Compass Box’s New Blended Scotch Was Inspired by Creme Brulee
How any particular whisky tastes is entirely subjective, based on your own individual sense memories and flavor references. Still, that doesn’t stop whisky brands and distilleries from doing their best to capture the essence of a particular place, vibe, or food. In the case of the new blended scotch from Compass Box, the inspiration was one of the OGs of the dessert world, crème brûlée, and the good news is that they kind of succeeded.
The origin of crème brûlée, which translates to “burnt cream,” is contested by some in the food world, although maybe not reaching the level of the Scotland vs. Ireland dispute over who invented whiskey (or whisky, depending on who you believe). France, England, and Spain all claim to have some hand in the creation of this classic dessert, but Compass Box seems firmly aligned with the Gallic version of events, saying that Chef François Massialot first created the recipe for the Palace of Versailles in the late 17th century. Whatever the case, the whisky making team, led by whisky maker Samuel Travers for this particular release, looked to those flavors for inspiration for this new blended malt called Brûlée Royale.
This is a blended malt and not a blended scotch because there is only malt whisky in the blend and no grain whisky component. The main whiskies in Brûlée Royale are from two well-known distilleries—Clynelish in the Highlands and Benrinnes in Speyside—but there is also some whisky from Speyburn and Ardbeg in the mix. “The starting component was a parcel of Clynelish that was in our custom American oak program,” said Travers. That whisky was put into casks that previously held Girvan grain whisky for a year when they were virgin oak, so they were still quite active when filled with Clynelish. “This gives a lovely balance of a generous fruit profile with toasted sugar pastry notes on the palate,” he said. “We paired that with 18-year-old Benrinnes aged in first-fill bourbon, which was really thick and custardy.” Less than 10 percent of Speyburn whisky aged in refill hogshead was then added, and just a splash of smoky Ardbeg—.5 percent to be specific—a nod to the original crème brûlée being sealed with a hot shovel, “a subliminal kiss of smoke,” according to Travers.
Travers says that this new whisky is kind of an extension of a previous release called Nectarosity, an expression that was all about patisserie. “With Nectarosity, you had peach tart and cinnamon bun flavors, but we wanted to go more specifically crème brûlée as a pastry artform with this new release,” he said. “Then we realized that this would be a great opportunity to pair with not just a pastry chef, but the pastry chef.” The chef in question is Dominique Ansel, and this is not his first foray into whisky collaboration (he previously worked with Glenmorangie on its Tale of Cake release in 2020). Ansel created a recipe for Brûlée Royale Fondue that incorporates the actual whisky—it’s a vanilla bean fondue topped with flambéed Brûlée Royale, served with bites that are supposed to represent the whisky’s flavors like red apple and fresh strawberries.
Ansel’s recipe will be available at the Compass Box website starting October 8, the same day that Brûlée Royale arrives in the U.S. market (SRP $160) in a run of about 8,500 bottles. You can find many other bottles in the Compass Box lineup, including Nectarosity, at websites like ReserveBar now.
