Hey Scotch Lovers, Mark here! I figure it’s high time I get involved in the blog conversations and thought I’d start off with a topic that I’ve been thinking a lot about of late…..community! So, what does that mean, in this context? Well, let’s start with you. When we decided to put a camera in front of our Thursday night scotch gatherings we had no idea of what it would become or where things would go. We knew we wanted to share our journey with others, help others with their journey and all without losing the fun we were having! Well, along comes you and things have only continued to get better. We thoroughly enjoy everyone’s comments (even the ones that aren’t so nice) and we have an absolute blast with everyone that joins the live shows! In short, you are a part of this “community”!
But, it is more than that! Looking across the “whiskytube” on Youtube, you’ll find so many other channels out there that are on this journey too! Truthfully, when we started we had a minimal idea of maybe 3 other channels that were in the same “space”. And although it may make sense that we are competing against each other, I honestly think if you look closely (hopefully you don’t have to look to close) you’ll find that we’re not competing at all, but really celebrating each other on this journey! I’m purposefully not naming any in fear of forgetting one, but if you are reading this then I’m positive you know of some of the other channels and people for whom I speak! They’re all doing some great stuff and sharing in their knowledge or network and in the end, we all increase our love and knowledge of great whisky! It really is pretty cool and humbling to be a part of!
Now when you start thinking about this you’ll notice that there are so many people that you recognize or converse with on the various channels and how it really overlaps to the point of us being one big community! A few examples if you will….
Last year Drew and I vacationed to the UK with our families. We happened to do a short live show from Dublin and mentioned how excited we were to be heading to Scotland in the coming days. Low and behold a subscriber reached out to us and ended up not only meeting us in Edinburgh, but really laying out a full day of incredible scotch from the Whisky Experience to both SMWS locations! Consequently, he now has his own channel on Youtube and is really putting out great content. His actions really opened my eyes to the possibilities of “community”!
This past summer, I vacationed in NYC with my family. Low and behold a couple of subscribers reached out to me and were adamant about meeting up for a dram. Not only did it happen, but I took my wife and son and we had an incredible time visiting with these guys. They had a great spread of snacks to sample scotch (and we sampled some GREAT scotch) and then proceeded to order a ton of Mediterranean food for dinner. An absolute awesome time that has now led to all 4 of the Dummies heading out to NYC for the WhiskyFest 2018!
My point is that if you’re reading this, then you are a part of the very community I’m speaking about. If you’ve not ever commented on a review or tuned in for a live, that’s ok. But, I’ll tell you you’re missing out on some of the best parts of the whiskytube community! Don’t be shy, you’ll find that there are some great people out there that are worth getting to know. Whether they are running a Youtube channel or frequenting them, they’re here to share in the journey and if you’re here, then it’s your journey too!
As we continue to grow our opportunities to meet some of these very people (like yourself) continue to increase and we do truly look forward to sharing a dram with each and every one of you. But, until then we’ve always got the virtual bar and you always have a seat!
~ Sláinte, S4D