Compass Box Metropolis - The Extinct Blends Quartet

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 49% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Metropolis explores the urban roots of Blended Scotch. As the third release in the Extinct Blends Quartet, its composition draws on the history of blending houses in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The four-part series reimagines older Scotch styles whose recipes and flavours have changed over the decades. Compass Box selected particularly mature and rare stocks for Metropolis. Developed under the direction of James Saxon, the edition was released in September 2023 with an outturn of 5,910 bottles.

At its heart are single malts from Aberlour matured in recharred American oak Barrels. Their nutty, pastry-like character is complemented by citrus and vanilla notes from Miltonduff, whose contribution comes from First-Fill Bourbon Barrels. Bowmore from Refill Bourbon Barrels adds a delicate, herbal peat-smoke note. The recipe also includes a whisky component from a Refill Sherry Butt, a Blended Grain from Refill Bourbon Barrels and a Blended Scotch drawn mainly from First-Fill Bourbon Barrels. Refill denotes casks that have already been used to mature whisky.

These different whisky and cask characters come together in a sweet, fruit-led blend with restrained smoke. Metropolis is bottled at 49%, without chill filtration or colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in gift packaging. A large ice sphere offers one way to serve it.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Vanilla appears first, before a variety of honey notes emerge. Fudge, apricot and pineapple then give way to the scent of fresh figs.
• Palate: The whisky is rich and layered on the palate. Sultanas and apricot once again meet a delicate note of smoky wood.
• Finish: The long finish remains sweet, with a pleasantly full mouthfeel.

Distillery/Bottler:

Founded in 2000, Compass Box develops its compositions in the Blending Room in Richmond, London. The company holds its own stocks of maturing whisky in Scotland. As a blending house, Compass Box brings together whiskies of different origins and maturation histories to create a specific flavour profile.

The Extinct Blends Quartet views blends as expressions of their era: changes in production, cask selection and flavour preferences also reshape familiar recipes. For the series, Compass Box uses rare whisky stocks to develop its own interpretations of four historic blending styles. Metropolis focuses on the role cities played in the development and spread of Blended Scotch.

Facts: