{"id":2466,"date":"2026-04-13T09:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anglarnasandel.se\/?p=2466"},"modified":"2026-03-18T09:05:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:05:55","slug":"would-you-like-to-be-part-of-it-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anglarnasandel.se\/?p=2466&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Would you like to be part of it too?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This weekend, as tradition has it for over a decade now, I met people at the Beer and Whisky Fair in Malm\u00f6. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve appreciated from day one, because there\u2019s something truly special about meeting whisky lovers and the whisky-curious over a dram, and having the opportunity to introduce them to brands and whiskies I genuinely believe in.<\/p>\n

This year, however, the fair felt a little different\u2014and it had nothing to do with the number of exhibitors, the stand environment, or the number of visitors. For the first time since I started working at stands, no one\u2014absolutely no one\u2014asked whether I actually like whisky, why I started drinking it, or whether I know anything about it.<\/p>\n

Everyone\u2014every single person\u2014simply assumed that I drink what I promote and that I do what I do because I know what I\u2019m talking about. They assumed I started drinking whisky because I enjoy it\u2014not as some exotic experience I subjected myself to just to earn \u201cpick me\u201d points. I still haven\u2019t quite processed it.<\/p>\n

And I understand that this might sound like a fairly trivial thing, but when I recount even a fraction of what I\u2014and my female colleagues in the industry\u2014regularly hear, my male whisky friends are left astonished, shaking their heads (and occasionally letting a swear word slip, too).<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s despite the fact that they themselves have often seen and heard how female whisky experts are dismissed by customers in favour of male colleagues, or how male visitors at whisky events feel perfectly entitled to force a hug\u2014or even a kiss\u2014on a woman working at a stand. On two occasions, people have even proposed to me. One of those instances felt less like a proposal and more like a forced, Wuthering Heights<\/em>-style argument, where he insisted that, despite my being happily engaged to another man, I must really want him because of his rather substantial wallet (spoiler: I did not).<\/p>\n

What was a unique experience for me this weekend is, quite simply, everyday life for them. Good heavens, that must be such a relief.<\/p>\n

At the same time, I\u2019m often told by genuinely kind and well-meaning whisky club members how difficult it is to recruit new female members (not to mention trans people, non-binary individuals, or people of different ethnic backgrounds\u2014though, sadly, fewer people seem concerned about that last point). But is it really so surprising?<\/p>\n

If some people behave like this in front of complete strangers, how do they speak about\u2014and to\u2014women in their own circles when those women show even the slightest interest in whisky? I can hardly blame whisky-curious individuals for not wanting to throw themselves into an environment where everyone else seems more knowledgeable, and where some members of that very group choose to behave or speak in ways that are, frankly, distasteful.<\/p>\n

Even at whisky tastings, there can be a tone of banter that only sounds \u201cfun\u201d or \u201charmless\u201d to those who aren\u2019t negatively affected by the stereotypes it reflects. \u201cThis is a proper ladies\u2019 whisky!\u201d, \u201cWomen tend to prefer wine cask-aged whisky, don\u2019t they? That\u2019s because they like wine!\u201d, and \u201cThis is good whisky! If you don\u2019t like this, you don\u2019t like whisky!\u201d are all things I\u2019ve heard people say at tastings.<\/p>\n

Regardless of gender, not many people aged 21\u201335\u2014at least among those I know\u2014appreciate that kind of rhetoric. And when I suggest to younger people or female attendees at fairs that they should visit a tasting hosted by their local whisky club, I almost always get the same response: \u201cWhy?\u201d They can try new varieties at fairs, or simply buy a bottle themselves. For them, whisky is almost entirely about being able to explore and taste freely\u2014without being told what they should or shouldn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

As recently as this weekend, three different women\u2014independently of one another\u2014were genuinely surprised to learn that you can add as much water to your whisky as you like. Their male acquaintances had told them you shouldn\u2019t really add water at all\u2014or at most a drop or two\u2014as though whisky were some sort of Gremlin. No, no\u2014no drams with snacks after midnight either!<\/p>\n

So why am I writing all of this?<\/p>\n

Because people want change. The industry wants change. Young people, women, and members of groups that are often overlooked want change. And many, many whisky enthusiasts who are already members of whisky clubs want change too.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s precisely why the initiative Let\u2019s Open Up Over Whisky<\/em> was founded a few years ago. Its aim is to encourage and accelerate this change by raising awareness of how the situation is actually experienced by those affected by these prejudices. Through information, events, scholarships, and voluntary work\u2014together with individuals, clubs, companies, bars, and industry organisations\u2014we hope that more and more of these destructive behaviours and attitudes will fade away.<\/p>\n

None of us involved in this work receive a salary, and most of our meetings take place digitally to keep costs to a minimum. The funds we raise go, as far as possible, directly towards outreach, supporting those who are working to increase inclusivity, and ultimately creating safe, inclusive events.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to become a member, you can do so at https:\/\/letsopenupoverwhisky.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I hope you\u2019ll join us on this journey!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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