Spice Tree Extravaganza, Compass Box

Back in 2000, John Glaser believed there were too many companies making and selling Scotch whisky the same way. An American, transplanted to the UK and working for a larger distiller, he wanted to do things differently to bring the joys of Scotch whisky to more people.

He set up a different kind of Scotch whisky company, based on the long-lost model of the Scotch whisky blending house, but with a forward-looking approach and an unrelenting desire to create quality. He initially launched the business from his kitchen, but today, nearly two decades later, Compass Box has an office and Blending Room in London, it's own stocks of maturing whiskies in Scotland, and more than a dozen employees.