Karen Gillan is Compass Box’s 2026 Hedonism muse
Scotch whisky maker Compass Box has unveiled its 2026 release of Hedonism The Muse, featuring Jumanji actor Karen Gillan, illustrated by artist Emma Hack.
The Inverness-born Scottish actor is also known for starring roles in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and the Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame movies.
As The Muse for Compass Box’s 2026 limited edition release of Hedonism blended grain whisky, Gillan has been immortalised by Hack, best known for her work on Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know music video.
Gillan commented: “To be considered a muse for this whisky and to be a part of its story is deeply personal to me. Sharing whisky and stories are some of the best times of my life. There’s no wilder sensation than seeing yourself on a whisky bottle.”
To create the 2026 label, Hack reimagined the original Hedonism woman through a contemporary and layered perspective. Featuring Gillan at the centre, the artwork is said to celebrate grace, strength, and individuality.
Hack said: “Hedonism means to me the power, the beauty, the goddess, the strength within, and that’s what I really wanted to capture.”
Hedonism was launched in 2000 as the ‘first’ Scotch whisky to prominently feature a woman on its label.
The expression was relaunched as an annual limited release in 2023, following the discontinuation of the core range, Compass Box Hedonism. This shift to an annual release started the brand’s collaboration with a different female artist each year, allowing them to reinterpret the original Hedonism woman from their unique perspective.
Argentinian artist Sofia Bonati designed the 2025 release of Hedonism The Muse.
For the 2026 edition of Hedonism, Angela D’Orazio, the creative director of whisky making at Compass Box, included some of the oldest components ever used in Hedonism to date.
The edition features a 30-year-old whisky from Strathclyde Distillery, along with whiskies aged 20-24 years from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge distilleries. Additionally, it incorporates some historic blended grain parcels and a new Sherry cask component.
Offered at 46% ABV, the whisky presents flavours of clove-spiced fruitcake, dates, and toffee, with a palate enriched by coffee and cocoa-infused cream.
D’Orazio said of the whisky: “The 2026 release is unmistakably Hedonism, but this year’s expression is richer, darker and more intense than previous editions. It is also the first time we have used an old sherry component in Hedonism, which brings a new flavour perspective to our original and most iconic whisky.
“Working with Emma and Karen to bring the label to life was a fantastic experience – seeing the different forms of artistry blending together and our whisky-making process mirroring art. Karen, as our Muse, truly is the Hedonism woman brought to life.”
Compass Box Hedonism The Muse 2026 will be available for pre-orders on 24 February exclusively from Master of Malt, followed by a general launch on 1 March.
Limited to 13,126 bottles worldwide, the expression is priced at £90 (US$123) for a 700ml bottle.
In December, Compass Box hosted an immersive art exhibition, Imaginarium: The Fantastical World of Compass Box and Stranger & Stranger, in Miami, and raised $54,000 for the Wolfsonian through its 25th-anniversary charity auction.
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