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Our eyes are closed, and as a soft-spoken man who has spent the last ten minutes talking us through the techniques and benefits of daily meditation practice tells us to take a sip from our glasses of golden whisky, we do just that.  

On first impressions, as lunchtime alcohol consumption is coupled with the sound of the Connect festival’s first act of the day setting up outside, the Zen of Whisky experience at Glenmorangie’s stage-facing lounge doesn’t exactly scream inner peace.  

And yet, it works.  

Alongside the DJ sets planned for later in the day and deceptively boozy slushies on offer outside, the unlikely meditation session provides another novel way to explore the flavour profile of one of Scotland’s most beloved single malts by urging guests to focus on the here and now.  

Just a week later, I’ll be attending the Auchentoshan Live @ 200 Festival in Clydebank, which seeks to blend a celebration of its 200 years of history with a vision for the future using a lineup of up-and-coming Glasgow artists and bespoke cocktails.  

The Herald:

As someone who has always enjoyed a dram, but shied away from any in-depth discussion of spirits for fear of coming across as uneducated, I’m all for these kinds of events and welcome the way historic brands are striving to inject a little fun into the world of whisky.  

I’ve attended too many stuffy tasting events in the past, usually led by an older male, where we’ve been taught that it is a sacred elixir to be savoured only in the right type of glass, with just the right amount of water and, under pain of death, NO ice.

I understand of course that a huge amount of work goes into crafting a perfectly balanced tipple and that plain and simple will always be the best way to ensure you’re tasting each carefully developed note and nuance.   

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But the old-fashioned sense of ceremony surrounding whisky drinking can make these wonderful experiences seem like an elitist and exclusive affair, far removed from my own favourite way of enjoying a good bottle, amongst friends who have with age learned to appreciate a quality nightcap to round off an evening.

More worrying still than a lingering sense of pomposity is a deeply serious issue festering at the core of one of Scotland’s largest industries.  

This week, research carried out by the OurWhiskyFoundation, a not-for-profit body set up to support females in the industry, has revealed that a third of women working in the sector have been touched inappropriately, with seven out of ten saying that they have experienced inappropriate or sexual comments at work.  

The Herald:

The Do You Even Like Whisky? survey is a hugely important piece of work that is, unfortunately, likely to strike a chord with women across the country who have for years fallen victim to micro-aggressions and outdated stereotypes that view whisky​ firmly as a 'man's drink'.  

Great strides are undoubtedly being made to ensure a vibrant and prosperous future for the industry in Scotland, and I look forward to helping celebrate this, but until genuine efforts are made to remedy a blatant issue with sexism, I fear that whisky will always feel stuck in the past.  

In the coming weeks, look out for further coverage focusing on women within the whisky industry as we highlight their stories.