Ask the Whisky Maker: Compass Box's James Saxon

Islay’s Ardnahoe Distillery has released its first single malt since the distillery opened in 2019, and we’ll talk about the journey with Scott Laing of Hunter Laing & Co. on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, longtime Glen Grant master distiller Dennis Malcolm is retiring after 63 years in the whisky business, while Oregon officials have decided not to prosecute six former state liquor regulators for diverting stocks of Pappy Van Winkle whiskies for their personal use.

James Espey and Tom Jago founded The Last Drop 15 years ago with a goal of finding casks of rare whiskies and other spirits and bottling them. Since then, the company has been sold to Sazerac and Tom’s daughter Rebecca is now in charge, but the goal remains the same: finding those unicorn whiskies that may have fallen through the cracks…or just don’t fit into someone else’s plans. We’ll talk with Rebecca Jago about The Last Drop’s 2024 Collection and the difficulty of sourcing those rare casks in today’s market on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, labor problems hit Heaven Hill and Whyte & Mackay, while a longtime Highland distillery manager has retired.

O’Shaughnessy Distilling master distiller Brian Nation arrived in Minneapolis nearly three years ago after leaving Ireland’s Midleton Distillery, and it’s been an interesting transition. We’ll catch up with Brian and learn about the new Keeper’s Heart 21-year-old Irish single malt coming later this summer on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Beam Suntory has changed its name to Suntory Global Spirits, while Buffalo Trace takes a look at global expansion with its first home place in London. 

Dixon Dedman’s family history in the whisky business goes back more than a century. 2XO (for Two Times Oak) is his second act in the Bourbon business after reviving the family’s Kentucky Owl Bourbon brand in 2014. Dedman has just released the latest edition in 2XO’s Icons Series, the Kiawah Blend, named for his family’s favorite vacation spot, Kiawah island in South Carolina. He’ll join us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we’ll have quarterly reports from Pernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau, along with details on “The Badonkadonk” and the week’s other new whiskies.

Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to create a hydrogen conversion unit that could be deployed at remote distilleries. We’ll learn more about the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source for distillers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Laphroaig is looking for a new manager, while R&B Distillers has received planning approval for a new distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland and Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie makes a surprising admission about this year’s Ardbeg Day release. 

For 41 years, the Port Ellen Distillery on Scotland’s Isle of Islay sat silent. Last month, a multi-million dollar restoration of the distillery was completed when the first spirit flowed at Port Ellen since 1983. While it’ll be years before we see new bottlings of Port Ellen, the distillery will be open to Islay visitors from around the world. Diageo’s Ewan Gunn was on hand when that first spirit flowed. He’s been part of the revival since it was announced in 2017, and joins us on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, The Demeter Collection auction raised £49,000 for the Our Whisky Foundation, while William Grant & Sons is expanding its Blended Scotch portfolio with a new range of whiskies. 

Texas is booming as a whiskey region, with distilleries all over the Lone Star State. That history only goes back about 15 years, when pioneers like Balcones Distilling and Garrison Brothers started out. During the recent 15th anniversary celebrations at Balcones, Texas Whiskey Festival co-founder Jake Clements moderated a panel (and tasting) on the first 15 years of Texas whiskey. We’re bringing you that discussion this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, with panelists Jared Himstedt of Balcones, Dan Garrison of Garrison Brothers, Ironroot Republic’s Robert Likarish, and Ty Phelps of Andalusia Whiskey. In the news, The Lakes Distillery in England is being sold, while Edrington is selling off its Noble Oak American Whiskey brand.

Louisville’s Michter’s Distillery took top honors in the 2023 Drinks International survey to find the “world’s most admired” whiskey brand. Andrea Wilson is the Master of Maturation for Michter’s, as well as the company’s chief operating officer, and has the final say on any whisky that carries the Michter’s name. We’ll talk with Andrea about the pressure of living up to that reputation, as well as her Hall of Fame whisky-making career, on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky lawmakers have approved a bill to close loopholes in the state’s Vintage Distilled Spirits Law. We’ll have the details on that and the rest of the week’s whisky news, including a rare collaboration between Australia’s Starward Whisky and Lagavulin. 

James Saxon took on the role as chief whisky maker for Compass Box following founder John Glaser’s sudden departure several weeks ago. It’s a journey that started with a Compass Box tasting Saxon organized as a student at the University of St. Andrews a decade ago. He’ll answer your questions about Compass Box in this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Port Ellen Distillery is alive and humming once again, while Rosebank plans to open its new visitors center in June. Woodford Reserve has created a $15,000 Bourbon to celebrate the 150th Kentucky Derby May 4, and we’ll have details and tasting notes, too. 

Carin Luna-Ostaseski wanted an approachable Scotch whisky for newcomers, so she decided to blend her own. 11 years ago, the first bottles of SIA Scotch Whisky hit the market, becoming one of the first crowd-funded whiskies to successfully go on sale. We’ll catch up with Carin on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey sales took a hit on 2023, but remains one of the fastest-growing segments of the whisky market. We’ll have the details, along with the rest of the week’s whisky news and much more.