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South Africa Welcomes Great King Street Whisky
Whisky lovers will be happy to hear that the Compass Box Whisky Co. has recently launched a new range, solely dedicated to Blended Scotch Whisky, called Great King Street.
John Glaser is the wizard behind Compass Box and creator of some of the finest blends and blended malts in the modern age of scotch. The Great King Street range is named after the street on which Compass Box is headquartered. Its first release is called “Artist’s Blend” and was launch at the Whisky Live Festival this November.
John Glaser, the wizard Whiskymaker
For John it’s important to bring good blended scotch whisky back to the masses. He want people to take a fresh look at blended Scotch whiskies and discover how blends are made and consumed. He believes that malt whiskies get all the attention these days and that people often overlook the pleasures of good Blended Scotch.
The blend contains just over 50% Lowland grain whisky aged in first-fill American oak barrels.The rest is malt from Speyside and two northern Highland distilleries. It’s aged in a combination of 10% first-fill sherry butts, 27.7% oak barrels fitted with new charred French oak ends (heads), and the rest in first-fill American (ex-bourbon) barrels. Unlike any other Blended Scotch whiskies, the ‘Artist’s Blend’ is bottled at its natural colour and without the chill filtration prior to bottling that most Scotch whiskies go through. This leaves us with a truly crafted and delightful blend!
The nose of the Great King St. Artist’s Blend kicks off with a fresh, citrusy apricot note and some freshly chopped slices of pineapple. On the palate you will find waves of vanilla pudding and baked pears. This well blended whisky has a very creamy body and a medium length finish.
Compass Box is also looking to use Great King Street as a way to encourage different ways of drinking whisky.The Artist’s Blend is an amazingly complex beverage and lends itself to pair with a variety of foods. Creamy and cheesy canapes works well with this big boy and never forget the chocolates and cigars. Whisky and cigars can be in a number of ways to compliment and contrast their flavours, bringing out their best. Having said that, Great King Street is equally enjoyable drunk with ice, as a refreshing Highball with soda water and ice, or in cocktails.
Other whiskies in the Great Kings Street range are the Oak Cross (R400), The Spice Tree (R450) and The Peat Monster (R450), all uniquely crafted and extremely enjoyable. The Great King St. Artist’s Blend retails for slightly less at R280, an extreme bargain considered the quality and sublime taste. Not only will this make a prefect candidate for your whisky collection, it’s the perfect gift for Christmas.
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