From the earliest days of the internet, whisky “interest groups” formed and started having dialogues. In the old days of bulletin boards, chat rooms and lists, whisky groups were established, gathering even more weight, size and momentum once forums facilitated better user experiences and capabilities. In fact, whisky forums became their own little worlds, far outgrowing the little communities they started out as.
As humans, we are drawn to community. We like to belong; we like to surround ourselves with like-minded people. As people fell in love with whisky and wanted to chat about it with others, online groups became a fantastic platform and facilitator of whisky communities, clubs, and hangouts.
Of course, over time, online whisky resources grew, morphed, and evolved into many different streams and formats as technology developed: Web-based forums; e-subscription newsletters and mailing lists; online retail and e-commerce; discussion groups for countless whisky clubs and societies; and more. The ubiquitous use of smart phones and social media has also seen consumer/participant behaviour shift away from the more traditional desktop formats.
In this last regard, the rise of the Facebook Group has seen an explosion of whisky communities. Some are small and gain little traction; some serve as little more than fan clubs; others become behemoths with members running into the tens of thousands.
Like anything to do with social media, these whisky Facebook Groups have their pros and cons. There are “netiquette” ideals to follow (which seem to increasingly be ignored), there are self-prescribed “Group Rules”, and there are Admins and Moderators who have the thankless task of keeping these communities safe and happy. And, of course, as communities grow, so too do the problems that come with community: Those from all walks of life bring different things to the table. Different personalities and different opinions can lead to disagreements and arguments; the individuals’ different histories and backgrounds can lead to bias and intolerances. People don’t always communicate at their best when typing on their phones, and the situation isn’t helped when some dialogues take place late at night when the participants have a few drams under their belt. Some Facebook discussions turn particularly nasty – not helped by the fact that keyboard warriors are very brave when they don’t have to say something directly to someone’s face.
Here in Australia, the first prominent Facebook whisky group to be established was The Scotch Malt Whisky Society group way back in 2008, intended as a discussion group for the Society’s members, as the Society’s website at the time couldn’t support an integrated forum. Other more prominent groups to follow were the Dram Full groups in 2013 and the Australian Whisky Appreciation Society (AWAS) in 2014. Around the globe, groups like Malt Maniacs or Scotch Addict attract international members and followers.
Life got a little tougher for the administrators of alcohol-focussed groups recently when Facebook elected to exercise some “corporate responsibility” and set about closing down groups it felt broke community or legal standards. Peer to peer sales, swaps, trades, and exchanges are actually all illegal – it’s dealing in alcohol without a licence, and Facebook moved swiftly to shut down any groups where such activities were spotted. The AWAS group was an unfortunate victim in this, receiving multiple breach notices and even being shut down temporarily. Facebook’s bots aren’t overly discerning.
The other aspect which was an inevitable development sooner or later was the commercialising of some Facebook whisky discussion groups. Or, perhaps more accurately, using Facebook groups as an avenue or outlet for a related whisky business. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen time and time again, as soon as the administrators of a Facebook group try and monetise it, engagement and member activity rapidly dwindles.
Of course, 90% of all posts in these groups remain genuinely discursive. “Has anyone tasted this?”, “Hey, look what I just bought!”, “Is there a whisky event coming up in Melbourne shortly?”, and “What’s your pick at Sydney Airport duty free?” is about as deep as most discussions get.
Other posts are avenues for sharing whisky stories, whisky reviews, whisky events, or….ahem…. whisky blogs. In fact, there’s a good chance you’re reading this article from a Facebook link. Australia’s a small country, and I’m sure you’ve made your own observations and pigeonholed the names and players that you regular see: Whisky & Wisdom writes and shares a range of articles that serve to either educate about whisky or to prompt conversation; anyone posting from Melbourne makes us all wish we lived near Whisky + Alement; Nick Yui reviews rare unicorn bottlings that most of us will never see or taste; Dan Woolley continues to live the dream; Deni Kay makes us jealous of his travels; the same old dipsticks post stuff they want to sell (before getting booted from the group and then re-surfacing like a phoenix); Michael Veach and Robert Kaiser are Americans who live in America and post blog pieces about American whiskey to the Australian whisky groups and ponder why they get little engagement; and a few usual suspects have fun trying to out-do each other with smokey cokeys.
Communities also form tribes, and it’s interesting to see where allegiances lie. Are you a member of all the aforementioned groups or just some? Were you a member of one but became dissatisfied and joined another? It’s no secret that one or two groups are breakaways of others, and if you’ve kept your ear to the ground, you’ll have picked up that there’s occasionally some tensions between groups. Friendly banter has, at times, morphed into unsavoury sentiments. Some posters owe apologies and need to pull their heads in. Don’t lose sight of why we joined these groups in the first place.
I’m not intending to feed the rumour mill, nor start untoward threads. And, before you leap to conclusions or accuse this article of having vested interests, you should know that each of the entities, group admins, and individuals mentioned in this piece were sent a preview of it and gave their blessing to this article before it was posted publicly.
No, the catalyst and inspiration for this piece was simply to explore the Australian whisky community and how we all liaise with and engage with one another. The Facebook whisky groups are brilliant avenues that bring us together. They allow drinkers in Sydney to share and compare tasting notes with drinkers in Perth. They allow visitors from interstate to form friendships or tips on where to drink/catch up when they come to town. They give many drinkers a voice, and they allow us to expand our whisky knowledge. If you’ve not learned something about whisk(e)y from whichever group you’re in, then you’re not trying.
My message here is that we should endorse, celebrate, and enjoy these groups. Take the time to thank and commend the admins and moderators who keep these communities and groups going. Engage with the brand ambassadors who chime into the conversations and add weight; read the articles that get shared; support the Aussie distillers who are emerging and using the platform to announce themselves; welcome the newcomer who is starting out and wants to learn more; support the tastings and events that get listed; and don’t crucify the person who bravely shares that they enjoy “Ardberg” with ice and coke. And, most importantly of all, don’t sit in one group and slag off at another.
If any of the above resonates with you, you might also like 19 rules for how to survive and get along in an online whisky group
We have come a long way from the 1970’s when whisky enthusiasts would pour themselves a dram of Glenfiddich at home and wonder if anyone similarly-minded was out there. Let us not see the online whisky groups abused or misused as forums to bring the community down.
Cheers,
AD
PS: If you’re interested in learning more about Australia’s whisky community – before the rise of online groups and Facebook – you might enjoy this article: The pioneers of Australia’s whisky appreciation community
