Celebrating Compass Box
Over the last couple of decades, the Compass Box Whisky Co. has grown from a small start-up to an influential player in the global whisky industry. An leader in innovation, transparency, and marketing from the get-go, the company compelled many of the biggest drinks companies in the world to up their own game. And at the heart of all this was Compass Box's founder John Glaser.
John recently stunned the whisky community when he announced that he would be stepping away from Compass Box after 23 years.
It was in the mid-2000s, early in my own career, when I first took note of Compass Box. Single Malt Scotch was on the rise, soon to become ascendant. More distilleries were offering their whiskies as single malts, and independent bottlings were exploding exponentially. The blended whisky brands like Johnny Walker and Chivas Regal still accounted for more than 90 percent of all Scotch sales, but the category had become tired and stale.
A native of Minnesota, John studied winemaking and literature before taking a marketing job with Johnnie Walker, the world's largest whisky brand. While working with the firm, he saw an opportunity for boutique-blended Scotch whiskies - a vision that his bosses did not share. So, in 2000, John set off on his own, founding The Compass Box Whisky Co. He left a comfortable job because he thought Blended Scotch Whisky could be something more.
The company's stable of products included Blends, Blended Malts, and Blended Grains. Education went hand-in-hand with marketing, as many of the whisky styles Compass Box was producing were almost unknown. Blended Malts, a marriage of whiskies from two or more single malt distilleries, were known at the time as Vatted or Pure Malt Scotch whisky. Compass Box made the category renowned with releases like The Peat Monster, Oak Cross, and Spice Tree. At the time of its release Hedonism was the only commonly available Blended Grain whisky.
Over the years the brand was at the cutting edge of industry innovation, pushing the boundaries of production. Its earliest release of Spice Tree, which involved inserting flat staves inside a cask to increase oak contact, were deemed illegal by the Scotch Whisky Association, although later copied by a Bourbon producer in the USA for the Maker's Mark 46.
Compass Box frequently earned the ire of the stodgy old establishment. More than once they poked it in the eye with a sharp stick - à la David VS. Goliath.
And then there is the branding - revolutionary. At a time when the entire industry was stuck in the 20th century, and very traditional, the labels on Compass Box whiskies were bright and evocative, and they told a story. While creative and "fun packaging" is more common now, with many of the big firms finally on board, there was no one else doing it at the time.
I have long looked up to John, as both an entrepreneur and as one of the most influential people in the modern Scotch Whisky industry. I have also enjoyed a great working relationship with him over the years. Compass Box has twice collaborated with Kensington Wine Market on bespoke Blends, a privilege afforded to but a handful of other retailers around the world. Our KWM 25th and 30th Anniversary Blends are without question two of the biggest highlights of my career.
I don't think it is unfair to say that John, almost single-handedly, made Blended Scotch whisky sexy again!
The Compass Box Whisky Co. isn't going anywhere, and I don't think we'll see too many changes with the brand, as "it is being left in good hands." John assembled a good team, including James Saxon, who has been the lead blender on many recent releases. It is still the end of an era, however, for as long as I have worked with the brand, John Glaser was The Compass Box Whisky Co.
“Compass Box burst onto the scene like a breath of fresh air. Its blends were playful, consistently good, and excellent value.