Compass Box The Creativity of Blending: Compass Box Auction Starts Tomorrow

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When it comes to the art of whisky making, it is often creativity and the courage to experiment that results in the creation of something exceptional.

Now, a collection of bottles produced by one of the world’s most innovative whisky makers, Compass Box, is about to go under the hammer in an exclusive auction at WhiskyAuctioneer.com. From 14th-18th January, over 130 expressions including 70 limited editions produced by the disruptive blender will feature in the sale, including the company’s inaugural release launched in the year 2000, Hedonism. 

Boundary breakers and masters of innovation, Compass Box was founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director for the Johnnie Walker brand, who fell in love with Scotch whisky and the idea of blending whisky as a creative art. Its core range consists of The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Oak Cross, Asyla and Hedonism blends and aim to reinvent the Scotch whisky category with its exceptional quality and limited releases.

Collated by one devoted and anonymous whisky enthusiast, known only as Pat, this Compass Box collection was part of Pat’s extraordinary library of over 9,000 bottles. Fuelled by a passion to learn, sip, share and savour whiskeys from around the world, his genuine interest took him beyond tradition to discover boutique expressions bursting with quality and character. 

In what marks the first dedicated Compass Box auction in the brand’s history, and the largest offering of its expressions to go on sale from a single owner, Pat now hopes to spark the same interest in budding collectors.

The auction will also offer collectors and whisky fans a number of exclusive U.S. bottlings, including the ultra-desirable collaboration with Bern's Steak House in Tampa, Florida. The collaboration gave rise to Bern's Blended Grain, a 41 Year Old made up of five unique casks from Strathclyde and Girvan. Of the 618 bottles produced, only 120 were available in retail. Other sought after and limited expressions to feature include Mariage, Optimism, Lady Luck, The General, and the 10th Anniversary Hedonism bottling celebrating the company’s ten year milestone; this was an extremely rare bottling of 38 year old Invergordon single grain whisky distilled in 1971, of which there are just 120 bottles in existence.

 

Joe Wilson, Head of Auction Content at Whisky Auctioneer, said: 

“This is the first time that a dedicated collection of Compass Box has become available at auction, so we’re very excited to offer our customer base such a varied selection of whiskies that can really add something novel to their collections.

Blends have been soaring in popularity as more and more whisky fans look beyond the boundaries of what is traditionally perceived as quality, and we are delighted to spotlight the flagbearers for the 21st century revival of the category."