Raise your hand if you're a whisky-loving woman. Although long-prized for its delicately nuanced flavors and aromas, whisky also often carries the reputation of being a "strong," exclusively "masculine" spirit, making it a tough sell to some female drinkers. This week I sat down to talk with whisky specialist and Glenfiddich brand ambassador, Heather Greene, a woman with a plan to change all that. Her secret weapon? The Mrs. Roberts Society.
Six Questions for Heather
1. Who is Mrs. Roberts and why did you name a women's whisky society after her?
Mrs. Janet Roberts is the oldest living lady in Scotland - she's 110 this year. She's the granddaughter of William Grant, the creator of Glenfiddich whisky. She studied law at the University of Edinburgh where she was the only woman in her class. She was also an accomplished hockey player. She said once that the key to a good, long life is "hard work and moderation." She's been known to drink a dram of whisky every day. I like to think that has something to do with her longevity.
2. What's the purpose of the Society and its events?
I wanted to create a women and whisky program that didn't pander to what people traditionally think of as women's activities. Some other women and whisky events involve fashion and manicures and chocolates, but that approach really turns me off as a whisky drinker. I wanted to do some really cool events where women can just come and enjoy and feel welcome. Something between The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Auntie Mame in spirit - full of fun and curious characters.
3. When did you first become a whisky lover - and why?
I was working as a bartender at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh. I'd been hired to help set up a drinks program modeled after what you might find in New York City. They wanted someone to help them make whisky-based classics like the Manhattan. But that didn't make sense to me. They were sitting on something so beautiful and special - a historical building covered in wet stone and moss. Inside were large fireplaces, muralled ceilings and dark wood. And of course their whisky collection was to die for. I'd never see anything like it. I abandoned "mixology" almost immediately (although I can make a good drink!), and started to focus on enjoying the spirit all on its own. Then I did a nosing and tasting exam and it turned out I was in one of the highest percentiles of tasters. That was a pivotal moment for me because, later, when I got further into the business and sat on tasting panels, I'd often be the only woman there. But knowing I was in the upper percentile gave me confidence.
4. Why do you think some women shy away from whisky?
No one has taken the time and the care to show them the beauty of whisky. But it's not just about educational barriers, it's also about preconceived notions of who can and who does drink it.
5. Why should women give good whisky a chance?
Whisky offers an incredible aroma and taste profile unparalleled by any other spirit. I've also found women extremely adept at identifying some of the beautiful aroma properties in a whisky, pulling in the same vocabulary with which they already feel comfortable with in the wine world: aromas like vanilla, oak, fruits, florals, raisins, caramel, leather...it all applies to whisky, too.
6. What advice would you give to a whisky newbie (male or female)?
Find a class or a tasting event where you can sample a variety of whiskies and then see what you gravitate to. Or simply go into a bar and try something approachable like a Glenfiddich 12-year-old on the rocks.
The Mrs. Roberts Society is scheduled to make stops in New York, DC, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Massachusetts in 2011. To find an event near you, watch for #MrsRoberts on Heather's Twitter feed.
Readers, now it's your turn to weigh in. What's your take on women and whisky? In your own experience, are there any social barriers to women drinking it?
Nora Maynard is a longtime home mixologist and an occasional instructor at NYC's Astor Center. Her culinary writing has appeared in Food Republic, Leite's Culinaria, CHOW, and The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food and Drink Industries. She previously covered food and drink in film at The Kitchn in her weekly column, The Celluloid Pantry.
Related: Straight Up, No Ice: 4 Steps to Drinking Whiskey Neat
(Image: Nora Maynard)
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I had no idea whiskey was a tough sell to women. I'm a woman and I capitulated right away. It's all sorts of delicious.
Since when is whiskey (and I assume you're also thinking Scotch, bourbon, rye--the brown spirits) a tough sell with women? Watching Lauren Bacall drink it in all those movies was a downer? Grandmas everywhere order Rob Roys and Manhattans. And the Kentucky Derby ladies know how to put down their bourbon.
I like it straight. I keep trying the cocktails, but it's really best straight.
I want to be part of the Society!
I'm a girl with an incurable sweet tooth and I like whiskeys far more than wines. My favorite style is in a wide old-fashioned glass with a single large ice cube or neat with a glass of club soda if the bar only has crushed ice.
I wanted a bottle of Macallan 12 year from the locked case at the local liquor store and the clerk seemed a little surprised. She asked if it was a gift for someone. I said "Heck no, if I'm going to spend that much on alcohol I'm going to drink it myself."
I'm a lady and a whisky lover in LA. It's easy for me to see how a 'vodka diet' has taken over the lady's drink market, but for me a whisky sour makes my night.
Great post! Cheers to my ladies who enjoy their whisky. I fell in love with it when I visited relatives in Scotland. They served me 18-year-old Glenfiddich, which was quite nice. I also toured a distillery, which I'll never forget. It's what I imagine heaven smells like.
Count me in as a whisky-lovin' lady! I started with bourbon, but have started being drawn to the whiskys of late. (Whiskys? Whiskies? Whatevers. It's all good to me!)
Ok first thing's first: that picture is all sorts of gorgeous. Elegant woman in a beautiful dress with a classy beverage at a gorgeous marble bar. I'm having vision overload here.
I too never heard of whisky being 'men only' or some such nonsense. I think this has only to do with media depiction in commercials. When was the last advertisement where you saw an elegant woman alone with a glass of whiskey, or bourbon, or vodka?
I've tried whiskey and scotch a few times, really good quality stuff too (so I was told) and hated it every single time. I never equated my dislike of it to my gender.
Emma - 'whisky' that side of the pond; 'whiskey' this side of the pond. I think this post is a wee bit sexist as I know just as many men as women who think scotch is too 'much' for them. (Less so w bourbon as it's sweeter) My entry into scotch was in my 20s sipping JW Black which then I quickly skipped over to Oban as a lovely easy to enjoy scotch. My husband and I spent a month in Scotland on our honeymoon and plan to go back to taste the regions we missed. Lowland and Speyside scotches are good entries/smooth for the newbie. Now I tend toward the Islay flavors of Lagavulin and Port Charlotte. Gorgeous.
heart brown liquor.
Very enjoyable post! @jess13: Check out the scene in Out of Sight when Jennifer Lopez' character professes her love for bourbon in a bar on a snowy Detroit night... not a commercial but still pretty fun.
I also would like to join this society.
@heypielady: that is in my top 5 favorite movie scenes ever. I can't believe I forgot to mention that. Thanks!
hurray for whisky!
Interesting post... my mother upon seeing me drink a glass of whiskey protested, 'No daughter of mine drinks whiskey!' Sorry, mother!
I prefer Bushmills Black Bush straight.
I'm a woman bourbon drinker myself. I'm a native Kentuckian and there is nothing unusual about ladies drinking mint juleps where I come from. Now I live in DC and my other Kentucky girlfriends here all drink bourbon. It still surprises guys when I order a bourbon on the rocks though--even my husband had to stop getting it with water so he wouldn't be shown up :-)
@missstacy - I think Emma was speculating on the pluralization. And Canada is on this side of the pond but they produce whisky, no 'e' while Ireland on that side of the pond spells it whiskey, with an 'e'. The easy mnemonic these days is based on whether the country of origin has an 'e' in its name.
This older post from The Kitchn explains the difference very nicely:
Whiskey vs. Whisky: What's the Difference?
I have to agree with all the other posters so far. I love whiskey. And Manhattan is my favorite drink.
Never knew it was viewed a man's drink, as I have a few girlfriends that love it as much as I do. And I know men who loathe it.
@s_boston: whereas my mother's concern when I ordered a Jameson was "You're having that neat, right? With a glass of ice water?" Yes, Mom, I know how to drink whiskey.
Course I'm still living down calling a Gibson a martini-with-an-onion so my drink-ordering skills will ever be questioned on that side of the family.
I think the stereotype tends to be a little more true among younger women. While there are, of course, exceptions I have found that many women I know in their 20's (and especially those who have just started drinking) are more hesitant to try the stronger drinks while men feel more pressure to order drinks that are more harsh. This was emphasized by all of the fruity vodka drinks that were popular in the last decade. However, I think the resurgence of a lot of retro cocktails, (shall we attribute this, in part, to Mad Men as well?), is causing more and more women to explore bourbon and whiskey. As long as there's some left for me, I don't care who's drinking it!
Another whiskey lover here. It started with bourbon in college, and then I fell in love with Scotch in Japan, where it is actually priced cheaper than in Scotland. Like @missstacy, Lagavulin and other Islay scotches are my favorites.
There is a whiskey society in LA that meets at Seven Grand bar in downtown, but it's invite only. I would LOVE to join an all-women society like this.
My friend getting suggesting a Manhattan when I said that I wanted a "grown up" drink was my gateway to trying straight whiskey. I moved to Maker's Mark, first on the rocks and then neat.
Then my world was turned upside down when another friend let me try his neat Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. I've given it as a "thank you gift" in a wine monkey along with a box of whiskey rocks. I've given mini bottles of it as part of a goodie back from a full moon party (get it "honey"...honeymoon, I know. it was a stretch). I have a bottle of it in the fridge and I encourage guest to give it a try as often as I can.
I adore the idea of The Mrs Roberts Society. I hope they have a west coast chapter. What an amazing woman.
My palate changed a few years ago and I started gravitating towards whiskeys and bourbons. I got the strangest stares from my girl friends for a while, but gradually, I've been able to show them the joy (and the classiness) of sitting at a bar and sipping a good whiskey neat. I think some of their earlier experiences involved drinking bad whiskey or horrible cocktails. Once they realize there's a whole range out there and certain brands that fit their palate, it's an eye-opening experience. Plus, it's an excellent conversation starter with a guy at a bar - pretty lady sipping the brown stuff neat? It's irresistible to most men...
I actually experienced the whisky as a "men's only drink" stereotype. I ordered a Manhattan at a bar and the bartender told me that it was too strong of a drink and that I would like something more like an fruit-based martini. Not only is this an example of gross stereotyping but if this is the response someone who has never tried whisky, male or female, receives then I can see people being hesitant.
Personally I agree with Heather Greene, whiskey should be enjoyed straight, either neat, or with a touch of water, or with a cube of ice. Whiskey mixed drinks are for inferior whiskeys like Jack Daniels.
My personal drink of choice is Irish whiskey, neat. Best I can do at the bars in my city is Jameson, which is over priced and over marketed. Most of the time the bottle is older and you can taste that the whiskey has been sitting opened for a while. It's a funny flat taste.
My favorite is Powers Irish and I've started seeing it a bars around town, which almost made me dance a jig.
I've learned to order it with a tone in my voice that stops any bartender correcting me or questioning my order, but it doesn't stop friends, my mother, and acuantences from being surprised that a women would drink it straight.
Super glad to hear that there is a Women's Whiskey Club. It's about darn time!
Um, where do I get the red dress?
At dinner after my grandmother's funeral, my grandfather mentioned that her drink was the Manhattan, and everyone at the table decided to order Manhattans in tribute. The restaurant was wonderful and sent someone out to buy vermouth, because they didn't have enough to make 15 Manhattans.
They arrived at the table and everyone toasted, "To grandma!" and took a sip. Suddenly my sister and every one of my cousins started coughing and sputtering, "Grandma was drinking THESE!?"
They weren't used to whiskey, I guess. More Manhattans for me!
Half of my family is from Kentucky, so the instant I hit the legal drinking age, I was handed bourbon drinks. In fact, at my cousin's wedding in Lexington, my mother kept stealing my Maker's and 7s whenever I got up to dance.
And in my experience, men are terribly impressed when a woman orders something that isn't a) served with sugar on the rim and b) has bourbon or whiskey as the primary ingredient. I still love me a good Manhattan, and I've been working on my husband's appreciation of fine Bourbon.
I'm a scotch lover. Bourbon is growing on me, but they're typically too sweet for me. I luckily live in Portland, OR, where we have quite a few whisk(e)y bars, as well as a lovely selection of locally distilled brown liquors.
Great post! My husband is a whisk(e)y of all sorts lover and he got me into appreciating the aroma first, and then the taste. He is partial to scotch, I love bourbon. The Mrs. Roberts Society sounds fantastic! Cheers to other lady whisky lovers.
I am a scotch drinker and have been for 40 yrs! The Mrs. Roberts Society is my kind of group :)
whiskey was my mama's drink of choice and quickly became mine too. (we're from indiana)
As I was finishing medical school, my mentor gave me this advice when I told him I was applying to surgery: "Surgery is a man's world. Unless you drink whiskey, drive stick, and smoke cigars you'll never make it".
I didn't start drinking whiskey just so I'd be accepted by my peers, I drank it for the taste (and the weight-to-alcohol ratio on camping trips)... but I'd like to say that in our year there are 5 surgical residents: 4 of us are women; I'm the only one who drinks whiskey (the boy does not!); we all drive stick; and none of us smoke cigars unless it's a wedding or someone has a baby.
Three cheers for whiskey and three cheers for reclaiming gender neutrality. You don't have to be a manly woman to make it in surgery, or life for that matter, you just have to be yourself.