Compass Box has built a reputation on doing things differently with blended Scotch, and Metropolis is one of their more ambitious statements. At £199 and bottled at 46% without chill filtration, this sits firmly in the premium tier of their range — a space where the company has increasingly been willing to challenge assumptions about what blended whisky can command on a shelf.
For those unfamiliar, Compass Box is the brainchild of John Glaser, an American who left Johnnie Walker to start a blending house that treats transparency and craft as competitive advantages rather than marketing afterthoughts. Metropolis is part of that ethos: a blend designed to showcase complexity rather than hide behind consistency. The 46% ABV is a deliberate choice — enough strength to carry weight without requiring water, and a signal that this isn't engineered for the back bar of a chain hotel.
What to Expect
Without confirmed distillery components — Compass Box have historically been more forthcoming than most, though specifics on Metropolis remain guarded — we're working with the house style as our guide. Expect the kind of layered, textured blending that the company is known for: malt-forward with grain playing a supporting rather than dominant role. At this price point and strength, Metropolis is clearly built for considered drinking rather than casual mixing. The NAS designation is less of a concern here than it might be elsewhere; Compass Box has earned enough trust that age statements feel secondary to what's actually in the glass.
The name itself suggests something urban, dense, interconnected — and that tracks with what I found when I sat with this one. There's an intentional richness here, a blend that feels architected rather than assembled. It rewards patience, and it rewards attention.
The Verdict
At £199, Metropolis occupies interesting territory. It's expensive for a blended Scotch — there's no getting around that. But it's also considerably less than what you'd pay for a single malt of comparable quality and complexity from an established distillery. That's always been Compass Box's argument: that blending done well isn't a compromise, it's an advantage. Metropolis makes that case convincingly.
I'd score this 7.8 out of 10. It's a genuinely good whisky that delivers on its promise of sophistication and depth. Where it loses a fraction is on value — £199 is a significant outlay, and while the quality justifies serious consideration, there are compelling single malts in the same bracket that offer more provenance and transparency about what you're actually drinking. That said, if you believe in what Compass Box is doing — and the evidence suggests you should — Metropolis is one of the stronger arguments in their portfolio.
It's also worth noting where this sits in the broader market. Premium blended Scotch has been clawing back credibility for years now, and bottles like Metropolis are part of the reason why. The days when "blended" was shorthand for "inferior" are well behind us, and Compass Box deserves real credit for accelerating that shift.
Best Served
Neat, in a Glencairn, at room temperature. Give it ten minutes after pouring — Metropolis opens up considerably with a bit of air. If you're inclined to add water, a few drops will do; at 46% it doesn't need much help. This is an after-dinner whisky, full stop. Pour it when you've got nowhere to be and something worth thinking about.
