Compass Box Celestial - The Extinct Blends Quartet (70cl, 50%)

Compass Box Celestial is the fourth and final bottling in the Extinct Blends Quartet. This blended Scotch reinterprets a powerful 1960s blend, with a smoky base of Ardbeg and Caol Ila that were first married six years earlier for the original No Name. James Saxon led the blending of eleven components, including Pulteney, Glen Elgin and grain whiskies from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. Casks range from charred American oak and bourbon barrels to a heavily toasted French oak cask. It was bottled in November 2023 at 50%, without added colour or chill-filtering, as an edition of 5,532 bottles in 70cl. Tasting notes describe beach bonfire smoke, ginger, vanilla and grilled apples. The palate is dry, with fresh oak spice and cooked tropical fruit, and the long finish brings back smoke, ginger and ripe tropical fruit.