The Scotch whiskymakers at Compass Box have announced the release of the fourth limited edition expression of their Extinct Blends Quartet – Celestial.
Inspired by a whisky from the mid-20th century, Celestial is the peatiest of the Extinct Blends Quartet.
Collectors can occasionally find the highly coveted bottlings of the extinct blend that inspired Celestial, produced from the 1950s and 1960s; founded by one of the original “Whisky Barons,” the expression had strong historical connections to a distillery on Islay and one in Speyside. When the Compass Box opened a 1960s bottle that was originally destined for the U.S., they discovered a deeply complex and ghostly peat note, abundant cask sweetness verging on gingerbread and stem ginger in syrup, and a floral fruitiness.
For Celestial, the whiskymakers drew on malt whiskies from the Ardbeg and Caol Ila distilleries – two parcels that were first brought together six years ago for Compass Box’s original No Name expression.
“Celestial’s flavor profile elicits heavyweight peat smoke. Behind that is a gingery richness, notes of vanilla and grilled apples. The palate is dry and oak-forward, with meaty smokiness flowing onto cooked tropical fruits,” says James Saxon, Compass Box’s Whiskymaking Director.
For the final expression in the Extinct Blends Quartet, the whiskymakers wanted to capture an epic flight through the night sky, the home of the celestial body of Pegasus. They took that inspiration to the label design, which depicts a dramatic sky with billowing clouds and the glittering Pegasus constellation. The billowing clouds symbolize the complex columns of peatiness captured within the whisky while the cloudscapes and the night sky are a metaphor for the ever-changing world of blended Scotch whisky itself.
Only 5,532 bottles will be released worldwide, Compass Box’s Extinct Blends Quartet – Celestial is 100 proof and retails for $375. .
