Oak Cross - Compass Box - Scotch Malt Whisky
We call this malt whisky Oak Cross because it offers the best characteristics of both American and French oak aging. A rich, medium-bodied malt whisky, Oak Cross combines vanilla characters from American oak and spicy, clove-like characters from French oak.
Innovative New Oak Casks. We work with a small mill in France that produces some of the highest quality cooperage oak in the world. It was our work with this mill that led us to experimenting with secondary maturation of malt whiskies in casks fitted with new French oak heads. This is something no one else in Scotland does. The result is malt whisky with more character and complexity. We use this technique on about 50% of the malt whisky in Oak Cross and it results in a superior finished product.
The Signature Range from Compass Box. Oak Cross is part of the Signature Range from Compass Box. The three Scotch whiskies in this range offer the spectrum of Scotch whisky style, from the delicate, sweet character of Asyla, to the rich, spicy, malty character of Oak Cross, to the peaty-smoky character of Peat Monster. Each is made from casks chosen individually, cask-by-cask, to ensure perfect maturity. The casks are combined according to recipe and returned to wood for “marrying” up to 12 months before bottling. Steps like these enhance complexity, flavour integration and soft mouthfeel. Extra steps, but we think they’re worth it.
Flavour Descriptors: On the palate, notes of clove and vanilla accent a sweet maltiness and subtle fruit character.Distillery Sourcing: Made entirely of Highland single malt whiskies led by Teaninich and balanced with malts from the villages of Brora (for fruitiness) and Carron (for weight). All 10 to 12 years-old.Wood: All the whiskies are aged for their primary maturation in a mix of American oak cask types. The marrying casks are a mix of first-fill Bourbon barrels and our proprietary “Oak Cross” casks made of American and new French oaks.Bottling Details: Bottled at 43%. Not chill filtered. Natural colour. Guard filtered through a six-micron filter.
