The Art of Blending: Bimber and Compass Box Introduce Duality Whiskies with Unmatched Texture and Flavor
This week, Bimber Distillery and Compass Box disclosed the launch of Duality, a pair of blended malt whiskies produced in collaboration. Each blend originates from ingredients gathered from both England and Scotland, and they’re acclaimed for the balanced fusion of youthful energy and sophisticated maturity with a textured and robust profile. Both variants will be accessible from July 4 on the respective manufacturers’ websites.
Collaboration and Components
Matt McKay from Bimber and James Saxton from Compass Box joined forces to explore various components from both brands. Each of them chose a distinct sherried and peated element for their individual Duality blended malts.
Bimber Duality
Bottled at a strength of 54% ABV, Bimber Duality merges a fruity Bimber obtained from a peated ex-bourbon cask with first-fill sherried malt from Glendullan Distillery. This expression, limited to 340 bottles, will retail at £120.
Compass Box Duality
In contrast, Compass Box Duality starts with a smoky whisky core from Ardbeg Distillery and pairs it with a rich Pedro Ximénez-matured Bimber whisky. Also bottled at 54% ABV, this variant is priced at £180 and has 1,050 bottles available.
Reflections on the Launch
Reflecting on the launch, McKay said, “Creating Duality with a team as enthusiastic and innovative as Compass Box has been a joy. The final products represent not only the combined mindsets and methodologies of a distillery and a Whiskymaker, but also the exceptional versatility of the selected malts for blending. With the Bimber Duality release, we’re introducing our London whisky to malts from various distilleries for the first time. We’re tremendously proud of the outcome and are thrilled to have partnered with Compass Box in crafting this Duality duo.”
Saxon also shared his thoughts: “Since my visit to Bimber in September 2020 — the first distillery tour post-lockdown — I’ve greatly admired their work. I’ve been keen to incorporate Bimber’s meticulous craftsmanship and unique spirits into a Compass Box project. Working with the Bimber team, we crafted Duality and a set of releases that honor our shared Whiskymaking roots in West London. Duality is a distinctive creation for Compass Box — the heft and texture Bimber contributes to our heavily-peated Islay malt is truly impressive.”
