Alice Newport on why people are drinking better

My name's Alice Newport, and I'm the James B. Beam ambassador for Australia and New Zealand. I look after Jim Beam, which is the biggest bourbon brand in the world, and then all of our smaller craft brands that sit under the Small Batch range; Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Booker’s and Baker’s.

I've always had an affiliation with hospitality. My dad ran a nightclub in my hometown when I was 13. I remember that I stocked fridges for the opening night, and when I walked in the next day, the smell of stale beer and cigarettes—I just felt so at home.

When I moved to Australia, I started working in a nightclub, and I did an array of other roles. Then, I ended up working full-time in government, but I was always just pulled back to hospitality. While working full-time in Brisbane, I met Neil from Jameson, and he said a role was coming up, we’d been doing some things together and thought I would be a good fit.

So, for me, it was a natural progression to move into the brand and experience side rather than the venue management side.

I get to meet so many incredible people.

I'm very lucky to train people in some of the best bars in the country. And sometimes I find it petrifying, standing in front of these people and, you know, saying that I might know more about a product or subject when they may have worked in the industry for however long. But being able to sit and have conversations with people, share stories and watch people learn and fall in love with the brands, I think, is really amazing.

I love helping to create a space where people can have an even better time in someone's venue.

You have to be so, so organised, and you also have to always be on. The one thing I really love about this industry and what I do is the fact that my job and personal life very intertwined. I was talking to my mum about this not long ago. She asked me if I find this challenging, and it can be, in my own time I want to go to the best restaurants and bars, and see my friends who are work in venues, and that’s also what I do for work.

But, sometimes not having a clear linear separation of parts of your life can be a bit challenging, so you just have to stay on top of that and make sure you’re not always at work, that you can turn off and enjoy things for you.

I think people are drinking better and are becoming more educated about what they’re drinking

Consumers are starting to appreciate things outside of the traditional, single-malt scotch; they’re becoming much more inquisitive in the whiskey space. Which I love. People are much more open to drinking whiskey in a fun way, even with those super high-end single malts or bourbons or Japanese whiskeys.

Gone are the days when whiskey was only consumed in a cigar room by men with the door shut. People are being inquisitive, and you see whiskey popping up in fashion and art. For example, Basil Hayden, the brand I focus on the most, is very much about that aperitivo, sundowner moment. And I love that my whole campaign at the moment is about drinking whiskey in the sunshine rather than in a dark basement.

Here in Australia, specifically, we will start to see people engage with more premium bourbons, in a more kind of sipping style drink. You'll also see a bigger understanding of the American whiskey category in general. In Australia, I think there’s like 10 million gin distilleries or something, but all of a sudden, you're starting to see Australian whiskey appear more and more. It seems like it's exploding, and there's a lot of momentum.

Australians love local. The Australian gin boom was wild, and it completely changed the face of craft gin in many other places. The people that are leading the charge in Australian whiskey they’re cool brands that have fun with it, they're approachable, and their distilleries are easy to visit.

And rum. Rum is definitely going to have its boom. Which is great, because daiquiris.

First off, the brands I work for. The Jim Beam story is a super interesting one; they’re the longest-standing bourbon family in the world. The history, the influence they’ve had on the American Whiskey world, it’s a super interesting story, as are the people behind the brands.

I like the Unico Zelo wine brand. I think they’ve worked hard to bring wine that sits slightly outside traditional wine formats and have brought it to the mainstream.

We have a saying at Beam, which is, “Drink any damn way you please.” You can mix and sip any whiskey that you like. I’m very much, choose your own adventure.

But that said, as a kind of mixing whiskey, I would say Basil Hayden. It was my favourite before I started working for them. It's what I call a gateway whiskey. If you've got any weird friends that don't like bourbon, this is a whiskey to get them on with because it is approachable, but it's still got the backbone of a really good bourbon.

I am personally not a peated scotch person, but I feel like so many people are, so it would be a miss not to say Laphroaig if that’s your jam. If you want something non-peated (and outside of our portfolio), I'm a huge fan of Balvenie.

Looking for something local? Archie Rose, their Double Malt is super cool.

A Manhattan or a variation of Manhattan is definitely my favourite. Preferably a sweet Manhattan on Knob Creek rye. I don't think a Manhattan should be made any other way.