A wise man once told me that a woman who orders a good whiskey or scotch in a bar is one of the sexiest things that can happen. Especially when she drinks it neat… It may be true, maybe because it just doesn’t seem to happen that often. However, most people don’t associate whiskey or scotch with a women’s drink. Women are thought to drink sweet and fruity creations.
Why women don’t like whiskey or scotch… But is this really like that?
Some research shows us that in particular countries up to 30% of the whiskey and scotch drinkers are female. This could be true for one or another country but in general this percentage is estimated to be quite lower, 15% seems like a more realistic estimate.
The fact that women don’t drink whiskey that often, can also be related to a sort of statistical explanation. Not only women don’t drink whiskey or scotch. Most males don’t drink or like whiskey or scotch either, especially neat. We all know that males consume far more alcoholic drinks than women. So if you would do the mathematics it is obvious why significantly more men than women drink whiskey. On the other hand this reasoning should lead to the same conclusion when it comes to drinking wine. And then this theory doesn’t really seem to be accurate.
Whiskey and scotch are often considered as a niche product. They are not that known for mixing. Everyone of course knows the whiskey and coke but it is still quite unknown to the masses as a drink you can mix into classy and nice cocktails such as the Vieux Carré the Whiskey Fix or the Heather Julep. That is a fact we cannot deny… people have moved from neat spirits towards cocktails. The people have spoken and they want cocktails!
Of course it also has to do a lot with the culture in some countries. In the USA for instance, there was a general belief in the early years that women should not have any liquor or liqueur at all. Alcohol was considered dangerous. Being able to confront those dangers was a man thing. This lead to the idea that drinking together became an expression of male bonding, especially with dark, heavy and complexly flavored spirits such as whiskey and scotch. In some regions there is a rather white spirits culture where people tend to prefer vodka, gin,…
It could also be the result of a certain social programming combined with the effects of marketing. Men drink beer, women drink wine. Men drink whiskey and stronger spirits, women drink pretty and sweet cocktails. When this is all people see or hear… we can speak of the self-fulfilling prophecy. A well-spread belief strengthened by some whiskey and scotch producer’s marketing campaigns solely focused on the male market. Again based on the larget market potential amongst male creatures.
But change could be coming… We now start to see some changes in that pattern. Could it be the start of a shift? Some women now order whiskey or scotch as a statement. And maybe they are right to do so. Some men find it terribly sexy. Urban legend or not, this is what male subjects seem to when a woman orders a whiskey or scotch:
- She is mature
- She dares to be different
- She’s not afraid of risks
- She does not give up easy
- She’s so smart
- She’s a little provocateur
- And of course… she likes whiskey
Reasons enough for women to start drinking whiskey or scotch… But take care, it’s totally different story when you order cheap whiskey or scotch!
Enjoy!
