Stand by your dram: women scotch the men-only whisky myth

"COME, let me know what it is that makes a Scotchman happy," author and diarist James Boswell famously said as he ordered a glass of whisky during his 18th-century tour of the Hebrides.

Now Boswell's words may need to be rewritten for the 21st century. The number of women joining Scotland's premier whisky connoisseurs' club is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Over the past three years, women have accounted for one in four of all new memberships at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. That compares with just one in 10 in previous years.

Last year, 550 new female members joined up to push female membership to its highest-ever level, overturning long-held notions of serious whisky drinking as an almost exclusively male preserve.

Experts say the rise has been prompted by a new generation of female drinkers prepared to experiment with new spirits and different flavours as well as a series of tasting events that combine whisky with food.

Celebrities such as supermodel Kate Moss and radio presenter Zoë Ball have also been pictured consuming whisky.

Anne Griffiths, venue director at the Society, which has a total UK membership of 18,500, said the number of new female members was exceeding expectations and most were in professions such as business, medicine, academia and the law.

"We have worked very hard to create the right atmosphere for women at our three venues (two in Edinburgh and one in London]. When I first started at the Society many years ago it was predominantly male membership and when I went into tastings they were clearly waiting for a man to turn up."

The new generation of young, professional female whisky drinkers were also introducing their friends, colleagues and clients to the spirit, Griffiths said. "They like to try new things, like to sit down and nose whisky and taste it, and they are not afraid of saying whether they like it or not."

There was a definite trend towards younger whisky drinkers, Griffiths added. "My great-aunt used to have a whisky every day but that was a blend. Now women are enjoying malts, even the gutsy, peaty ones from Islay, which were always thought of as a man's drink."

Gemma Scott, a trade and consumer magazine editor from Glasgow, believes the Society's figures reflect a general trend.

"For a very long time women were scared to drink whisky because it had such a masculine image. But times are changing and female drinkers are much more open to trying new things," Scott said. "In my opinion a woman drinking whisky looks far sexier than a woman drinking a sparkly pink cocktail with a straw in it."

Old attitudes were dying hard, however. "If I go out with my boyfriend and order a whisky and a G&T, the G&T is put in front of me every time."

Laura Hay, 26, started work as a tour guide at the Glenlivet distillery in Banffshire seven years ago. She is now an "ambassador" for the Malt Whisky Society at its headquarters at The Vaults in Leith.

She said: "Distilleries are playing with the finishes (the final taste] to make it quirkier and appeal to different groups. Females have a heightened sense of smell so they can better detect all these exciting aromas.

"It's only really in the UK where it is seen as old man's drink. In countries such as Spain it is the opposite."

Industry veteran John Black, the manager at the Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire, welcomes the change in female drinking habits. "I think the image of the pipe, the slippers and the dram is dying out and it's a good thing," he said. "A lot of young women in their twenties are now drinking malts when they go out and it's good to see. When I started out 50 years ago women didn't even go in bars."