Compass Box Peat Monster Arcana Blended Malt Scotch

Compass Box Peat Monster Arcana is a single malt Scotch whisky that has been partially aged in custom French oak casks, non-chill filtered and bottled at 46%. Compass Box Peat Monster Arcana investigates how smoky whisky interacts with French oak. The majority of the recipe comprises waxy and delicately smoky malt whisky from the Talisker Distillery, while small amounts of malt whisky from the Ardbeg and Miltonduff Distilleries lend flavors of tarry peat and a charming fruitiness, respectively. Compass Box Peat Monster Arcana is one of the bottlings released by the brand to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The breakdown of the blend: Talisker single malt matured in refill hogshead (72.9%), Miltonduff single malt matured in first-fill bourbon (10.6%), Ardbeg single malt matured in recharred barrels (6.9%) and Compass Box Peat Monster at cask strength matured for over 2 years in refill custom French oak barrels with a heavy toast (9.6%). This is the first Compass Box whisky to include peated whiskies which were experimentally matured in their custom French oak barrels. Bottled at 46% without chill-filtration. Only 8328 bottles are available worldwide as of October 2020. Peat Monster Arcana is an extension of the regular Peat Monster. It is built on an experiment. Between 2016 and 2017 we refilled three of our custom French oak casks with a high strength version of The Peat Monster: what flavors would arise from using our hybrid casks a second time? Also, having never exposed peaty whisky to French oak, we were curious to see how the character might develop. Two little mysteries in one trial. Ten percent of Peat Monster Arcana is this richly spicy, more subtly smoky version of The Peat Monster. Malt whisky from the Talisker Distillery makes up the majority with notes of wax, green fruit and log fire embers. Malt whisky from the Ardbeg Distillery boosts the tarry and chocolatey smoke profile, perfectly extending the rich toasty notes of the French oak. A little of our Highland Malt Blend, matured in new, heavily toasted French oak, and some sweet and citrusy malt whisky from the Miltonduff Distillery, complete the recipe. Peat Monster Arcana investigates how smoky whisky interacts with French oak. We began with a cask strength version of The Peat Monster – our blend of smoky malt whiskies – which we then filled into three once-used casks fitted with heavily toasted French oak heads. Following extended ageing, we discovered that two of the casks imparted extra creaminess and toasty spice, while the contents of the third became fruitier and chocolatey. To build upon the curious influences of these refilled custom casks, we have used malt whiskies never seen in The Peat Monster before. A combination of American oak bodies with toasted French oak heads, our custom barrels generate compelling flavours for us. Yet until 2016, their effects on smoky whisky remained something of a mystery. We took three French oak custom casks which had already been used to mature our Highland Malt Blend and filled them with a cask strength version of The Peat Monster. More than two years later, the French oak had imparted extra creaminess, spice notes and a chocolatey profile – it had also mellowed the whisky’s smokiness. What started as The Peat Monster became something rather different. Peat Monster Arcana celebrates mysteries but there will be no secrets. This is a blend of malt whiskies from the Talisker, Miltonduff and Ardbeg Distilleries, together with our assertive and spicy experiment. We sense that there are plenty more discoveries to be made regarding the impact of French oak on Scotch whisky. Transparency is incredibly important to us and we believe that you deserve to know what is in your whisky. On this occasion however, we must also inform you about what didn’t make it into the bottle. To further complement the French oak character of our experimental parcel, we wanted to add part of a cask of our French oak-finished Highland Malt Blend. Unfortunately, this component was not included in the final bottling. So closely did the final liquid match our blending room prototype, we did not discover the error until after the whisky was bottled and shipped. The recipe as published on the back label for Peat Monster Arcana is therefore incorrect. From bench-top prototype to the full-scale blend, our experimental parcel grew in influence – we want to understand why this was so. The whisky remains true to the delicious fusion of oak and smoke we envisioned, in spite of the Highland Malt Blend’s absence, but we are sorry that the recipe table does not reflect the contents with total accuracy. We are adjusting our processes to better meet the new challenges we face. Nose: Orchard fruits, stone fruits, melon, milk chocolate, sweet peat, herbaceous, cinnamon. Rich aromas of chocolate, cinnamon and boat tar give way to impressions of salty sea air and seaweed. Palate: Oily, malty sweetness, vanilla, white peppers, toasted bread, ripe pears, caramel, tarry peat. Notes of seaweed and ripe apples arrive on the palate with a pronounced waxy texture. The peatiness - dry and deep in character - steadily builds. Served neat, the interplay of spice and dry peat is at its most intense. Finish: Cinnamon, raisins, dried fruits, lingering, honey, oak spices The addition of water teases out greater oak sweetness and orchard fruitiness while mixing it in a highball will emphasise its waxy texture. A whisky that rewards repeat investigation.