
Compass Box Spice Tree
Scotch so avant-garde it was illegal in 2005. Compass Box, Scottish maker of artisanal Whisky, is known for its forward-thinking and extravagant expressions. They create custom casks from premium Oak, select the best Whiskies they can find, create unique and magical blends, which are then matured for up to six years. Then, in 2005, Compass Box went "too far". In their daring endeavor, they decided to shake things up and use staves in the finishing process. Absolute horror show, right? Well, apparently. The Scotch Whisky Association banned the expression in 2006. Again, the staves! Anyway, the lavish Spice Tree is back. After some tinkering and conspiratorial meetings with barrel makers, they came up with a unique hybrid Oak cask that brings similar results as the verboten version. And its second coming is wonderfully stunning. The 2.0 version was matured in custom-made American Oak casks with heads made of French Oak, and the result is a rich and intense malt with toasty accents