Compass Box has unveiled a consumer-facing ballot for a newly launched English whisky to mark St George’s Day and support attempts to secure ‘geographical indication’ status.
The scotch ‘whiskymaker’ is sending out 61 bottles of Scot-Free – which it calls “the first English vatted malt” – in the giveaway, a nod to the 61 distilleries in England. Compass Box has recruited TV personality Tom Skinner, who first appeared as a candidate on The Apprentice in 2019, for a video (below) to highlight that “flavour matters more than paperwork”, according to a LinkedIn post from Manish Rungta, the founder of Cælum Capital, which acquired majority control of Compass Box in 2022.
Earlier this year, an attempt to secure ‘geographical indication’ status for English whisky was described as “entirely inconsistent” with existing rules for single malt scotch, according to the trade organisation for neighbours north of the border.
In February, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs commenced a consultation on awarding the terms ‘English whisky’ and ‘English whiskey’ protection under the Government’s ‘Spirit Drinks Geographical Indications Scheme’. The three-month consultation, which ends on 19 May, follows an application submitted by the recently-founded English Whisky Guild.
Last month, Compass Box confirmed the external appointment of its next CEO as Nishat Gupte replaced Maurice Doyle.
