This is the latest expression in a long running and iconic series of Hedonism from the independent whisky makers at Compass Box. The Compass Box Hedonism 2026 Edition has been created by Angela D’Orazio, the Creative Director of Whiskymaking at Compass Box. Like all expressions of Hedonism the new whisky is a blended grain. It was groundbreaking when first released in 2000.
This year’s bottling features some of the oldest ever grain whisky components to be included in a Hedonism release. These include a 30-year-old from Strathclyde distillery, plus whiskies ranging from 20 to 24 years old from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. In addition, there is also a new sherry cask matured component and unique parcels of blended grain.
The whisky features artwork by renowned artist Emma Hack. Hedonism traditionally features a different female artist each year and this year’s shows Scottish actor and film maker Karen Gillan as ‘The Muse’. She is best known for her roles as Amy Pond in the Dr. Who TV series and Nebula in several Marvel superhero movies.
Compass Box was founded in 2000 by John Glaser. It has a blending room based in London and warehouses maturing whisky in Scotland. Their ethos is to buy whisky from a small number of distilleries and then craft them into their own unique products. A key principal is to provide transparency of what is included in each whisky blend. The range includes single grain whiskies, blended malts, blended whiskies and other limited releases. All are produced and released in small batches to create a unique product with a catchy name.
Compass Box Hedonism 2026 Edition is released at 46% ABV and there are just 13,126 bottles. These are available to now in the UK with a wider world release happening in late March. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. A bottle will cost £90.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is deep gold and the nose is highly aromatic. Soft and ripe tropical fruits, especially pineapple and papaya with a hint of apricot, lead the way. These aromas are quickly joined by rich vanilla custard, white chocolate and butterscotch with hints of cocoa powder and mocha in the background. There are further gentle sweet aromas of nougat and marshmallow, plus a hint of bitter orange oil.
On the palate this whisky feels silky and velvety with a luxurious sweetness and delicate woody spiciness. There is plenty of vanilla and white chocolate, plus a good amount of heather honey to begin. This is balanced superbly with a delicious note of freshly baked gingerbread and the elegant spices. These are reminiscent of cinnamon bark, mace and a faint hint of nutmeg.
With time further sweetness evolves in the form of the ripe tropical fruits from the nose. The pineapple is more subdued now but the papaya and fresh apricot shine. A hint of white fleshed peach is also evident. Further hints of butterscotch sauce, fairground toffee apple and bitter orange marmalade develop nicely later. Finally, some expressive oak notes come through. These add more woodiness and some drying tannins.
It is these tannins that seem to drag out the finish. The sweet vanilla and butterscotch-like characteristics fade slowly, followed by the juicy tropical elements. This leaves the warming spices and drying oak, plus a pinch of white pepper, to linger with poise.
What’s The Verdict?
A delicious whisky from Compass Box and one that is fitting for the legacy of the Hedonism series. This iconic bottling has blazed a trail for over two decades for blended grain Scotch whiskies and is difficult to beat. But are we surprised how good this is? We should not be as Compass Box have been putting out exquisite whiskies for as long as we can remember, despite changes in the blending room. First there was John Glazer, then James Saxon and now Angela D’Orazio. This is delicious and decent value for money given the age of some of the whiskies included.
