Compass Box This is a 10-Year-Old Whisky: 600 U.S. Bottles, $84.99

Compass Box has released This is a 10-Year-Old Whisky in the U.S. (SRP $84.99/700mL). It blends three single malts, each aged exactly 10 years in first-fill bourbon barrels:

Clynelish (66.5%), for a waxy, coastal character
Ardnamurchan peated (20.2%), for smoke and structure
Ardnamurchan unpeated (13.3%), for wild Highland character

It is bottled at 50.5% ABV. Only 3,610 bottles were made worldwide, with 600 for the U.S., sold online at shopusa.compassboxwhisky.com.

The release marks ten years since Compass Box began pushing for more transparency in blended Scotch. By law, a blended Scotch’s age statement can only show the age of its youngest whisky.

“At Compass Box, we have always believed that whisky lovers deserve better,” says Nishat Gupte, CEO at Compass Box Whisky. “Every component of our whiskies, including age and origin, is disclosed in full, every time. This is a 10-Year-Old Whisky is not a statement about the industry, it’s a statement about us: full transparency, no compromises. It’s simply the way we believe whisky should be made and shared.”

Tasting notes (blended by Samuel Travers and Michael Stephenson)

Nose: Pink Lady apple, rhubarb crumble, custard, pineapple upside-down cake
Palate: Lemon-iced butter cookies, white chocolate, vanilla panna cotta, apricot, nutmeg on sweet oats