These Whisky Craftswomen Are Talking About Double Standards, Why Representation Matters, And Their Best Advice

Celebrate Women's History Month with your favorite whisky cocktails created by craftswomen at brands like Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit, and George Dickel.

Just in time for International Women's Day, four craftswomen in the whisky business came together to talk about double standards, representation, and their best career advice. Check out the highlights here:

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This video series features Johnnie Walker master blender Emma Walker, Crown Royal master blender Joanna Scandella, Bulleit whisky blender Eboni Major, and George Dickel master distiller & general manager Nicole Austin.

The videos tackle some pretty serious topics like double standards in careers and life.

“I think, growing up, boys are held to a different standard. Girls are told not to be bossy or told to be seen, not heard, and it just doesn't create a good environment as you grow older,” Eboni says.

Nicole agrees: “I have so often seen failure from a man is just accepted as part of the process. But that failure from a woman somehow leads to questioning everything about her competence in whether she deserves to be there. We don't feel the same freedom to fail.”

The craftswomen talk about why representation matters...

Nicole says, “I know how meaningful it was to me when I was coming up in the industry to see other women's faces and to know that there were women who were successful in this industry, so I feel like I kind of owe it to the next generation of people that's coming in to be visible.”

Eboni echoes that: “That's always my hope: someone seeing this. The little brown girl out there will want to come and join this industry, but also, don't let that be the determining factor.”

...and what it's really like to be a woman in the whisky industry.

“This perception that there are no women working in whisky, it doesn't reflect what actually happens within our company and within the industry. Whisky is a match. It's a balance. It's a blend of the perfect combination of people," says Emma.

Each woman also shares her best career advice, like staying curious, learning from the obstacles you face...

Joanna says, “Every obstacle is actually an opportunity. So it's an opportunity to learn to do something maybe in a better way. ... Don't compare yourself to other people. Trust yourself. Be bold, be creative. Sometimes bite off a little bit more than you think you can chew because really you're up to the challenge.”

...and taking credit for your work.

"Don't be afraid to be a leader and take credit for your work. No one's going to give it to you. So you can't wait around to be invited or wait around to be noticed. It's like you have to teach yourself to be present and go after what you want. So if you see an opportunity, go for it, and when you accomplish something, you have to tell people what you've done. There's no...no one's keeping tabs,” Nicole says.

Images courtesy of Diageo.

Check out the videos to hear more their great advice. And this month, celebrate Women's History Month with a whisky cocktail like the Penicillin, created by craftswoman and master blender Emma Walker and featuring Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky!

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