Laura Day is a journalist who specialises in health, nature, food culture and lifestyle. She has written for local and national news titles, and consumer magazines, including The Guardian, Positive News, Healthy Food Guide, and Delicious Magazine.

In a polarised society, the meaning of gender is in flux. People want to be liberated from outdated norms – but many hold on to the gender binary as a source of stability in an uncertain world. How can brands navigate the changing gender landscape without leaning on stereotypes?

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If whisky makes you think of a White man sipping a neat measure in a leather chair, you’re not alone. The trope has come to define a very modern problem for a very classic drink: where are all the women? Despite the persistence of whisky’s perceived masculinity, 36% of whisky drinkers are women, and those in the UK drank 40 million more glasses of whisky in 2020 than they did in 2010 – a 15% increase. 

 The decades-long lack of visibility of women making or drinking whisky has solidified the idea that the spirit is a man’s drink. “​​Consumer attitude is probably one of the biggest challenges,” says Laura Davies, distillery manager at 

. “I’ve lost count of the number of times someone’s whispered to me after a tasting event, ‘Tell me honestly, you don’t like that stuff really, do you?’ It can be so difficult to change people’s mindset, and it’s a real barrier to normalising women in the industry.” 

But for global brands like Diageo and founders like 

, women are of course involved in the making, selling, and marketing of whisky. 

 “Women are more visible now and I think that’s got a lot to do with the feminism movement,” says Becky Paskin, a whisky journalist and co-founder of 

. “It’s part and parcel of an overall trend that whisky as a category is changing. It’s evolving and becoming something different to how it was 20 years ago.” 

 But Paskin says women aren’t immune to “deep-seated unconscious bias,” so PR and marketing teams may still believe they need to market in a traditional sense. “You see this with tie-ups – luxury cars and cigars. You never see whisky partnering with high-end beauty, bags, or accessories. Whisky is now realising it has to appeal to a female demographic as well,” says Davies. 

Shifts are happening. In 2020, Glenfiddich made 

 star Michelle Dockery the face of its brand to promote diversity among whisky drinkers. 

 Glenmorangie adopted a neon colour palette with scenes of a Wes Anderson vibe for its 2020 campaign (which was also rated for its diversity), and Irish distiller 

 is successfully steering away from masculine marketing. 

 Its social media switches endless bottle shots with portrayals of whisky as a down-to-earth experience, with food brands, crafters, and designer collaborations all featuring, as well as a high ratio of photos of female drinkers. Such pivots reflect a wider shift – women are now drinking more alcohol, with rates converging to meet men’s consumption because of “substantial developments in broader social, cultural, and economic factors for women.” 

 Other traditionally ‘male’ categories such as beer are experiencing consecutive years of slowdown, which may be down to more than just gender, but age too. 

 Paskin says this is true of whisky: “​​​​Gen Zers and Millennials really value diversity and inclusion. They want to see brands that are doing good in the world. They want to explore flavour and experiences. Whisky has to change and become something that everybody can get involved in.” 

This has implications beyond new audience groups. 

’ blended malts rebrand wasn’t just about ‘revealing a shiny new bottle’ but to capture an ‘adventurous exploration of flavour’ that intended to go deeper with a meaningful brand story, eye-catching colours, and enough information to appeal to both the ardent enthusiast and the casual drinker. 

 Elsewhere, sustainability and inclusion moves are being made by big and small brands, with the likes of 

, a biomass, wind, and solar-powered distillery in the Scottish Highlands, founded as the first ever 100% community-owned distillery, while 

 became the first UK distillery to be independently verified as having a net-zero carbon footprint for its operations. 

It’s difficult to say definitively whether more women are working in the industry and if they’re spearheading change, Paskin admits. “Women have always been there, but it’s only been in this last year that things have really started to change,” she says. 

 For instance, the Scotch Whisky Association published its diversity and inclusion charter, Beam Suntory launched an internal D&I group, and Diageo published its Spirit of Progress ten-year plan – all in 2020. 

“The change is part of a general evolution of whisky realising it needs to appeal to a different demographic.” Indeed, similar shake-ups came from Paskin herself, who made headlines after calling out misogynistic and sexist comments in the tasting notes of Jim Murray’s 

 “It wasn’t my calling out of it, it was the industry’s support, everybody standing together to say ‘we’ve had enough,’” she says. “Now they’re thinking about the bigger picture to make sure that women are part of that conversation and have the tools they need. I think that was a turning point.” 

Through OurWhisky, Paskin works within the industry to champion whisky for women and challenge perceptions through inclusive, gender-balanced events, storytelling, and research into the marketing of whisky. Through ticket sales of its virtual events in 2020 and 2021, OurWhisky raised £12,000 and £13,000 respectively for the Drinks Trust. 

 women’s whisky nights and global communities (e.g. 

) aim to challenge perceptions from the consumer side with female-focused tasting events. In the latter’s first decade to 2021, it has garnered 10,000 members across 30 global chapters, with founder Julia Toffoli saying demand to join remains strong despite the pandemic. And on the organisation’s home turf in the US, female drinkers have been found to be up from 15% in the 1990s to around 36% today. 

 “It’s about giving an open space for women to discover and learn and spread their own love about something that is stereotypically male,” says Janice Snowden, an Irish whisky ambassador and spokesperson for Women Who Whiskey. 

Annabel Thomas, co-founder of Nc’nean, is also trying to change the way people perceive whisky – from who makes it to how to drink it. She says bringing more women and more diversity into the industry can evolve the parameters into something that is fresh and appealing for new consumers. “It’s about having a diverse team and marketing,” she says. “Women can go on our website and see that we’ve got a team of largely women. But that’s not marketing, that’s just telling the truth about who we are.” 

 Research into whisky brands’ representation of women on social media found that women featured in just 36% of people-centric posts shared by whisky brands on social media in 2020. 

 “It’s so important that whisky advertising shows females drinking and enjoying the products too, so that women see themselves represented fairly and see that they have a place in the story,” says Davies. 

Whisky isn’t alone in its masculinity – beer is going through its own revolt with its version of the #MeToo movement. 

, which advocates for safe and discrimination-free global beer industry. In 2019, the Campaign for Real Ale banned beers carrying sexist labels from its festival, while 

 celebrate women who love and brew beer and promote it for everyone to enjoy, and 

 aims to increase the visibility of women in the bar industry and grow connections and knowledge in bartending. Similarly, in the US, local member groups and communities such as 

 are bringing women together to challenge stereotypes in brewing with mentorships, training, and support.

The recognition of the gender issue is helping to create more education opportunities for women from big brands and grassroots organisations alike. In 2020, 

 announced a $25,000 scholarship fund to send two members of Pink Boots Society, an international non-profit that mentors women in the beer industry, to a brewing or brewing operations school. 

Black Beer Chick’s Road to 100 initiative

 was launched to support 50 minority women into the industry, while the 

 is encouraging women into craft beer through its annual Women’s International Beer Summit. Nc’nean is making similar inroads through its 

 and will soon offer internships through Heriot-Watt University’s International Brewing and Distilling courses.

We only have to look at gin – a spirit with far fewer gender constraints – to see how gender neutrality can take craft to the mainstream and broaden a consumer base. 

 “The explosion in craft gin is a way into other spirits for people. Women – and men – are big consumers of craft gin,” says Thomas. “A lot of the values that we are looking at are shared with craft gin – authenticity, small batch production, sustainability. All of that is seen in craft gin and possibly opens people’s minds to other spirits.” 

Experimentation and pairings opening up new opportunities

Two-thirds (66%) of Gen Y consumers say they choose an alcoholic beverage based on health and wellbeing. 

 But the pandemic has meant Britons are taking more care of what 

. While whisky is a low-calorie/sugar/fat spirit, the tradition of serving single malt neat is not likely to be palatable to younger consumers who are prioritising flavoured, low, and no-alcohol beverages. 

 But given the appetite for drinks experimentation among younger consumers, that doesn’t mean that single malts don’t have a shot at mainstreaming among this health-conscious audience. Thomas says promoting long serves is part of changing perceptions, just like 

, which is shaking the “shots culture” of tequila by promoting mixing it with tonic. “We’re suggesting mixing [whisky] with soda or other complementary mixers that don’t overwhelm the flavour but are actually additive,” says Thomas. 

 And retailer Drizly found that female consumers were on the increase in 2020, purchasing more mixers and seltzers for experimental home bartending. 

Paskin adds that long serves are a helpful intro for all new drinkers to the category, including younger consumers looking for low-calorie and low-ABV options. “Our palates aren’t swayed by gender, we like what we like,” she says. “And if you’re new to drinking spirits, whether it’s gin or whisky, you’re going to have trouble drinking it neat.” 

, director of whisky Cara Laing says the brand is purposefully marketing whisky and food pairings to attract new audiences – even blending whiskies specifically for food matches. “We are great believers in pairing whisky with food, and it doesn’t have to be overly complex or fancy,” she says. “Our Scallywag Sherry matured malt pairs exceptionally well with dark chocolate, and our Rock Island Maritime Malt was specifically created to complement seafood, particularly oysters.” She says the brand brings pairings to life at events and shows. “It’s amazing to see consumers genuinely enthuse about the pairing. It helps to break down the ‘scary’, intimidating part of tasting whisky while adding to it being a sensory experience.” 

Platform female makers to drive engagement

For whisky to move past its stereotype, the women behind distillery doors need to be brought to the fore – not just in brand marketing, but on the ground at events and in distilleries themselves. Whisky brands are increasingly keen to share the make-up of their workforce, such as 

’s story about its all-female distilling team, and 

’s statement that 60% of its board and 38% of its executive committee are women. But sea change may take a while yet. Statistics shared by Heriot-Watt University show that intake to its distance learning Brewing & Distilling post-graduate and MSc was just 17.5% female, versus 20% in 2019-20, while its on-campus course has only a 16% female intake for the 2020/21 year, down from 29% in the previous year. ”There needs to be a considered thoughtfulness behind this,” says Paskin, who says a lot of brands still only promote female makers around marketing opportunities like International Women’s Day. “You need to make it a solid part of your ongoing strategy. That old adage, ‘if you can see her you can be her’, applies. If you see women drinking a glass of whisky in a normal situation, that gives women a nod to say it’s OK for you to do the same thing.” 

Whisky’s traditionally older male demographic is coming undone as 35- to 44-year-olds now make up 22% of drinkers, closely followed by 22- to 34-year-olds (20%). 

“Whisky is facing a future of not actually appealing to the next generation,” says Paskin. 

 A modern take on whisky is happening with new collectors, virtual distillery tastings from the likes of the 

. But the industry still has traditions that could do with shaking up. “Gender aside, there’s work for the industry to do to talk to a younger consumer,” says Thomas. 

 Snowden sees opportunities in the flavoured whisky category, like the release of 

 whisky. “That’s the ultimate way of getting people to try whisky. We all start off with fruitier, easier-going drinks and gravitate to the more spirit-led,” she says. 

 Davies adds that Penderyn’s audience are also flavour-seekers. “Flavour is, and has been for some time now, far more important to them than age.” 

 Whisky-based products could also help bring new drinkers into the category, such as Lindores Abbey’s 

. “What is missing from the whisky market is a ready-to-drink, which has that same alcohol level and delivers on flavour, but is also positioned as being light and delicious and refreshing, which is what all the hard seltzers do to appeal to a new generation who wants to drink less or drink healthy,” says Paskin. 

Gender-tailored marketing can backfire and dissuade women from purchasing a product because their gender was targeted. A YouGov poll found that male-orientated advertising was a barrier to drinking beer for 48% of female 18- to 24-year-olds. 

 “There’s the perception that there needs to be a specific ‘women’s whisky’ – we absolutely don’t need a softer, weaker whisky, and we don’t need feminine packaging,” says Davies. 

 Instead, brands need to drive in neutral and appeal to a wider set of values, such as brand story, flavour, and heritage, as this resonates with new consumers. In the US, The Glenlivet’s Founder’s Reserve found a consumer base with a 50/50 split between men and women thanks to its gender-neutral branding and marketing. 

 “There’s obvious business sense for including women in marketing,” says Paskin. “Women account for 80% of household purchases – they’re the ones making those choices and making those purchasing decisions. If you exclude them from your marketing strategy entirely, you’re erasing 50% of your potential profit.” 

 more glasses of whisky in 2020 than in 2010 – an increase of 15% 

 of people-centric posts shared by whisky brands on social media 

A lack of visibility coupled with decades of male-centred marketing has reinforced consumer attitudes that whisky is a man’s drink

Community groups like Women Who Whiskey aim to give women an open platform to taste and be curious about the spirit

Rather than making whisky pink or ‘for women’, brands need to look at the bigger picture, focusing on inclusivity at distilleries, events, and in marketing

Becky Paskin is a UK-based spirits journalist, whisky specialist, and consultant who has been writing about whisky for 13 years. She is an advocate for breaking down cultural misconceptions about whisky and in 2018 co-founded the OurWhisky movement to champion inclusion in the industry and promote whisky as a diverse and accessible drink.

Born and raised in Cardiff, Laura Davies joined Penderyn in early 2012, spending five years training under Dr. Jim Swan. She is the distillery manager at Penderyn, overseeing all aspects of distillery production and operation.

Annabel Thomas is the CEO of Nc’nean Distillery. Formerly a strategy consultant, a whisky road trip in 2012 caused her to ask: why do so many distilleries do things the same way they have always been done? She spent five years creating a distillery from scratch on a wild, west-coast estate in Drimnin. Nc’nean started distilling its whisky in March 2017 and released its first single malt in August 2020.

United Kingdom

Europe

Eating and Drinking

Beer and cider

Spirits and wine

Distill Ventures

The Guardian

Interview with Laura Davies conducted by the author

Diageo

Interview with Becky Paskin conducted by the author

Forbes

Muse by Clio

University of New South Wales

Food Dive

Whisky Magazine Issue 173

Scottish Financial News

Beam Suntory

The Scotch Whisky Association

The Drinks Report

Uproxx

New York Times

OurWhisky

Interview with Janice Snowden conducted by the author

Interview with Annabel Thomas conducted by the author

HuffPost

Kantar

Beverage Daily

The Drinks Business

Drizly

Interview with Cara Laing conducted by the author

The Spirit Business

Dea Latis

Provoke Media

Whisky is often seen as a ‘man’s drink’. But with female whisky drinkers and makers receiving increased exposure, the emergence of forward-thinking brands with female founders, and a vocal community, there’s a renewed effort to evolve past the spirit’s traditional constraints.

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