The OurWhisky Foundation has launched Modern Face of Whisky, a free collection of stock photos highlighting the diversity of whisky drinkers around the world.
The traditional image of a whisky drinker, and whisky culture in general, is woefully one dimensional: very white, very middle aged male, very exclusive. OurWhisky Foundation’s initiative seeks to redress the balance by offering images showcasing people of all genders, ages and races enjoying whisky, with particular attention being paid to women.
OurWhisky Foundation founder Becky Paskin said she has “long been frustrated by the absence of gender diversity in available whisky imagery,” which serves to perpetuate the outdated stereotype of whisky being a drink for men.
Women are increasingly engaging with whisky at all levels, as both consumers and creators of the spirit (Paskin points out that many of the most respected blenders and distillers within the industry are female), but there is still an issue with visual representation.
Recent research has shown that women make up 36% of all whisky drinkers in the US and the UK, while another study found a staggering 228% more images of men than women across the social media channels of the world’s largest whisky brands.
It is hoped that the image library will help bring much needed change to whisky advertising and in turn supports the need for gender equality within the industry.
The significance of challenging old stereotypes should be without question. The fewer images there are showing a diversity of people enjoying whisky will result in fewer people engaging with the spirit. Actively reaching out to these communities via visual representation would be an impressively positive step for the industry as a whole.
It’s a view shared by many big companies within the whisky world and the project already has the backing of eleven drinks companies, including Diageo, Bacardi and Beam Suntory.
Australian photographer Jo Hanley was behind the first collection of images used in the library. Hanley has first hand experience of the male-led nature of whisky advertising, stating how when she worked on previous projects for the Scotch whisky industry “it became strikingly obvious that I was often the only woman involved in a project and the images that were being created always had a masculine lean to the art direction”.
Hanley hopes the library will “evolve the narrative of the whisky drinker” since whisky ultimately has no gender bias, and excluding women and other communities from that “visual narrative is only telling half the story”.
Importantly the library will be available to use without charge. Paskin notes that it’s important the images are free to use as it allows content creators and brands of all budgets to “find appropriate and inclusive images to use”.
The library will be available globally through the OurWhisky Foundation website or through the stock imagery platforms Pixaby, Pexels and Unsplash.