Compass Box’s New Blend Contains Whisky From Laphroaig and Talisker

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Compass Box is celebrating a quarter century of making blended scotch whisky this year, no small achievement for an upstart company in this storied industry. To celebrate the occasion, this innovative and forward-thinking brand is releasing Flaming Heart: 25th Anniversary Edition—and whisky from Laphroaig and Talisker are two of the key components in the blend.

As a reminder, blended scotch refers to a blend of malt and grain whisky from various distilleries, while a blended malt consists of just malt whisky. Flaming Heart falls into the latter category, so there is no grain whisky included in the mix, although Compass Box has made both styles since its founding in 2000. Flaming Heart was first released in 2006, and the company says it was meant to showcase “a fusion of rich peat smoke and new French oak influence in complex layers.” According to a press release, past Flaming Heart drops have included unpeated whiskies that were aged in bourbon barrels and sherry casks in the blend, but this new anniversary edition (the eighth) consists only of peated whiskies and whiskies aged in custom French oak barrels.

Specifically, that means there are four main components: malt whisky from Laphroaig, a popular Islay distillery known for its intensely peated whisky, aged in marsala wine barrels (3 percent of the blend); malt whisky from Talisker, a Diageo distillery located on the Isle of Skye that also makes peated whisky, aged in recharred oak barrels (48.1 percent); malt whisky from the Benrinnes Distillery (also owned by Diageo), aged in French oak (35.5 percent); and “Williamson” Islay Malt, a brand sourced from an Islay distillery (usually thought to be Laphroaig) aged in recharred oak (13.4 percent).

We did not get to try this whisky for ourselves, but official tasting notes describe a palate full of flavors like clove, pink and black pepper, nutmeg, medicinal peat, winey fruit, and concentrated woody smoke with menthol and citrus oils. The whisky was bottled at 48.9 percent ABV with natural color and no chill filtration. Flaming Heart was named after indie musician M. Ward’s song from his End of Amnesia album released in 2001, by the way, so Compass Box has created a playlist to listen to while sipping a dram that includes this tune.

“This release isn’t just a nod to where we’ve been; it’s a declaration of where we’re headed,” said whisky-making director James Saxon in a statement. “The bold character of Flaming Heart: 25th Anniversary Edition reflects everything Compass Box stands for: daring innovation, craftsmanship, and our constant pursuit of unforgettable flavor.”

You can purchase Flaming Heart: 25th Anniversary Edition (SRP $165) now at the Whisky Exchange, and you can find the rest of the lineup, including past Flaming Heart iterations, available at websites like ReserveBar now.

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