It has come to my attention that my posts are written with the assumption all of my readers are men. Frankly, I continue to be surprised that I have readers at all, but looking back, yes - there are several unintentional instances in which I found myself speaking to a male audience. My sincerest apologies, ladies. Won't happen again.
I don't personally know any female single malt scotch enthusiasts, but I do know quite a few that can knock back bourbon like Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is estimated that almost one-third of scotch drinkers in the UK, and 15% of members in the worldwide Scotch Malt Whisky Society, are female. I'd love to hear from a local bartender how often they come across women ordering scotch here around RVA. Maybe I just don't get out enough.
One of my absolute favorite Speyside malts has a female 'Master Distiller'. Laura Vernon, previously a chemist with GlaxoSmithKline, currently holds that distinction at Cragganmore. I would like to expound beyond that, more on her bio or an interesting link; however, information is pretty scant for some reason. I can't even find out when she was hired, nor if there are any other female Master Distillers out there. Still, kudos to her for breaking the 'Glasgow' ceiling. Oof, one of my worst. Puns. Ever. Sorry!
Rachel Barrie, sometimes referred to as the 'First Lady of Whisky', was appointed 'Master Blender' for Morrison Bowmore in 2012, after a lengthy tenure with Glenmorangie. She is responsible for the overseeing blending operations at three different distilleries in three different regions - Bowmore (Islay), Auchentoshan (Lowlands), Glen Garioch (Highlands).
Since 2006, Stephanie MacLeod has been the 'Master Blender' for Dewar's, whose 'White Label' blend is the best selling brand of scotch in the US. I wish someone had alerted their marketing department of that before they draped the Mallrats girl in black silk and christened it "The Drinking Man's Scotch". I like the ads myself, but as a scotch-drinking dude, I'm supposed to. Seems like a missed opportunity for reaching out to an untapped market of thirsty women.
I have come across some interesting writers, blogs, and websites geared towards a female audience. Alwynne Gwilt's comprehensive website Miss Whisky is a fantastic resource for the female scotch enthusiast. Scotch Chix is another, more content than most of the other sites I frequent. Perhaps the most unique is The Whisky Woman, a blog by Allison Patel, who started up her own French single malt whisky, Brenne. Liza Weisstuch is an author and frequent contributor for WhiskyMag and Whisky Advocate. I had read many of her articles already without ever realizing the author was a woman. It doesn't matter, and that's how it should be.
Of course, there is no shortage of articles out there shouting, "Surprise! Women like whisky!" (exhibit A, B, C) or women lamenting the inherent sexism she must endure to order a scotch (D, E, F), so I suppose this is far from a new topic. Still, I felt it needed addressing since scotch and ladies are two of my favorite topics of discussion. I just wish I could get my wife on board the scotch train, she won't even smell the stuff (gee thanks, Laphroaig).
Cheers, ladies!
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