097 | Racheal Vaughan Jones | Mastery & Imagination: How Compass Box is Redefining Whisky Marketing

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com 

In this episode, Chris Maffeo speaks to Racheal Vaughan Jones and discusses how Compass Box has positioned itself as "whisky makers" in the Scotch whisky industry. Founded in 2000 with a mission to make the Scotch world more interesting, Compass Box balances mastery and imagination in its brand essence.

Recently, the company streamlined its core range into a more intuitive collection of four distinct flavor territories while maintaining its artistic limited editions.

Racheal shares insights into its recent brand positioning, "Long Live Interesting," and how it has successfully translated it through packaging, communication, and targeted campaign activations across key cities.

The brand's recent award-winning "Hedonism" limited edition showcases its collaboration with female artists and embodies its philosophy of starting with an organically evolving idea.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:30 Special Guest Introduction

01:53 The Story of Compass Box

04:23 Brand Positioning and Marketing

10:29 Core Range and Consumer Experience

14:29 Limited Editions and Awards

20:05 Limited edition approach with Hedonism

26:06 Communication and Marketing Strategies

30:30 Localized activation and content strategy

33:45 Creating demand and brand-building philosophy

This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. You can get in touch at bottomup@maffeodrinks.com