Compass Box Asyla Scotch Whisky

Compass Box Asyla Scotch Whisky

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by entrepreneurial visionary John Glaser, in London, England. After being in the wine industry, Glaser made the move to Diageo, where he came into the whisky industry. Compass Box is known to challenge convention and tradition in pursuit of whisky and its enjoyment. Located in a seemingly incongruous London England, Compass Box is not a Scottish distiller but a blender Scottish whiskies, combining the best casks from Islay, Speyside and the Highlands, and aging them in a variety of woods from sherry casks to toasted French oak. Glaser pushes the boundaries of innovation to new levels with his art of whisky-making. Seemingly uninhibited by the norms of the formidable Scottish whisky industry, Glaser has proven himself a true alchemist. In 2005, his aptitude for wine making prompted a disruptive experimental sensation; The Spice Tree release, a blended whisky made using inner staves, or wooden slats inserted into casks to enhance flavor. Wine-makers use this technique as a more economical way to add oak flavor wine. Asyla is part of the Signature Range from Compass Box, a range including Oak Cross, Spice Tree, Peat Monster, and Hedonism. Compass Box is inclusive of all Scotch whisky styles, each made using the highest quality casks, to create more complexity. Their whiskies are blended according to custom recipes and married in casks for up to 24 months before bottling. This method enhances the flavor integration and gives the whisky a softer mouthfeel. Compass Box are strong advocates for quality cask selection. They use only whiskies in their blends that are aged in first-fill American oak casks which tend to yield more vanilla character, richness and sweetness than the traditionally used casks in Scotch maturation. They also use a high a malt content, differentiating themselves from most Scotch whisky producers. This Asyla expression is a sweet smooth whisky, made with single malt whiskies sourced from the towns of Alness and Longmorn; single grain whisky from Fife. The specific breakdown of this Compass Box expression is as follows; 50% Grain Whisky from Cameronbridge aged in first fill American Standard Barrels (giving the blend a vanilla, fruity flavor), 5% Malt Whisky from Glen Elgin aged in refill hogshead barrels (imparting more flavors of fruit to the blend), 23% Malt Whisky from Teannich aged in first fill American Standard barrels (giving the blend grassy notes), and 22% Malt Whisky from Linkwood aged in first fill American Standard barrels (giving the blend floral perfumed notes). ASYLA is the plural of asylum a word rich in ambiguity, suggesting that delicate balance between madhouse and sanctuary, an idea we have always felt well suited to a whisky style such as this (producer). Get your bottle today!