John Glaser leaves Compass Box!
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- Опубліковано 31 бер 2024
- Master Blender John Glaser is leaving Compass Box after 23 years to "embark on fresh endeavours in [his] career", but where will he land, and will Compass Box ever be the same? We review Compass Box Asyla, Ultramarine, and Delos. The Whisky Rant Podcast Ep 84.
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If you go back over the last 5 years James Saxon has actually been the lead blender on most of the releases. Including Delos, which is remarkable that he was able to take 25 year Imperial stocks and improve them by blending. I think Compass Box is in good hands going forward, and they have a good war chest of casks now too
I think the prices of casks are making it a tough sell these days - a lot of people are going through difficult financial circumstances, don’t have as much expendable income; a lot of IB’s and companies like Compass Box need to pay more for casks, and thus charge more to consumers, for the same product. Add to that there being more whisky available than ever before, and you can see how the circumstances make it more difficult for certain companies to operate. Like G&M not getting anymore casks speaks absolute volumes.
Compass Box now owned by some investment company, it’s not just Glaser who has left, most of the original team has gone recently too, including Gill Boyd who was the other main whisky maker along with James Saxon. To be fair to Diageo, they were largely replaced by Dewars who inherited a large ownership share of CB at one point. It will be interesting to see how they do now, I’d guess the corporate masters will be pushing for profit, and a move to the deluxe end of the market unfortunately, but we will see. I think you are correct a distillery may be the end game, they were looking at a site in Fort William, but that has gone quiet.
Interesting
Back in October I was lucky enough to attend probably one of John's last in person tastings with Compass Box. After the tasting I got a chance to talk with him for a while and asked him what he saw for the future of CB and he said that his goal was to create a "blendery". The way he described sounded similar to the way the Japanese make distilleries. One distillery with multiple different style stills, producing completely different styles of whisky, and creating "blends" that way. Considering CB is now owned by an investment firm I could see that being something they may not be interested in and perhaps John is moving on now to pursue that.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
Crazy to think Glaser won't be directing the company anymore, but James Saxon seems like a fine replacement, and he is the blender on this Extinct Blends Quartet.
35:02 Hi Rob and Jeremy
I hope all is well with you guys, just watched your reviews on compass box whisky's,and I didn't know John glasser has left compass box, I just got 2 bottles of orchard house, a bottle of myths and legends ll and lll,plus a bottle of glengoyne 21 year old, I guess all of the compass box stuff will go through the roof now, so glad I watched your video as always, I'm thinking of buying the ultra marine, but where I live it's super expensive, I think it's $321.00, anyway I buy compass box when I can, I love the cb orchard house really good, it's pretty much a daily drink 🍸 for me, I'm finding compass box really hard to find these days, I had to buy the cb orchard house 🏠 on line, I'm getting 2 more bottles today from ups, I found a site that is very good for buying my scotch. There prices are very reasonable, even there shipping is very reasonable also, I have over 150 bottles of different scotches, I'm not drinking alot of what I have, but when I finish a bottle I don't always rebuy the bottle again unless it's really good 😂 I do rebuy orchard house when I get down to one bottle, I don't know when it will run out, but now that your video has come out it will probably be harder to find, I'm sure other UA-cam channels will be doing reviews of compass box 📦 also, glad to hear your thoughts on this subject, thanks guys and keep up the great reviews !!!
Cheers
4th release is Compass Box Celestial
Springbank have a committee which decides on upcoming bottlings and projects. There is a good interview from a couple of weeks ago with James Saxon on the Whiskycast podcast, which will answer some of your questions on Compass Box. Just hope they continue with blendings and the transparancy and don’t change the Glaser ethos.
Cheers
Hi Guys ... Great Review as most of the Time ! Just love your exchange of ideas ... I'd be delighted to see Paul at Glen Scotia (will be such an improvement from the ok current brand). I haven't tested the Best CP as you did ... I like very much No Name 1 and 3 and Ethereal ! Best
Terrific video! Thanks so much! I love CB. I didn't know that John is leaving. Thanks for the info and great thoughts here Rob and Jeremy. Cheers! P.S. Love the tee Rob! Lol! 🙂
Thanks Christine. I believe they’re still available on the Into the AM website. The link in most of my descriptions will give an additional 10% off.
@@WhiskyInThe6 Thanks Rob!! Have a fabulous week!! 🙂
David Stewart was the MB at Balvenie who retired recently. Kelsey McKechnie (sp?) replaced him and is responsbile for their Stories series I believe. I like Rachel Barrie's work at Glendro and Benriach (Glenglassaugh too but I'm not very familiar with much of their stuff). Great stuff as always, gents. Cheers!
I think that's a great point, that Hannett and Barrie are maybe more known for whom they replaced. Can't speak on Hannett but it was during Barrie's time at GlenDronach that the distillery began chill-filtering it's 12. Not saying it's her fault, it could be Brown Forman handing down orders to do so. Kinda like Jim McEwan while at Roseburn Bonding Co re artificial color; McEwan always hated it but had to do it on orders from the owners.
Didn’t know that about Roseburn. Cheers bud.
@@WhiskyInThe6 Cheers Rob. Yeah it's in Jim's autobiography "A Journeyman's Journey". That's where he learned blending and had to add caramel colorant. Got it for Xmas, was a very good and easy read. But the price, wow.
I don't understand the comment about "Diageo gripping him too tight"? Diageo is not who bought Compass Box. It was a Private Equity firm that bought Compass Box. IMNSHO if there was a conflict, it was between John and the PE firm and not Diageo.
Diageo supply Compass Box with whisky for their blends but all distilleries are becoming much more careful about what they release to the blenders and independent bottlers. It's become so valuable that they either charge a high price for it or keep it, to bottle themselves.
Jeremy is just suggesting that it’s getting harder and more expensive to get their casks.
Thing is, he has to go to a place where he has some "carte blanche". He wil not settle for a major distillery where he has to stay within a frame, no creativity where profits matters.
I don’t think he will start a new Distillery as a up start it would be years before the juice would hit the market. Makes more sense to go and blend for some one else that won’t impede on his creativity. Will compass box go down the drain hardly the other guy who has been blending for a bit will do great.
Hi guys, nice Review... How do you know the age with every malt on Compass Box? Is it true that the amount of rings on every chart Is the actual age? If its so, on the other hand there are some displayed in a different way like that Asyla, how do you know the age on this one? Cheers!!!
Exactly - the rings correspond to the age of each parcel
That Is great, Thanks for the confirmation @@jamesbornn
If I can get 2, Delos, is this a buy it and back it up
It’s excellent. Not sure how much it’ll be worth because of the bias against blends though.
@WhiskyInThe6 Thanks, great review and just got one. When you guys recommend a really good one I usually pick it up. Ya haven't steered me wrong. Thanks
So like many other collectors markets, a crash needs to happen.
A correction.
SO much whiskey is being made, the prices are not sustainable and demand will fall.
Most of the people i know went from 20-40 bottles a year to 2-5.
thats over the past 10 years.
200-400 bottles.
down to almost 0.
i think the industry is behind the sales trend.
It’s good to see Rob’s transition coming along well.
I’m talking about the hairstyle change!
Always so interested in my appearance eh 😉
All speculations wrong : JOhn will come to Toronto, open a bar and play Hockey for the ... Senators ! (Leafs who ?) ------------ Sorry to say, it is the END of Box, what comes after will just be another blend company, rudd, adelphi, thmoson, sark, . . .