I’m Kirsten

What can I say about myself? Professionally, I work for a university as a teacher and researcher in marketing. I am an expert on consumer-brand relationships, mainly through the lens of digital and more immersive technologies. That being said, I’m also a sucker for good marketing. This is one thing I appreciate about whisky- the marketing and storytelling that go into their bottlings and tasting experiences. This has also taken the form of online experiences, as COVID forced many things, like the whisky industry, to digital channels.

I have been a whisky fan for a long time, whether this was adding it to soda as a young adult or drinking it with ice later, and now I prefer to sip it neat. My whisky tasting ride started when we lived in France and wanted to explore Edinburgh one December. We joined a tour for the Scotch Whisky Experience near the castle, where we took a ‘barrel ride’ through whisky making and tried five drams at the bar. After that single tasting, the ride only had just begun. We came home with five bottles that started our collection. (We have over 250 now.)

With an opportunity to move to Edinburgh in 2018, we said yes, and within the first month, we were involved in the Jolly Toper’s tastings. That’s actually how we spent our wedding anniversary! We received advice on distilleries to visit (and we did!) and pubs in Edinburgh. We even made visits to whisky bars in the foreign countries we visited on holiday.

I guess it was about two years or so ago, when restrictions began lifting that I started to encourage people who had never tried whisky to try it. There’s a whisky for everyone! I really believe that. Through these newcomers' eyes, whisky can be quite intimidating if you feel you have to taste what everyone else is tasting and want to have something to say about it. But, I don’t think it needs to be that complicated. You either like it or you don’t. Plus, in the end, we all have grown up differently and like/dislike different flavours so our palates are unique to us. There is no right or wrong.

Aside from encouraging newbs to try whisky (and I’m super delighted when they find something they like!), I somehow ended up as a ‘Taste Maker’ in our whisky drinking circles. I say ‘Taste Maker’ because people thought I was able to pick up spot-on notes on the nose and when tasting. On top of this, I would say such and such whisky is the best of the night, and others would agree. What I ended up recommending and buying, I noticed others did too.

I don’t think there is anything in particular that makes my palate more receptive to whisky. I’m a female, and YES females are much better at nosing and pulling out flavours from whisky. This is actually a fact. It’s great to see so many female head blenders and distillers, and I hope to see this trend increase. We aren’t represented enough in the industry. Beyond what my gender is able to offer, I love to cook and try new foods. My herbs and spices take up an entire three shelves in our kitchen cabinet, and have spread into the larger pantry. I really do love all foods- Indian, Nepalese, Thai, Mexican, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Texan, etc.! I have invested in spices so I can cook these foods myself, but I also love to go out to eat, visit markets where you can see the origins of fresh food, and just be open to trying new things. Except avocados and seafood! Will not touch those. I’ve tried multiple times.

Any, I diverge…. What I really want to say is Thank You for visiting my website and socials, and I hope that I can accomplish two things. First, if you are new to whisky, I hope to bring you along on this non-stop ride and share some insights that might make you more likely to participate in whisky brand experiences! Even if you are really into whisky, maybe my posts will inspire you to visit new distilleries or to try something that you wouldn’t normally try. Second, I want to give you solid recommendations about whiskies that I’ve tried and liked. This might concern the brands in general, perhaps because of their commitment to sustainability. I might recommend a brand because of innovations or novelty. Or maybe it’s just about the tasty whiskies that they produce! Either way, it’s a conversation and I hope that you will contribute, make suggestions, and even ask me questions!

Slàinte Mhath!