So, you want to get into the whisky biz?
November 4th, 2007I though I’d take a brief break from discussing all the new whiskies flooding the retail shelves these days and address a different topic that comes up a lot.
I get emails on a fairly regular basis from “malt advocates” asking me how they can get into the whisky business. Many of you are passionate about whisky but have a job that doesn’t have anything to do with whisky. That’s how it was for me about 17 years ago. I was a scientist before Malt Advocate magazine was born.
There are many ways to break into the business. Some people write a book, blog, webcast, or even publish a magazine, preferring the communications end of things. Others organize whisky festivals. I know some people who went the retail route, becoming a whisky specialist for a specialty retailer (or wholesaler).
Another angle is working for a whisky company as a brand ambassador. Every once in a while, I get an email from a whisky company letting me know that they are looking for a whisky enthusiast to fill a position. I received such an email just this past week and, since I was going to write about this topic anyway this weekend, I thought I’d pass it on. (I don’t plan on making a habit of this.) The Balvenie is looking for full-time brand ambassadors for the East coast and West coasts. Here’s the link: http://www.thebalvenieba.com/. One could certainly do worse that promote and drink Balvenie for a living.
Whichever direction you chose, I wish you all the best. The more the merrier. It’s a great time to jump into the whisky business because the category is growing at the moment.
