COMPASS BOX RELEASES THE CIRCLE, NO. 2
Compass Box Scotch whiskymakers announce an exciting new Limited Edition. The Circle, No. 2 is the latest to emerge from their global bartender competition, The Circle, and is inspired by a rare sensation known as synaesthesia.
The whisky will be available in the UK from 1st June, with only 3,113 bottles available worldwide.
The Circle programme serves to connect the creative processes of the blending room with those of the bar trade, exploring imaginative and unusual ideas and bringing like-minded individuals together to learn, share and create. Mannie Monaghan won the competition in 2019, the last time The Circle was able to run. Mannie, owner of the bar, Below Stairs, in Leeds, UK, tapped into the phenomenon of synaesthesia, asking the Compass Box whiskymakers “Is it possible to make a whisky that evokes the colour coral?”
There are only 3,113 bottles available
Synaesthesia refers to a blending of the senses. It can involve hearing shapes, tasting days of the week, or smelling colours and is as varied in its forms and intensities as the people who experience it. As a synaesthete himself, Mannie, was able to bring the full force of his taste buds and personal colour palette to the Compass Box blending rooms, fostering a unique creative process for the whiskymaking team.
What does the colour coral taste like? It’s unmistakably warm, familiar, and powerful.
Translating that sensation into whisky has led us to create wonderful warm whisky that expresses the positivity and vibrancy of Living Coral, Pantone’s colour of the year in 2019.
– Mannie Monaghan: Global bartender competition winner 2019
Over two lengthy sessions, Mannie joined whiskymaker James Saxon in the Blending Rooms. Not synaesthetic himself, James relied on Mannie to first identify parcels of whisky with coral-like qualities. This was an exciting challenge and great fun, scouring the shelves for samples of whiskies with the intensity and beauty that matched the colour in Mannie’s mind.
Gradually a lovely, soft, and sweet whisky took shape. More than half of the recipe is tropical, pineapple-accented whisky from the Glen Elgin Distillery, while whiskies aged in Sherry casks lend warmth, energy, and a clinging texture. Dashes of a peated whisky, and a little malt whisky further matured in STR wine casks, bring contrast and depth. The Circle, No. 2 was created as an outdoor whisky to be enjoyed with friends, lounging on a lazy afternoon as the sun sets.
Key flavours expressed by the whisky are pineapple and stewed peach alongside vanilla, honey and sultanas soaked in Cognac. Compass Box wanted the label design to reflect the collaborative whiskymaking process and the fusing of the senses, as well as bring to life the luminous beauty of coral.
Creating The Circle, No. 2 with Mannie has shown us that the senses can be blended together, and that they can inform one another. This is the beauty of collaboration – we have only had the opportunity to run two editions of The Circle programme, but hopefully we can have many more surprising meetings of minds in the years to come.
Not being synaesthetic, working with Mannie in the Blending Rooms was a bit like trying to learn a new language. Gradually, I was able to suggest parcels of whisky that met Mannie’s vision more precisely. By the end, I did feel as though I was seeing colours too! We are so pleased to finally be able to release this whisky, and that we can start to look forward to bringing bartenders together again.
– James Saxon: Lead whiskymaker
Compass Box Limited Edition The Circle, No. 2 (RRP £130, ABV 46%) @CompassBoxWhiskyCo (Instagaram)
Compass Box is available to buy from these Merchants:-
ABOUT COMPASS BOX
We are Scotch whiskymakers. This word ‘whiskymaker’ is our word – it does not appear in a dictionary. And for 20 years we have been relentlessly focused on reinventing Scotch whisky, with every new blend designed to help make the world of whisky a more interesting place.
Of course, we have not done it on our own. We have collaborated with some of the world’s most visionary bartenders and designers to really push the boundaries of what is possible. We have won more awards for innovation than any other producer in Scotland because we are always experimenting.
Always looking for sparks of creativity that will deliver something totally compelling, yet completely surprising. Whiskies that just must be experienced. This vision motivates us as whiskymakers.
Our blends are consistently rated equal to or better than the great single malts of Scotland by the most respected voices in the industry.
Six-time Whisky Magazine Innovator of the Year.
2020 Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame Inductee, John Glaser, Founder of Compass Box.
JOHN GLASER, WHISKYMAKER
American ex-pat John Glaser is the founder and head whiskymaker of Compass Box, the boutique Scotch whisky blending house widely recognised in the industry for their innovative approach to the creation and enjoyment of whisky.
John began his career on a path to become a winemaker, before re-routing himself through the corporate world and ending up as a Marketing Director for Johnnie Walker in London.
With a desire to do things differently, John started Compass Box from the kitchen of his west London home in 2000 in order to bring the joys of Scotch whisky to more people.
From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most compelling whisky companies, re-imagining the standards for quality and style in the industry. In 2020, John was inducted into the Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame.
Two decades later, Compass Box now has two blending rooms in London, a team of 20 working internationally and stocks of maturing whiskies in Scotland.
In 2020, Compass Box celebrates its 20th anniversary. With a forward-looking approach and unrelenting focus on creativity and integrity, John and his team continue to take forward his mission to make the world of Scotch whisky a more interesting place.
ABOUT THE CIRCLE PROGRAMME
Compass Box launched The Circle programme in 2018 to connect the creative processes of their Blending Room
with those of the bar trade. The programme involves inviting a select group of bartenders from around the globe
to join the Compass Box whiskymakers on an adventure of flavours by undertaking a series of creative challenges.
A number of heats take place globally before a three-day global final in London. A winner is then selected who is
rewarded with the opportunity to create their own limited edition Compass Box whisky for everyone to enjoy.
2018’s winner was London’s Rosey Mitchell from the bar Three Sheets. After an unavoidable pause on the
programme over the past two years, Compass Box are looking to the future and ways to expand and develop The
Circle.
Synaesthesia is as far outside most people’s perception as a fourth dimension. Yet to some, the concept of the
senses entangling so they can taste music or see flavour is entirely natural. The Circle, No. 2 is an experiment in
one bartender’s fascinating sensory world. Like all their whiskies though, the ultimate experience is shaped by the
individual. To other synaesthetes, a sip may evoke the colour purple, or taste like D minor, while those with
conventionally connected senses will still interpret the deliciousness in their own idiosyncratic way.
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