Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend
Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend is a 43% ABV (86 proof), 750mL blended Scotch whisky built the old way — a high malt content of roughly 65%, with Lowland grain whisky from Cameronbridge, peated malt from Laphroaig on Islay, Highland malt from Clynelish and a sherried Speyside element, matured across sherry-seasoned butts, American oak and custom French oak. It is bottled with natural colour and no chill filtration. First released in 2014 as the bold, smoky half of the Great King Street range, it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 43% (86 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Blended Scotch whisky, no age statement
- Malt content: Approx. 65% malt whisky (per current Compass Box disclosure)
- Key components: Cameronbridge single grain, Laphroaig, Clynelish, sherried Speyside malt
- Casks: Sherry-seasoned butts, American oak barrels and hogsheads, custom French oak
- Finishing: Natural colour, not chill-filtered
The Smoky Side of Great King Street
Compass Box named its Great King Street range for its Edinburgh address — 24 Great King Street — and launched it in 2011 with the lighter, fruitier Artist's Blend. The Glasgow Blend, added in 2014, is the deliberate counterweight: whiskymaker John Glaser took his cue from Aeneas MacDonald's 1930s book Whisky, which recorded that Glaswegians preferred fuller-bodied, more flavour-packed drams, and from blend recipes a century old that carried far more malt than modern blends. The label carries Glasgow's unofficial emblem, the Duke of Wellington statue outside the Gallery of Modern Art, complete with the traffic cone the city insists on placing on his head. Compass Box discloses its recipes bottling by bottling, so proportions shift slightly between releases — the sherried weight, Islay smoke and high malt core do not. Explore the range on the Compass Box vendor page, compare the lighter Scotch whisky shelf, or browse the wider whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Coal-fire peat smoke wrapped in sherry-cask spice, fruitcake richness and sticky toffee pudding. Palate: Full and mouth-coating — dark dried fruit, sultana and baking spice from the sherry wood, maritime Islay peat underneath, honey and orchard fruit opening with a splash of water. Finish: Long, sweet and smoky, the sherry and peat fading together.
How to Enjoy
Compass Box suggests a tumbler or wine glass, neat or with a splash of water, before or after dinner — and the blend's weight makes it a serious cocktail whisky, built for a Rob Roy or a Penicillin where a lighter blend would disappear.
Frequently Asked Questions
What whiskies are in the Glasgow Blend? Compass Box discloses recipes per bottling; the consistently reported core is Cameronbridge single grain, Laphroaig from Islay, Clynelish from the Highlands and a sherried Speyside malt, at roughly 65% total malt content.
Is the Glasgow Blend peated? Yes — the Laphroaig component gives it a clear maritime peat-smoke character, balanced by heavy sherry-cask fruit and spice. It is the smokiest whisky in the Great King Street range.
Is it chill-filtered? No. Compass Box bottles the Glasgow Blend with natural colour and without chill filtration.
High malt, heavy sherry, real smoke — order Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.