Compass Box Experimental Grain Scotch Whisky

Compass Box Experimental Grain Scotch Whisky is a 46% ABV (92 proof) limited-edition blended grain Scotch whisky in a 750mL bottle — 6,142 bottles worldwide, built around a peated Loch Lomond grain-whisky core, bottled December 2021 at natural color with no chill-filtration, available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV: 46% (92 proof) — natural color, no chill-filtration
• Size: 750mL (US format)
• Release: bottled December 2021, US release April 2022 — limited to 6,142 bottles worldwide; lead whiskymaker James Saxon
• Recipe: 31% Loch Lomond grain (100% peated malted barley, copper Coffey column still, second-fill bourbon barrel); 17.8% Hedonism blended grain (second-fill bourbon); 36.7% North British grain (recharred American oak); 14.5% Cameronbridge grain (recharred American oak hogshead)
• Origin: Scotland — Alexandria (Loch Lomond), Edinburgh (North British), Fife (Cameronbridge)
• Style: no age statement; the brand's smoky "alter ego" to its ultra-creamy Hedonism vatted grain

A Grain Whisky That Breaks the Rules

The centerpiece of Experimental Grain is a legal edge case: 100% peated malted barley, distilled in Loch Lomond's copper Coffey (column) still — the only copper Coffey still in Scotch — so it cannot be called single malt and counts as grain whisky instead. Compass Box layered that peated parcel over North British and Cameronbridge conventional grains plus a measure of its own Hedonism blended grain, all in second-fill bourbon and recharred American oak, then bottled it at 46% with no chill-filtration. The result is what the brand calls the smoky alter ego of Hedonism. Browse our whisky shelf, explore Compass Box, or compare other experimental blends.

Tasting Notes

The official flavor profile reads like a study in contrast: banana and toffee mingle with soft, savoury barbecue smokiness and hints of rum and raspberry. The palate is soft and oily — almond and vanilla — before a curiously delicious note of burnt pine cones develops.

How to Enjoy

Neat at room temperature to catch the full banana-to-barbecue arc. A splash of water opens the oily texture; it also makes a fascinating highball for the adventurous.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes it "experimental"?
Its 31% core is 100% peated malted barley column-distilled at Loch Lomond — a malt grain bill that legally counts as grain whisky — layered over three conventional grain whiskies and Compass Box's own Hedonism.

Is it a limited edition?
Yes — 6,142 bottles worldwide, bottled December 2021 under lead whiskymaker James Saxon.

Is it chill-filtered?
No — it is bottled at 46% ABV, natural color, with no chill-filtration (light 5-micron filtration only).

Peated, column-distilled, rule-bending grain whisky — pick up Compass Box Experimental Grain online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.