John Glaser Founder & Whiskymaker of Compass Box Scotch Whisky & Old Rule Challenger

Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST

Welcome to Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST! My name is Jessie Ott, the Host of this Podcast which is all about Beverage Innovation. I talk with Innovation Pioneers from Agriculture to Glass.
This week, I’m speaking with John Glaser, founder and whiskymaker of Compass Box Scotch Whisky. He's a Midwesterner and a Scotch Whisky innovator, who originally wanted a career in wine. He started out in retail and worked a harvest season in France before moving on to get his MBA instead of UC Davis to pursue winemaking.

Life took a turn as his first job after was with Johnnie Walker Red Label, an opportunity which turned out to be one of a lifetime. He eventually moved to England to join the blending team, which is where he saw the gap in new blending ideas pushing the Scotch Whisky industries boundaries.

He wanted to make the highest quality most interesting whiskys possible by thinking differently about cask maturation and blending. For example, using 100% grain whisky no one was doing at the time. Turnbull Hutton, a legend who worked at Diageo said the idea was great for the industry but not right for the company at this time.
The Compass Box brand began and became not only a trendsetting one but with John’s vision a brand that started a movement to stand up to the old rules.

For example, John put the percentages of different blends and ages on the label. Well, you are required to only put the youngest age on the bottle even if there’s a 20-year-old product in the blend.

John Glaser has found unconventional ways to blend the two types of whisky, Malt, and Grain in Scotland and continues to stand up to old rules that need changing. He proudly claims he’s running a 23-year-old startup so they as a team can discuss ideas and continue to make decisions quickly just like he started out.

John’s role in the scotch industry has been a well-needed voice for the industry over the past two decades and if you ever get a chance to try any of his expressions they are truly among the best Scotland has to offer.

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