Girly Drinks, Mallory O’Meara

It always intrigued me that the gender mix at Whiskey Live Dublin was predominately male, yet that of Gin Live – organised by the same folks, often with exhibition stalls from the same distilleries & staffed by the same people – is overwhelmingly female.

Well Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara can unsolve that mystery.

A thoroughly researched book, packed with information presented in an entertainingly readable style tells the tale of how females have been systematically excluded from the drinking scene for centuries.

This results in genderised drinks whereby whiskey = male & gin = female – as played out in my Dublin experiences.

Things are changing for the better however.

But consider the first female Master Blender of any sprits category was as late as 1997 with the appointment of Joy Spence at Appleton Estate Rum Distillery in Jamaica.

There is still a long way to go.

A compulsory text for anyone serious about the gender divide in alcohol.

Sláinte

Interview with Joy Spence here.

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Whiskey & Philosophy, Editors Fritz Allhoff & Marcus P Adams

Wow!

I’ve never read a whiskey book like this before.

Authors from differing disciplines were invited to submit essays on varying aspects relating to whiskey.

The results are highly entertaining, thought provoking and at times – challenging.

Can you apply Hegelian thought, Aristotle virtue, the philosophy of Dualism, Buddhism or plain old group think & social cohesion to tasting a whiskey?

It’s all in the mix of this publication.

Why do you like one whiskey over another?

Is taste malleable?

Does knowing the master blender, visiting the distillery, being part of the clan, liking the manufacturing techniques, agreeing with the sustainable policies, bottle design, price point all alter our experience of drinking whiskey?

I certainly have my views of the above – and they’ve been further enlightened by the discourse within the pages of this book.

Whiskey & Philosophy is a bold publication full of complexity & rich depth. The diverse elements combine elegantly giving creative excitement to this blended entity.

Highly recommended!

Sláinte