaining about.
The other two bottlings in Compass Box’s Core Collection, the unapologetically smoky Peat Monster, and fall fruit-forward Orchard House are also blended malts.
Meanwhile, you’ll find plenty of other blended Scotches across the entirety of the Compass Box portfolio. It’ll never shy away from leaning into the style. And Scotch fans of all stripes, in turn, should never shy away from exploring them. As this brand does its best to deliver on the promise of “more interesting” Scotch whisky, enthusiasts can open themselves up to the same merely by acknowledging the beauty of the blend.
Related: I've Tasted Hundreds of Whiskies. This Classic Luxury Scotch Is the Best You Can Buy
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