COMPASS BOX and the story of a heart on fire!
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Bradpeat's engine purrs softly along the English roads to the sound of old rock classics. We're heading to London, home of Compass Box, the blending house that has set my peaty heart racing ever since I took my first sip of Peat Monster.
This time, it's not just for whisky. No. It's for Flaming Heart, the incandescent series celebrating Compass Box 25th anniversary with a special edition. And as always, Bradpeat is on board.
Before we begin, I suggest you take a seat in the passenger seat of my van and listen to the playlist specially curated by the COMPASS BOX team (which you can find here). Before I explain the story behind this musical selection (see Flaming Heart No. 7 below!), let's take a look back at COMPASS BOX.
Compass Box: where blending becomes poetry
When I arrive in Richmond I am reminded of John Glaser, the former marketing director at Johnnie Walker who, in 2000, decided to shake up the world of Scotch whisky. Compass Box was born from a slightly crazy dream: to restore blended whisky to its former glory by focusing on transparency, creativity and an almost artistic approach to blending.
From the very first vintages — Hedonism, Asyla, Eleuthera — Glaser imposed a style: whiskies that tell a story, that dare to make unusual combinations, that play with casks like a chef plays with spices. He even took on the institutions, notably during the controversy surrounding Spice Tree, to defend the use of French oak staves in casks — heresy for some, a revolution for others. I had the opportunity to introduce you to the Spice Tree Extravaganza experience (here) some time ago.
But in February 2024, after 23 years of passion, Glaser decided to pass on the torch. He remains a fervent supporter of the brand. Management is now in the hands of an experienced leadership team headed by Nishat Gupte, CEO, former founding CEO of Betty Buzz & Betty Booze and head of luxury and spirits in Europe at Credit Suisse, where he spearheaded the sale of Aviation Gin to Diageo. Compass Box retains its DNA but is exploring new territory: exotic casks, artistic collaborations and a clear desire to make whisky even more accessible and daring.
In this liquid creation studio, each bottle is a musical score. And even though maestro Glaser has left the stage, the music continues to play — with the same passion at its heart.
2025 A new hand in the blend: Angela D'Orazio and the creative team at Compass Box
Angela D'Orazio is no stranger to the world of whisky. She spent 17 years at Mackmyra, the pioneering Swedish distillery, where she shaped the Scandinavian style with some crazy ideas: local oak casks, ageing in an iron mine, finishes with Arctic cloudberry wine or Japanese green tea. She even co-created the first whisky designed with artificial intelligence. Suffice to say, she lacks neither audacity nor curiosity.
Trained at Glenmorangie, Bowmore, and Bruichladdich (where she was mentored by Jim McEwan), Angela brings a sensory and poetic vision of blending to Compass Box.
She is supported by a young and talented team, including Michael Stephenson, former Compass Box ambassador, and Samuel Travers, a technician trained at Port of Leith, Sweetdram, Muckle Brig and Lind & Lime.
Under Angela's leadership, this team embodies the new spirit of Compass Box: equal, inventive and resolutely forward-looking. Together, they explore the limits of blending, as one might explore a map without borders.
2025: grain, fire and experimentation
The atmosphere in the Compass Box studio is electric. The whisky makers welcome you with three bottles lined up like instruments ready to be played, in addition to the current range (ORCHARD HOUSE, NECTAROSITY, THE PEATMONSTER, CRIMSON CASK and, of course, ARTIST BLEND and GLASGOW BLEND (which I had the opportunity to introduce to you here).
The Flaming Heart 2025 – 25th Anniversary Edition, which we will discuss a little further down, Hedonism 2025, a voluptuous grain whisky aged in Marsala casks.
Flaming Heart 2025: The whisky that has been beating at the heart of COMPASS BOX for 25 years 🔥
🔥 2006 – The birth of fire
It all began in 2006, in a spirit of rebellion. John Glaser, the alchemist behind Compass Box, dared to blend the raw peat of Caol Ila with the waxy elegance of Clynelish, all aged in heavily toasted French oak casks.
A first edition like a manifesto: intense, woody, spicy, with a smoke that caresses rather than burns. The heart ignites, gently.
🔥 2007 – The fire intensifies
A year later, the second edition pushes the envelope. An Oak Cross base joins Caol Ila and Clynelish, adding a drier, almost ashy smoke. The toasted oak returns, more assertive. The whiskey becomes more structured, more daring.
🔥 2010 – Incandescence
Now in its third edition and celebrating 10 years of Compass Box, the fire is blazing.
Compass Box plays on contrasts by adding a Highlands blend to the Caol Ila and Clynelish duo: mineral peat, dried fruit and lively spices.
New oak comes to the fore, sculpting a full palate and a salty finish. This is a more mature, almost meditative version that invites slow tasting.
🔥 2012 – The Soul of Fire
The fourth edition refines the blend even further. Caol Ila and Clynelish remain the pillars, but the proportions have changed, with the addition of a touch of Highland Malt blend and, above all, a heavy smoke from Peat Monster (44%). The whisky gains in complexity: candied ginger, toasted wood, nutmeg.
The smoke has become more subtle, almost poetic.
Flaming Heart is no longer something you drink, it's something you listen to, just as you are doing right now.
🔥 2015 – Fifteen years of flames
To celebrate Compass Box's 15th anniversary, the fifth edition sets hearts ablaze.
The components remain the same (Caol Ila, Clynelish and Highland) but the profile is more balanced: elegant smoke, yellow fruits, vanilla. Round on the palate with a salty finish. It is a declaration of love for the art of blending, a tribute to creative freedom.
🔥 2018 – Back to roots
Sixth edition, and the fire is getting gentler. Still based on the same foundations, but with the addition of a generous dose of Deanston (28.7%), Compass Box returns to a subtle, almost understated peat, giving way to candied citrus fruits and mild spices.
The toasted oak remains in the background, like lingering embers. It is a more accessible version, but still full of character.
🔥 2022 – Total conflagration
Seventh edition, and the fire burns brighter than ever with an expansion of peated sources. Laphroaig, Caol Ila, Talisker: the peated trinity unites with the Highlands blend in a smoky and spicy ballet.
The nose evokes cigars, ginger and the sea. The palate is oily and flavourful, with a long, salty finish. A powerful, almost wild edition.
This edition also pays tribute to the music that inspired the start of the adventure in 2006, with references on the bottle label. You'll find all the tracks we're currently listening to in Brad Peat.
🔥 2025 – The Eternal Heart
This journey through time brings us to the latest fiery creation: the eighth, which will be a limited edition!
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Compass Box offers an ode to peat and adds complexity to its blend.
Talisker (48.1%) aged in American oak refired hogshead casks, Benrinnes (35.5%) aged in toasted French oak casks, Williamson (or Laphroaig in disguise 13.4%) aged in American oak hogshead casks and Laphroaig (3%) aged in first-fill Marsala casks: a fiery quartet.
👁️ In the glass, it displays a deep amber gold colour with coppery highlights, like the embers of a wood fire crackling softly at dusk.
The colour is dense, almost oily, leaving a slow trail on the sides of the glass — a promise of richness to come.
👃From the first sniff, the nose is an explosion of contrasts: elegant peat, smoky but never aggressive, like a fire in a Scottish bothy. You can almost smell the burnt wood of the casks with notes of cocoa and roasted coffee.
On the second sniff, you discover sweet spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) mingling with hints of dried fruit such as prunes.
On the third sniff, you discover sweet citrus fruits.
A complex, musical nose that evokes memories of old Led Zeppelin songs listened to in a boudoir by the fireside.
👄 The attack is full-bodied and warms the senses: the peaty smoke returns, more assertive but still controlled. The burnt wood notes unfold in depth, with notes of vanilla, burnt caramel and dark chocolate.
We then move on to the queen of peaty Scottish islands with a hint of salinity reminiscent of the Islay sea spray.
This maritime sensation is abruptly halted by notes of red fruit hidden beneath a crumble topping sprinkled with spices.
It is a structured palate, where each element finds its place in an almost symphonic harmony, like a Pink Floyd song.
👅 The finish is long and persistent. It leaves a trace of sweet smoke and a feeling of inner warmth. As if the heart itself had been set alight.
👏🏼 Feel free to pour a few drops into your hand, where you will smell all the final peaty aromas that you may not have noticed before.
What a wonderful journey once again!
This trip to London is more than just a tasting. It is an encounter with the soul of whisky, an immersion into the world of Compass Box, where each bottle tells a story and each flame evokes an emotion. Flaming Heart is not just a whisky. It is an ode to passion, a flame that still burns 25 years later.
Don't hesitate to discover the richness of Compass Box on their website Compass Box Whisky and meet the teams to taste their creations at the next Whisky Live Paris. I have a feeling that it might smell like crème brûlée made with Clynelich and Benrinnes, but I'm just saying!
