Compass Box Stranger & Stranger Scotch Whisky

Renegade Master Blender John Glaser’s newest release is so radical we can’t even call it Scotch. Though it is composed of mostly of Single Malts from Scotland aged over 17 years, the spirit also includes 1% of a one-year-old Scottish single grain distillate used to season and condition Compass Box’s new barrels. This one-year-old spirit was thought of as a “sacrificial spirit” - something to fill the casks and take down some of the new wood flavors, something that would eventually be thrown away. But Glaser tasted it, realized it was special, and used it to bring young, lively notes to the special blend he was designing to commemorate his 10-year partnership with design firm Stranger and Stranger. The result might not technically be Scotch, because that 1% is too young to qualify for the designation, but it is testament to the skills of a Master Blender who has no qualms breaking a few rules in the pursuit of unparalleled flavor.