With each passing week, a new crop of whisky influencers seem to sprout on YouTube. On the bourbon side, you get the feeling most of them bought the same starter kit pitched on some late-night TV infomercial:
YouTube Bourbon Expert Kit
(Make sure the following tasks are completed before posting your first video.)
1.) Think of a clever angle. If you fish, maybe call your channel Drams ‘n’ Clams?
2.) Buy an influencer-grade LED ring light. The more money you spend, the more it looks like you know what you’re talking about.
3.) Get some shelves and fill them with whiskies. Make sure the shelves are in the shot at all times.
4.) When it comes to bourbon reviews, wood panelling is just as (if not more) important than the whiskey you’re reviewing. Go to your local lumber merchant, and buy as much of it as you can.
5.) Prepare a brief montage of your feature whiskey from a variety of different camera angles. This portion should be accompanied by royalty-free background music.
6.) Please “stick to the script” when recording your video. Don’t be a hero. Stagg good. Dickel bad.
You get the idea. What concerns me most is the high volume of inaccurate information being peddled. Is it really that hard to verify your content before sending it out into the world? Stop saying, “I think,” and start saying, “After consulting multiple sources, I can tell you…” A couple more things. Chocolate malt whiskies don’t contain chocolate, and Bunnahabhain 12 isn’t a good starting point if you’re curious about peated Islay whiskies. It’s not peated. There’s one thing I do agree with when it comes to these online commentators, their love for Arran 10.
Arran 10 has been a favourite in scotch whisky circles for quite some time now. It’s super-approachable (there’s a good influencer word), non-chill filtered, and naturally coloured. Ex-bourbon and sherry cask matured. A sweet and fruity affair. Honey, vanilla, orchard fruit, cinnamon. A little malty. Citrus. A solid whisky at a solid price. Best of all, it’s influencer-approved!
Happy dramming,
Ryan