Celebrity whisky drinkers

Patton Oswalt is a big scotch evangelist here in the States.

I hear Johnny Depp likes a bit of Lagavulin...

As more women get into whisky, I wonder if we'll see a real rise in things like ice and cocktails. Start trademarking those cocktail puns... ;) (Bags "Caol Ila Sunrise")

• Stephen Fry
• Alexa Chung
• Scarlett Johansson

@scribe Whisky puns is a whole other thread

@Scribe How incredibly patronising of you.

I'm a 27-year-old female whisky drinker, and have enjoyed the single malt goodness for some years, yet unbelieveably don't have the urge to mix it with lemonade or make cocktails with it.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt though, maybe it's an in-joke that's gone straight over my head.

Dig your way out of that one @scribe ;-)

@lostinthought Its certainly no in-joke on this network which I've found to be very open to all whisky lovers.

I see you are a peaty Islay fan no less, any current faves?

Yep, walked right into that one....

Whisky is whisky, while traditionally not a female drink, there is no reason for women not to try and therefore like (or dislike) it. With more availability and exposure you will find more people drinking it, and that will be true regardless of gender, colour or creed. Along with a broadening of exposure though will also come a broadening of range of personal tastes of the people trying it, and some people really like mixes and cocktails (they must do, there are so fracking many of them) - so we may well end up with far more single malt mixers (something I personally abhor). I really don't think that it will be as a result of more women trying whisky, but of more people in general. So you're on your own there @scribe...

regarding cocktails....I am a female whisky drinker of 10 years or so and whilst I resent the sentiment that if more women drink whisky then they will just be drinking it with mixers and in cocktails I am not going to be a hypocrite and say that I have never tried or enjoyed them. Whilst I have never ordered one in a bar they are to be found at many whisky shows and there were some nice ones at 'laddie day a few years ago.

Glenfiddich have been pushing the cocktails at shows for quite some time and they now seem to be giving Monkey Shoulder the cocktail corner. I can guarantee that there were plenty of men trying their stuff when they had their bar at the Whisky Show in London. They seem to be getting out and about at festivals and doing promo work too.

So whilst we may prefer our dram in it's cask strength and unadulterated form, many of us will try the occasional cocktail..but will we admit it :-) So it is not a case of women denying that they try an occasional cocktail..will the men admit they have tried one at a show..and enjoyed it. Then maybe it will not be seen as just a 'woman' thing.

@lost-in-thought @Livvy-Turnbull I'm with you on this one. My wife is of Polish origin, likes her vodka neat and can put away spirits at a rate that would leave most men feeling a little less manly than when the evening started. She's recently started showing interest in my whisky cabinet and not a drop of lemonade or ice has been requested. Furthermore she can do all this without compromising her femininity.

@WhiskyP : "without compromising her femininity", I like the sound of that!

@Scribe, you've got some explaining to do... :-) @Livvy-Turnbull: I agree and have absolutely no problem in admitting that I like a cocktail with Scotch once in a while (especially when there is no decent single malt present at the bar) and am a big fan of Irish Coffee with Kilbeggan or Tullamore Dew!

The closing line from the Guardian article reads: '"Mistakes have been made in the past when marketing to women by offering purely cosmetic or 'lighter' drinks. Today we find that female consumers are often the most demanding - looking for product integrity and substance." There you have it. :-)

Oops. Suspect I came across a little wrongly there - the dangers of doing two things at once. Apologies - I really didn't mean to infer that all women like or should drink their whisky a certain way. If anything, quite the reverse - there are far too many males around who seem to like a whisky based on how much it burns their throat away, or how big the price tag is...

I agree with most of the sentiments above - and after sampling Salt bar's offerings at Whisky Live, would totally encourage anyone to try whisky cocktails. I've also noticed that women (especially the whisky newcomers) tend to be more enthusiastic and descriptive at some of the tastings I've been to.

What's interesting to me is how perception of whisky changes. Technically yes, there's nothing stopping anyone from trying and liking/disliking it. But at the same time, many (women and men) do see it as an "old man's" drink, and will choose something more, uh, "safe", perhaps.

Personally, I hope that a shift in perception will lead to more people getting into whisky/alcohol as an enjoyment/appreciation thing, rather than whisky as a purely "get drunk quick" thing (ho hum). The alcohol industry is a strange one, for sure.

(Also I suspect this post is equally nonsensical.)

P.S. It is true that all ale drinkers are large hairy blokes though.

;-)

@scribe LOL - well bowled Sir...

@scribe haha,,,,I have just come home..popped into the local whisky /beer shop...tried the worlds strongest beer , Sink the Bismarck from Brewdog..an experience it was but managed to get rid of the taste with some Deuchars...now I am away to wax my chest hehe

@Livvy-Turnbull 41%? Erk. Wouldn't fancy a yard of that... ;)

Good save...

I also drink Ale, I'm lucky enough to live very near an excellent CAMRA pub which always has a good selection. But I wax ;)

Lager drinkers, now, they may be a better target...

Personally I think if you've a decent whisky it's a crime to put it in a cocktail, and don't care for sweet drinks, so I'm not sure I'd enjoy a whisky cocktail, but would try one. As long as it's not made with my whisky.

@Livvy-Turnbull Maybe it's ladies called Olivia... I'm one of those too... :)

@lost-in-thought hi Olivia....I'm a Lavinia...but we are all unique :-)

@Livvy-Turnbull Damn it all! There I go being presumptuous... I did think 'I bet she's not an Olivia' but couldn't think of another name that was shortened to Livvy... Lavinia didn't even occur to me!

Ah well, never mind :)

@lost-in-thought it has had many other abbreviations and misprenunciations over the years :-)

Alright already, ladies! :-) @scribe spot on reaction, buddy. You should be a goalkeeper :-)

Real women don't add water or ice they drink out it neat out of the NEAT glass. www.theneatglass.com

Scarlett Johansson talking to me with a peat infused breath. Where's my bag of ice?

I'm not sure if James Callis (Gaius Baltar in Battlestar Galactica) and Teryl Rothery (Dr Fraiser in Stargate) are considered celebrities (they are imho), then they are whisky drinkers as well. Check out my Toshan Tales at www.markdermul.be/toshanman. I ran into them during a sci-fi convention and we had some Auchentoshan together.

@markjedi1 -true. Women I know like substance and integrity all around. Check out the new NEAT glass (Naturally Engineered Aroma Technology). Its distinctive, patented shape quickly dissipates the sensory numbing alcohol letting women -who have more sensative noses - enjoy the aromas the distiller intended. Smarter glass creates a more enjoyable experience.

I 'clocked' Lee Marvin on the Game Fishing Warf in Cairns with a case of Bushmills on each shoulder - I couldn't resist, "Are you going out for a month, Lee?" - " I wish, just a week!" - "What about you and the horse?" (Cat Ballou) - "The horse was sober!" That was about 1966 (?) and we had all just seen the movie.

What about fictional celebrities? Anyone who reads crime fiction will know that Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus spends a lot of time in the Oxford Bar chasing HP 12 with pints of heavy. In fact Highland Park put out a very limited (150 bottles) of "Rebus 20" to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rankin's first Rebus novel. Reginald Hill's fat, farting, belching, bollock scratching, chain smoking Chief Superintendent Andy Dalziel of Dalziel and Pascoe fame is also a hard core Highland Park fan. And Peter Robinson's DCI Banks is very fond of Laphroaig. The Rebus and Banks novels have tons of music references, so while reading the books it's good to have some of their favourite tunes playing, the book in one hand and a glass of your favourite whisky in the other hand.

Scottish actor Brian Cox loves his Laga - www.youtube.com/watch