Women in Whisky
The Modern Face of Whisky Image Library
Client: OurWhisky Foundation
Sector: Whisky / drinks industry / Cultural initiative
Locations: London · Edinburgh
Scope: Editorial portraiture · Lifestyle narrative photography
Duration: 3 days (1 day London · 2 days Edinburgh)
This project began as a one-off commission for International Women’s Day, produced in association with Glenfiddich. It was the first collaboration between myself and Becky Paskin, founder of the OurWhisky Foundation.
The intent was simple but specific: produce imagery that represented women as whisky drinkers without stereotype, novelty or insult.
The initial commission was straightforward: produce a set of portraits that moved beyond familiar whisky imagery and reflected a broader, contemporary reality of who works in — and around — the industry.
The work was not framed as a campaign statement, but as credible, usable photography that could sit comfortably within both brand and editorial contexts.
From that first shoot, the project evolved into The Modern Face of Whisky: a deliberately inclusive, unbranded image library created to address how whisky drinkers and professionals are visually represented across media, marketing, and editorial use.
The intent was not to illustrate a single narrative, but to establish a dependable visual resource that could be drawn on repeatedly, without becoming stylistically dated or brand-specific.
The commission required imagery that could live well beyond its original context. The work needed to function across publishers, trade media, cultural commentary, and commercial environments — with enough consistency to operate as a library rather than a one-off response to a moment.
Since launch, the collection has been widely adopted and circulated, with images used across international press, industry platforms, brand communications, and cultural commentary around whisky.
The scale of reuse and longevity of the imagery has confirmed the original premise: that restraint, neutrality, and editorial discipline allow work to travel further — and last longer — than campaign-led visuals.
Approach & Consistency
This project was approached as an image library rather than a single, visually unified collection. From the outset, consistency of style was not the goal. Instead, the priority was to create a breadth of imagery capable of serving a wide range of editorial, commercial, and cultural requirements.
Different shoots and subject groups were deliberately approached in varied ways, allowing each set to respond to its context rather than conform to a fixed visual treatment. This flexibility was central to the project’s usefulness: the value lay in range, not repetition.
While the visual approach varied across the library, the work remained anchored by a consistent editorial mindset — images needed to feel credible, contemporary, and usable, regardless of where they appeared. Each shoot was designed to add something distinct to the overall resource, expanding the library’s relevance rather than narrowing it.
The result is a body of work that prioritises adaptability and longevity over aesthetic uniformity, enabling the imagery to meet diverse needs without feeling constrained by a single visual rule set.
Outcomes & Use
The breadth of the library has been a key factor in its widespread adoption. Images from the project have been used across international press, specialist whisky media, brand communications, and industry platforms, supporting a wide range of narratives and contexts.
Because the imagery is not locked into a single look or campaign style, it has proved particularly effective as reusable editorial and commercial material.
Different images from the library have been selected to suit different tones — from cultural commentary to industry reporting — without requiring reworking or adaptation.
What began as a one-off commission has evolved into a resource that continues to be drawn on well beyond its original scope. The varied nature of the imagery has extended its lifespan, allowing it to remain relevant as conversations, audiences, and platforms change.
Production Notes
