FRANCE. Innovative whisky maker Compass Box has joined with Extime Duty Free (the joint venture between Lagardère Travel Retail and Groupe ADP) to introduce The Travelling Circus blended Scotch whisky to passengers at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The limited edition marks Compass Box’s first global travel retail-exclusive expression. As reported, The Travelling Circus – which takes inspiration from the magic and grandeur of the circus world – was launched earlier this year. Compass Box partners with Duty Free Global to bring its products to life in travel retail.
Inspired by The Circus, a limited-edition Compass Box released in 2016, The Travelling Circus (49% ABV, 700ml) offers an enhanced peat presence due to malt whisky from the Talisker Distillery and other peated blended Scotch whiskies. Smokiness from malt whiskies from the Talisker and Caol Ila distilleries is layered with Speyside sherry character, finished with grain whisky from the now closed Port Dundas Distillery.
Its label design echoes that of The Circus, with a futurism filter highlighting movement and machines.
| Compass Box are Scotch ‘whiskymakers’, a word which does not appear in a dictionary.
For over 20 years, Compass Box has focused on reinventing Scotch whisky, “with every new blend designed to help make the world of whisky a more interesting place”. The whisky specialists collaborate with leading bartenders and designers to push the boundaries of what is possible. “They are always experimenting, always looking for sparks of creativity that will deliver something totally compelling, yet completely surprising. This vision motivates them as whiskymakers.” |
To create The Travelling Circus, Compass Box Whiskymaking Director James Saxon sought out whiskies that were bold in flavor and rich in texture in order to capture the “grandeur and vibrancy of a night at the circus”. Most of the whiskies have been aged in sherry casks, to give The Travelling Circus a deep fruitiness, with aromatic dry smoke and a silky flourish on the palate.
“We are incredibly pleased with the arrival of The Travelling Circus,” Saxon said. “The balance of sherry cask maturation and complex smokiness is something of a hallmark for Compass Box, and those who are fans of our whiskies will enjoy dissecting this latest composition.
“For those new to Compass Box, this is a globe-trotting introduction to the sorts of places we can explore when creatively combining high-quality Scotch whiskies.”
Compass Box International Commercial Director Kerrin Egalka added: “France has always been a priority market for us. This feels like the perfect time to release an utterly delicious travel retail exclusive to capture the hearts and tastebuds of those travelling through Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.” ✈️
