Spirits Communicator shortlist: The Three Drinkers

The IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year is sponsored by Chivas Brothers.

Colin Hampden-White, Aidy Smith and Helena Nicklin (The Three Drinkers) are a trio of TV personalities and drinks writers with a global TV Series on Amazon Prime. Their first series ’The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky’ is currently in over 160 countries and territories and 30 languages with more series on the way.

Moving beyond the screen, the trio created The Three Drinkers Productions where they work with drinks brands on a daily basis across video production, events and digital marketing efforts using The Three Drinkers brand.

What first attracted you to the spirits industry? 

Colin: The stories and history associated with the Scotch brands and the way in which the consumer interacts with those brands, which is very different to other drinks categories.  

Aidy: The creative freedom of making cocktails, firstly with gin but then branching out. In the same way an artist has a palate and creates a masterpiece with each paint, that’s exactly how I look at mixology. It’s so expressive.

Helena: For me, it’s the point of difference between spirits and wine and the way the industries work so differently. With so many interesting and delicious brands launching, spirits have also been quite hard to ignore.

What are the most exciting developments in the spirits world at the moment?

Right now we’re really liking the continued expansion of oak aged spirits, whether that be whisky, gin, rum, tequila and vodka, with other spirits joining this exciting development. We’re also continually stoked to see how the spirits world allows people from literally any background to explore their creativity. There’s so many exciting products out there.
 

What is the most enjoyable part of your job? 

Being able to work with each other as friends. We built this company on friendship and it is great to have the freedom to create the content we want to create. In March 2018 we decided to make a TV series, and who would have thought that just seven months later we could have turned that into a reality?

What are your future aspirations for The Three Drinkers?

You’ll need to watch this space over the next few weeks, as we’ll be making an announcement about our next series! We’ve also got some more exciting launches before Christmas.

What sets you apart in the world of drinks communication?

The Three Drinkers is globally the most widely watched TV show on spirits there has ever been. We’re now airing in 167 countries and territories around the world in 39 languages. 

We’ve also extended our brand beyond just the screen, working on a daily basis with wineries, breweries, distilleries and even coffee producers to create compelling content for the curious generation. 

Which person in the spirits industry do you most admire?

That’s a really hard question as there’s so many that we respect. As a trio, we’ve had a lot of fun hanging out with Dr. Bill Lumsden and learning from his unique way of thinking - he says it how it is and we really value that.

What’s your favourite spirit right now? 

Whisky, obvs! :)

Follow The Three Drinkers on Twitter @the3drinkers and Instagram @thethreedrinkers, and like their Facebook page here. 

The Spirits Communicator of the Year 2019 will be announced at the IWSC Awards Banquet on 28 November.