First of all, it’s awesome being a woman in whisky. My whisky journey began on Remembrance Day 2004. I was a young 22 year old woman in the early part of my Navy career. The Petty Officer called me over to the bar and asked me if I’d ever tried whisky. I hadn’t. He got me an ounce and… I hated it. This was the last time I tried whisky until closer to the end of my Navy career, and a lot of my mess mates from the Wardroom had told me about the local single malt society. I attended dinner out of curiosity. The gentler tones of the Speyside single malts agreed more with my palette and after digging into the nosing and tasting notes while following along with the presenter I was hooked.
I was just 36 years old when I retired from the Navy. It was the saddest day of my life. I had planned to work until 60 years old, but a brain injury forced me into early medical retirement. Faced with the rest of my life in front of me, and the only life I had ever known behind me I was lost. I began searching for something to bring me joy. I remembered that I enjoyed writing, and by that point I enjoyed whisky, Scotch to be precise, very much. It was shortly following retirement that I decided to combine my love of writing and whisky together.
My journey began at a whisky show in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. I knew nothing about the whisky industry and even less about the fundamentals of whisky. I began working my way around the room asking questions about the drink itself and its process. Quickly, the Master Distillers realized I had a mind for whisky resulting from my Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Microbiology, which lends itself while to the atomic processes of distilling. My first follower on Twitter was the Master Distiller of Bunnahabhain.
I had no idea what either a Master Distiller or Bunnahabhain was.
It wasn’t until almost a year after writing about whisky I realized my incredible fortune. Throughout my first year writing about whisky I gave myself a self-taught lesson in what is essentially WSET Level 1. At the time, I didn’t know WSET existed, but what I did know is that I needed to learn about whisky, and so I did. I wrote blog posts and posted on Instagram and Twitter about what I learned. People loved it. Turns out, learning about the foundation of whisky making and some of the biochemical processes therein was widely popular.
Over the last seven years I have contributed meaningfully to the whisky industry from my personal writing tablet. I developed the world’s first floral notes in whisky online catalog – very much a work in progress, and rather useful. Before COVID I went on a quest to interview every distillery in Ontario; I was able to connect with many, and you can read here on this blog about the people and families behind your favourite brands. The highlight of my interview days was getting to speak with the maker of Johnnie Walker Blue who taught me the importance of remembering that whisky is a drink, which brings us together in community.
The last three years of my life have brought me a lot of success and stress. I have never felt like more of a woman than in the last three years of my life. I graduated from law clerk, I struggled at home behind the screen with “being there” at all times for my family as we manoeuvred heavy waters. I’ve collapsed into gravity fighting depression and anxiety, and worked extremely hard to manage my way out of it. The last three years of my life have taken a toll on my health, they broke me and remade me. This is why I haven’t written for almost three years.
During my writing break I fought tooth and nail to not give up on my blog. Even sharing material on my Instagram account was a daily battle, but I refused to give up. I knew if I maintained momentum eventually I would get my breakthrough, and I would return to writing. Here I am! I didn’t have the tenacity to do a fully researched piece, however I think letting my followers get to know me is a beautiful Segway back into writing. One of my course instructors in the Navy once said “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I care deeply about whisky, the drink itself and the wonderful people who make up this community.
What does the future hold for Women’s Whisky World? In one word, tenacity. I am passionate about writing and whisky. I plan to carry on with my international whisky book club (@funwhiskybookclub), finish a certificate course for beginner whisky enthusiasts, start a ladies tasting series in my local town, finish my adult whisky colouring book consisting of photographs I’ve taken and converting them using a black & white cartoon filter, and update the floral notes catalogue making it more user friendly for enthusiasts and industry professionals. My current project is the most exciting yet! I am creating a Canadian whisky distillery road trip series, which I will one day convert into a travel guide book and online trip itinerary maps using Google Maps, so that everyone can enjoy Canada’s Whisky Trail (which is not exactly a “thing” but I’m going to repeat it until it becomes a “thing”).
It’s great to be back. I’m glad I took the time to write this piece, because it means I am officially back in the saddle. The wheels are greased and my confidence has boosted. I always knew I would get back into writing about whisky, but I never thought getting back into the swing of things would involve writing about myself. This was cathartic and I have enjoyed sharing some of my story with all of you. Thank you for your kind support and belief in me. We are strangers, but you make a positive impact in my life. Knowing you enjoy my works gives me the boost I need to continue. Thank you for your time and investment in me and my blog, my little space in this world where I strive to make a positive difference. I have a dream, that one day every woman in every nation state will feel empowered to enjoy a dram of whisky without fear or shame. Whisky is the people’s drink, and we must remember what it’s all about; community.
Women's Whisky World 