Ballantine’s Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, hand-selected each and every whisky for this aromatic blend, favouring high proportions of whiskies aged exclusively in first-fill American oak casks.

COLOUR
Deep old gold

NOSE
Deep, soft, fruity aromas, elegant sweetness and vanilla oakiness

TASTE
A complex balance of honey, floral and fruity flavours with notes of vanilla

FINISH
Long-lasting and elegant

Compass Box Whisky - At their best, aged in good quality American oak casks, brimming with vanilla and echoing rich pastry cream on the finish, they are amongst the most delicious whiskies in the world. At their best, grain whiskies are the perfect whiskies to name...Hedonism.

The inspiration behind our whisky HEDONISM is just that ? pleasure, enjoyment, a celebration of that ideal marriage between distilled spirit and high-quality oak maturation. The aromas and flavours hint of vanilla, caramel, a delicate fruitiness, accented by flashes of coconut in the finish. This is a whisky that will appeal to both the ardent whisky enthusiast and newcomers to whisky alike.

This cask strength beast contains malt from all 28 of the Diageo distilleries, including Auchroisk, Benrinnes, Blair Athol, Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Cragganmore, Dailuane, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glen Elgin, Glenkinchie, Glenlossie, Glen Ord, Glen Spey, Inchgower, Knockando, Lagavulin, Linkwood, Mannochmore, Mortlach, Oban, Roseisla, Royal Lochnager, Strathmill, Talisker and Teaninich. The quantitates of each are unknown and it's likely that some of the rarer whiskies are in minimal amounts, but what a great way to try whisky from a whole slew of distilleries  in one hit.

Blended from 42 malts, all from Speyside, plus top quality grain. It's smooth and fruity.

SAMAROLI SPEY
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Our iteration of this year's Speyside. An elegant and sensual colt within our 2023 stables. A princely efflorescent malt carrying our nose to a whole host of places: the scent is Moorish, Latin perhaps, or rather Byzantine… smacking of the stone walls of Otranto, that bridgehead from Italy and what was left of the Western Empire, to the dazzling Constantinople. And immediately our mind is jolted back to the monasteries of Asia

Minor where myth, faith and search for self began in the mists of time.Then a great vegetable garden lush with plants all destined for the kitchen: aubergine, sweet pepper and mint; now lavender, an unknown number of flowers in full summer, powder and peach. All a prelude to an abundant satiating and fulfilling palate. A rich and dense spirit whose specific gravity is noteworthy. Leaving grooves on our tongue which, as second follows second, are filled with piquant and surprising meaning. We remain seated in a corner of the ballroom as we look on at the glitter of the gowns and envisage nights of passion between whiskies. Thoughts and fears entwine and perhaps darken us a little. Salento is a large herbarium made up of villages at the centre. Around them, the sea.

A.W.B

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BLEND COMPOSITION:
1 cask of Linkwood 2012 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of The Speyside SM 2013 - Barrel - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of The Speyside SM 2014 - Barrel - Refill Bourbon

BOTTLES PRODUCED: 810
ABV: 45%

SAMAROLI APPRENTICE
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

An unusual young man appeared at Verrocchio's workshop one day in 1469, expressing his desire to learn and assist. Teacher and student relationships have always influenced emotions, passion, literature, and more. Aristotle and Alexander serve as a sufficient example. To educate means to bring forth. In today's information-saturated world, amidst all the noise, such a connection becomes vital. We embark on a new journey as we focus on nurturing young emerging talents, whom we shall refer to as apprentices. After exploring various options, we finally settled on Speyside. The aim is to grasp, learn, comprehend, understand, and acquire the essence of what stimulates the human intellect. Every dedicated student cherishes their mentor, but it should be reciprocated. This young spirit exhibits vibrant and fresh notes, with a malty introduction accompanied by hints of green apple, honey, yellow stone fruit, and a touch of citrus. It possesses liveliness and unpredictability, requiring time to settle down and allow the olfactory impressions to solidify upon savoring. Returning to Verrocchio, after witnessing his apprentice Leonardo's paintings, he never touched a brush again.

A.W.B.

BLEND COMPOSITION:
3 casks of Fortrie 2017 (Teaspoon Macduff) - Hogsheads - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1494
ABV: 43%

SAMAROLI ARCHITECTUS
BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Ten labels would not be sufficient. Protagoras, Socrates, Anaxagoras, and all the great figures of ancient Greece were orchestrated by Pericles, the city's architect par excellence. They created the perfect polis that inspired love from every corner of the known world, although it also provoked hate from some. May Zeus grant me the opportunity to take vengeance upon the Athenians! With these words, Darius ordered one of his servants to repeat the phrase "Master, remember Athens" three times during each banquet.

Here we present a blend of single malt and grain whiskies aged in sherry oak casks, originating from various city-states of Scotland and their distilleries. We have chosen the title "Architectus" to provoke those who dare to taste this blend, marked by impertinence and hubris. It is agile, simple, and clear, crafted by carefully selecting the finest elements. Upon nosing, it delivers a shocking aroma, fruity and delicate. On the palate, it offers a magnificent combination of flowers, sweet fruits, dried fruits, toasted nuts, cereals, and sweet spices. The fragrance of the Scottish fields gracefully merges with the mischievous sherry notes, creating a seamless and majestic experience that unfolds towards the southern horizon. Enhanced by a gentle summer glow, we find ourselves immersed in its captivating aroma as the sun slowly descends beyond the hills. Who knows how long it will take for such a remarkable alignment of eminent humans to occur again? It seems that even two thousand years have not been enough.

A.W.B.

BLEND COMPOSITION:
1 cask of Tomintoul 2017 - Hogshead - Refill - Bourbon;
1 cask of North British 2012 (Grain whisky) - Sherry Butt
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1392
ABV: 45%

SAMAROLI BLEND
BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

That tune, that song... often the emotions that find us out are too strong, the nostalgia sneaks up on us too quickly. You used to listen to that song with your folks… and now you aren’t with them, or they are simply not around anymore. Your memory feeds back sensations and feelings that the encaged present cannot capture; it is incapable of rationalising. But they occur, and they are the ones who will take your place, and in your honour that same melody, that same music, becomes a masterpiece of man’s ingenuity, capable of transcending the future and moving closer to those indescribable moments of infinity and eternity.
In the same way this blend was born with the precise intent of enabling those who are getting to know us what past we have been capable of bringing about and at the same time to remind those who know us well who we are now and that this is what we wish to be. 

Listen: the backing track of an iconic Speyside distillery marries up perfectly with a great grain, arranging an aromatic bouquet worthy of a solo in the spotlight. A slow ouverture, but now bursts of ripe fruit, hay, lawn and petrichor. In the mouth majestic, warm and harmonious: we are back among the flavours of grandma’s kitchen: her sweet baking, her slightly, perfectly burnt mostaccioli biscuits.

A.W.B.
BLEND COMPOSITION:

1 cask of Glenburgie 1995 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of North British 1992 (Grain whisky) - Barrel - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 236
ABV: 48%

An exceptional 30 year old scotch whisky; matured in our finest American Oak barrels and finished in Olorosso sherry, adding a layer of complexity to the finished product.

Mackinlay's - Shackleton ordered 25 cases of Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky to take on his expedition of 1907.  In 2007, eleven intact bottles containing this perfectly preserved whisky were recovered from under the ice beneath Shackleton's base camp.

This has inspired our Master Blender, Richard Paterson, to create this Shackleton whisky as a personal and deeply felt project.  He has combined the best Highland malt whiskies, allowing them to marry over a long period to create an enigmatic blended malt with a dash of body and a whisper of smoke.  It has complex notes of vanilla, honey and orchard fruits with real warmth and depth at it's heart, like Shackleton himself.

Red Label is Johnnie Walker's signature blend, the versatile one that has introduced their whisky to the world. Crafted from the four corners of Scotland, it crackles with spice and is bursting with vibrant, smoky flavours – followed by a mellow bed of vanilla, a fresh zestiness and the Johnnie Walker signature of a long, lingering, smoky finish.

Grants Family Reserve is one of the worlds best loved Scotch whiskies and enjoyed in over 180 countries. First created by William Grant in 1898, the blend is today, five generations later, entrusted to Grants Master Blender, Brian Kinsman. Brian skilfully blends around 25 of the finest single malt and grain Scotch whiskies to make Grants Family Reserve. The basis for the blend is our widely acclaimed Girvan grain whisky. Vacuum distilled at a lower temperature to make it a lighter and more delicate spirit, it is then aged in oak to give it a deeper, sweeter, soft fruit flavour, creating the perfect foundation.

DISTILLATION PARTNERS “There’s some peated Glenturret in there, a bit of Caol Ila, Glenrothes, Ben Nevis and some “Dalrymple” (a tea-spooned malt from the Ailsa Bay Distillery).” 

MATURATION Oloroso Sherry Cask

SENSORY Deep mahogany with a rich Oloroso Sherry seasoned oak nose. Hints of cigar box, dried raisins, dark plums and festive spice. Palate shows charred Christmas cake ends, cigar box, gingerbread, burnt orange peel, smoked bacon. The finish is long, warming and lingering, balancing barbeque smoked meats with brown sugar, ginger and cinnamon.

CIGAR PAIRING Maduro’ (meaning ‘mature’ in Spanish) cigars are made from extra fermented and slow aged tobacco leaves and tend to be sweeter and darker than others. The Whisky Cellar’s Keith Bonnington suggests: 

1. Padron 1926 Series No. 35 Maduro (notes of coffee, pepper, cedar wood, leather and caramel) 

2. Cohiba Black Robusto Crystal (notes of cocoa and coffee) 

3. Camacho Triple Maduro (notes of earth and spice). Equally good with a cup of freshly brewed Arabica coffee, a densely sweet after-dinner dessert or a piece of dark chocolate (the minimum 70% cocoa fat version).

The best selling whisky in Scotland and the spirit behind the Scottish Rugby Team. The whisky itself is rather rich and sweet, but well rounded, suggesting heavy use of Whisky from Spey and the Northern Highlands.