The drinks diaries: An experimental new whisky and ready mixed cocktails
Whiskymakers Compass Box are well known for their mischievous approach to the rules governing the production of Scotch whisky. While some might regard these as necessary impediments to creativity, Compass Box takes apparent delight in tweaking the nose of the establishment, sometimes making whiskies that seem to be a calculated riposte to figures in authority telling them, “No.”
This playful, contrarian spirit has most recently resulted in their Experimental Grain Whisky, which is itself a playful, contrarian spirit.
Released last month, and with just 6,142 bottles available worldwide, Compass Box’s Experimental Grain Whisky is built around a parcel of whisky made exclusively from peated barley malt, by the Loch Lomond Distillery. You might expect that this whisky, aged in second fill ex-bourbon casks, with notes of pears and smoky moss, would be classified as a single malt, but it was produced using a copper Coffey column still, and under the current rules single malt Scotch must be made using pot stills. So despite the fact that this component of the limited release has a mashbill consisting only of barley, convention requires that it can only be referred to as a “single grain whisky”.
Compass Box’s touchstone in making this whisky was a theme of “contrast”. Joining the parcel from Loch Lomond, which makes up 31% of the final product, there are three other packages of more conventional grain whiskies, aged in re-charred barrels and hogsheads, intended to create “rich crème brûlée notes that bring depth to the Loch Lomond whisky’s unique herbal and spicy smoke aromas”. These packages were from: The North British Distillery (36.7%), imparting tropical flavours of pineapple and coconut; The Cameronbridge Distillery (14.5%), bringing toffee, spiced honey, and oranges, and; Compass Box’s Hedonism blended grain (17.8%) which tastes of toffee and creme patissiere. The resulting liquid is a satisfyingly bamboozling juxtaposition of caramelised bananas, juicy raspberries, and coniferous smoke.
“Experimental Grain Whisky tastes like no limited edition we have made before,” says lead whiskymaker James Saxon. “We set out to create the alter ego to Hedonism, our signature whisky and the world’s first ‘Vatted Grain.’ The whisky we sourced from the Loch Lomond Distillery has been made from a mashbill of 100% peated malted barley; this component, in what is officially a grain whisky, feels like a spy travelling under a false passport. We love this tension that so often exists between the rules and a modern willingness to do things differently, in pursuit of flavour”.
• Compass Box Experimental Grain Whisky is 46% ABV, and available for £100 per 700ml bottle from compassboxwhisky.com
NIO Cocktails x Bruichladdich and the Botanist
To celebrate B-Corp Month, which champions using business as a force for good by prioritising social and environmental values, mail-order cocktail makers NIO have joined forces with B-Corp-certified sister companies Bruichladdich and The Botanist to produce an exclusive, limited edition box set of batched cocktails, that showcase the distilleries’ excellent whisky and gin.
NIO Cocktails delivers ready-to-drink cocktails for customers to enjoy in their homes. The drinks are designed by Patrick Pestolesi, the Irish-Italian founder of Drink Kong, which holds 19th place on the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars. The bar, in Rome, Italy, has Blade Runner-influenced décor and offers modern takes on classic cocktails. In developing drinks for NIO, Pestolesi applies the same expertise, using premium brand spirits and quality ingredients to produce a range of vodka, gin, whisk(e)y, tequila, and rum based cocktails, as well as some alcohol-free options. NIO boasts everything you expect from the world’s best bars: “The only difference – Needs Ice Only, no other specialist knowledge, ingredients or bar implements required.”
NIO Cocktails’ collaboration with Bruichladdich and The Botanist has resulted in four delectable cocktails, three of which are classics with an inventive twist. The “Laddie Sour” uses Bruichladdich’s Classic Laddie in a whisky sour preparation, given extra bite with an addition of ginger liqueur, while the “Progressive Old Fashioned” again uses the Classic Laddie, but includes not only the expected Angostura Bitters, but Angostura Orange Bitters for a zing of citrus freshness.
The gin cocktails also include a play on a popular favourite in the form of “The Botanist Martini”, which uses The Botanist, Mancino Secco Vermouth, and a dash of Angostura Orange Bitters. The Botanist Islay Dry Gin famously features 22 botanicals, from gin staples (such as juniper) to special locally-sourced ingredients (like gorse flowers). The dry Mancino vermouth is infused with 19 aromatic botanicals of its own, including Italian herbs such as oregano and marjoram, as well as more surprising additions such as dog rose, iris, and nutmeg. The resulting drink is an exciting combination of complimentary flavours. The final cocktail in the set is “The Botanist’s Choice”, an original drink which mixes The Botanist with elderflower and chamomile liqueurs, emphasising the distillery’s floral style.
• NIO Cocktails’ Bruichladdich and The Botanist Cocktail Box contains four 100ml cocktails, and is available for a limited time only from the NIO website for £29, with free delivery (£1 from every cocktail sold will be donated to The Drinks Trust, a charity helping hospitality professions): niococktails.co.uk