Compass Box Vellichor

Vellichor, n – the scent of second-hand bookshops.

On discovering this marvelous new word, Compass Box began a quest to recreate the fragrance using Scotch whisky. Parcels were considered, identified and pursued. The process can be compared to scouring second-hand bookshops for specific volumes.

Their search met with success when a distiller and bottler in the north of Scotland offered casks of whiskies which had been blended together in the past, before being returned to ex-Sherry butts for further maturation. Whiskies, like old books, contain their own stories.

Compass Box combined these Sherry-matured stocks with bold and mature malt whiskies from The Macallan, Highland Park and Caol Ila distilleries. The aroma is highly evocative for anyone with a fondness for books; the taste evolves and intensifies as any good political thriller or historical romance should.

A tribute to the storytelling potential of blended Scotch whisky, and the atmospheres of our favorite book stores.

Tasting Notes:

Hints of leather, polished furniture and the crackling dustiness of decades-old pages on the nose. The palate is stacked with sumptuous malty notes, tropical fruit and Sherry character, with a delicate but persistent peatiness.