The event wasn’t the idea. The feeling was.
If you’d told me six years ago that I’d be writing a blog about women in whisky, I’d probably have laughed. Not because I didn’t think women belonged in whisky, because back then I knew nothing about whisky myself. When Graham and I started Slanj Events, we came into the business from completely different worlds. Graham brought years of whisky knowledge and an incredible passion for Scotland’s national drink and the history of his family having worked in the industry for years. I brought an events background. Gosh, my part sounds so vanilla in comparison.
Between us however, it worked. He understood the spirit & I understood the experience. At least, that’s what I thought.
It didn’t take long for me to realise that if we genuinely wanted to create whisky festivals that celebrated this incredible industry, I couldn’t simply organise them. I needed to understand the world I was inviting thousands of people into. If I was asking someone to spend their well-earned coin & Saturday’s discovering whisky, I felt I owed it to them to discover it myself.
So, I started learning. Or, more accurately, I tried. What I hadn’t appreciated was quite how enormous the world of whisky really is. One minute you’re learning the difference between bourbon and sherry casks, and the next you’re disappearing down a rabbit hole about yeast strains, fermentation times and warehouse conditions. Before long I’d discovered there weren’t just a handful of Scottish distilleries; there were masses! Each with their own history, traditions and fiercely loyal following.
Then came the indie bottlers. Don’t even get me started.
Honestly, I remember thinking, “How does anyone know all of this? ” And, given I can’t recall my own kids names sometimes, I knew I was in a tricky situ.
I also remember reading a post on social media from another whisky event organiser. It said something along the lines of, “We don’t just organise whisky events. We actually drink whisky too.”
Now, I’m absolutely certain it wasn’t intended to make anyone feel unwelcome. But I remember reading it and immediately thinking… “Weddings….. I could organise weddings instead.”
Isn’t it funny how one throwaway sentence can stay with you? I suddenly convinced myself that everyone else in whisky knew everything, and I was somehow winging it. I imagined that to deserve my place in this industry, I needed to spend every evening hunting down obscure bottlings, memorising production methods and becoming the sort of person who could identify a whisky after one sip with my pinky in the air, gazing thoughtfully into the distance, head tilted to the right thinking about those notes, perhaps with my lips slightly pursed.
Jokes aside, the pressure I put on myself was ridiculous. It’s probably a feeling most of us recognise, whatever industry we’re in. You walk into a room convinced everyone else received a handbook that somehow got lost in your post. Thankfully over time I realised that nobody else actually cared (in the nicest possible way)
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about whisky is that everyone is secretly judging you. That if you don’t detect candied orange peel, toasted almonds, cigar boxes and damp forest floor, you’ve somehow failed.
Now, 6 years in – the reality couldn’t be more different . The people I’ve met throughout the whisky industry have been some of the warmest, kindest and most generous bunch.
Some of my favourite whisky memories have happened sitting in my kitchen in my old house. Graham would pour me a dram, and he didn’t even need to hide the bottle. At that point I probably couldn’t have told you whether it was whisky, rum or brandy anyway. Looking back, I was probably the easiest person in Scotland to conduct a blind tasting with because every answer would have been, “Erm… caramel vanilla and your leather belt drawer?”
Conversations & flavours would lead us to memories of holidays to Mallaig by the sea or autumn bonfires out the back of Graham’s parents house as the kids toasted marshmallows and frantically waved sparklers spelling their names.
These were the moments that had me mesmerised with what whisky could do…. But also made me wonder if we were going to end up in A&E with a sparkler burn.
Spreading the whisky love
Looking back now, it’s funny how Her Dram Story came about because, like most good ideas, it started with me persuading a family member to do something they really didn’t want to do. More specifically, it started with my little sister. Alexa is the founder of Go & Glow, a female-led social enterprise that has built an incredible community of more than 16,000 women across Edinburgh. Their mission is beautifully simple: helping women build confidence, make meaningful friendships and create opportunities to connect.
She also wasn’t a whisky drinker. Back in March, I persuaded her to come along with me to a women in whisky event hosted by Lindores Abbey Distillery and The Glasshouse Hotel.
Her first reaction made me smile. “But I don’t really drink… never mind whisky. Will anyone mind?” By the time the starters arrived…
Well…Let’s just say the phrase “I don’t really drink whisky” had quietly left the chat. I mean….. wow. She was open to trying those whiskies.
Fast forward to the next week, she was relentless.
“Where were women in whisky hundreds of years ago?” “Why don’t we hear more about them?” “Are there more events like this?” “How have I lived in Edinburgh all this time and this is the first whisky event I’ve ever been to?”
Honestly… the questions didn’t stop. Somewhere between answering the hundredth question and telling her to give me peace for five minutes, her mind was made up as was the name of her new annual event – Her Dram Story.
Canape’s and whisky on the Garden Terrace at The Glasshouse Hotel, one of the most stunning rooftops in Edinburgh. Luxury fragrance pairings with Molton Brown that explore whisky from an entirely different perspective. Hear the stories from our female brand experts as they take you through their drams.
And, if we’ve done our job properly, you’ll leave with a story of your own.
Because after all, every great whisky has a story.
This time…We’re celebrating hers. 🍃🥃