Meet Moa Nilsson, the Whisky Influencer known as Swedish Whisky Girl
Here we meet Moa Nilsson, one of the most significant figures in the online whisky community. She graciously responded to a few personal and controversial questions for my Q&A series.
Moa Nilsson - Swedish Whisky Girl
Q - I already read your blog and watch your YouTube videos, but for those who don't know you. Could you tell us a little bit about what you do and how you became a whisky influencer?
A - My name is Moa and I was born and raised in Sweden but moved to Edinburgh to study in 2015. During my final year I met my boyfriend who just started working in the whisky industry the day after our first date so together we started trying various whisky samples to learn more about where the different aromas and flavours came from.
Since I have quite a nerdy personality, I loved learning more about it and eventually found a whisky that I also really liked: Ardbeg 10. It tasted like bonfires, smoked meat and walks in the woods back in Dalarna, where I was born.
After about 6 months I graduated and decided to stay in Edinburgh so I applied for a job at The Scotch Whisky Experience and ended up working as a tour guide. It was a great place to learn more about whisky and the industry and just before I started I also started my Instagram as a diary to keep track of what we were trying and what I thought of them.
That account started to grow and that led me to what I do today. Instagram is still one of the things I enjoy the most and it has given me the opportunities to meet so many wonderful people.
Q - Can you describe your first whisky experience and how your journey began?
A - I’m not sure exactly when I tried whisky for the first time but it was probably when my dad offered me sample from his little collection, but at the time I thought everything tasted the same and was way too strong in abv for me.
I was more of a wine person from the beginning and even did University courses on wine about a year before I got in to whisky.
It’s still something I’m really interested in and I would love to opportunity to work even more with different drinks and spirits from all over the world and how they are linked to the culture and areas where they originated and are made today.
Q - You mention on your blog that you are a Content Creator, Freelance Writer, and Spirits Judge. I'm curious how you manage to juggle all of those roles while also posting to all of your social media channels?
A - Good question! It’s not always easy as I also have a full time job in marketing and sales within ski tourism but since I would like to be self-employed one day I feel like I have to try my hardest to make that dream come true and that means taking as many opportunities as I can whilst keeping up the work I’ve already built.
If anyone knows how to clone yourself or get a few extra arms that would be extremely helpful but I try my best and believe that one day the hard work will pay off in the direction I wish for.
Q - Can you describe some of the approaches you receive from the various brands with whom you work and the work you do for them?
A - This can vary from brand to brand but for some I get approached with a social media campaign that is marketing for example a specific bottle, be it one that’s already in their portfolio or a new release. I then create content after a brief and deliver for approval before posting on an agreed date to social media.
Other times I write blog posts or articles for magazines about distilleries, whiskies or happenings in the whisky world. The ones I enjoy the most is when I get to travel to a distillery or location for an event or experience and write about or capture content there.
This is one of the reasons I’ve started up my blog as a complement to the other social channels as it combines my interest for writing and photography completely on my own terms.
Q - How difficult is it to keep up with trends and write whisky reviews that will be relevant past 2022?
A - I feel like I’m fairly well incorporated within a part of the whisky world now and since I still have a curious interest in whisky as well as other drinks I actively seek out information which helps in keeping track of what’s going on and in what direction its moving.
I think it’s also important to meet both industry people as well as consumers as these two world can be very different. I love going to whisky fairs for this reason because it allows you to meet people and experience what they are like.
I’m quite lucky to live in a bubble where drinking whisky is nothing strange and there’s always room for discussions and reflection over flavours and individual experiences but from recent whisky fair experiences I can for example see that there’s still a bit of gatekeeping as well as sexism amongst some consumers which I want to actively work to improve and I need to know that it exists and how it is presented to be able to work with it.
I’m also secretly hoping sherry will boom as a drinks category and make a huge comeback and I’d love to see more love for sherry on its own in the future.
Q - Do you have a favourite whisky and why?
A - Like most people who are passionate about a drinks category I’d say it depends on the mood and the setting. Sometimes I love peated whisky, sometimes something sweet and easy drinking. But I must say that I’m weak for older ex-bourbon matured grain whisky where you can get so much flavour for (often) an affordable price tag and as someone with a sweet tooth, grain whisky often offers lovely vanilla ice-cream and Swedish punsch notes that I absolutely love.
Q - Do you have any concerns with bottle collectors, or would you rather the whisky be drunk rather than gathering dust on a shelf? Could you please express your thoughts on this?
A - If you buy a whisky bottle, it’s up to you what you want to do with it. I think it’s a shame when some people that love certain whiskies can’t buy them to drink and enjoy because someone else buys 10 of them to keep for several years and then sell for double the price for the sole purpose to make money but if you have bought the whisky, then it is yours to do with as your please.
I quite like the initiative you can see with some retailers and distilleries where you can only buy one per person or through a draw as it does allow for more people to get the chance to get a hold of a bottle.
At the same time I feel like there sometimes can also be quite a hysteric must-buy mentality around certain bottles and massive disappointment if you miss out which also feels a little bit unreasonable in some situations.
Q - Can you elaborate on the importance of whisky to you and the relationships you have with your fans?
A - I love whisky for so many different reasons. It was the cultural link to Scotland with scotch whisky and it’s history and heritage that initially made me interested in it and I’m still learning so much. I’m surprised no-one has made a tv-series or film about some of the characters that have influenced the whisky world because there’s some incredible stories out there. But I also like whisky because it is usually drunk with respect and care, not for the quantity of it, but for the quality.
I’ve never been a person who has enjoyed drinking for the sake of getting drunk and I’d much rather have one dram which takes my attention and time, than doing shots to “catch up” with an atmosphere. There can be so much pressure to drink alcohol and such a dark side to what alcohol can do to people and their lives that I think it's important to remember and respect that as well. So I feel very much at home in a community where there’s so much appreciation for the craft and for flavour and where drinking responsibly comes naturally (for many) because of the way whisky is positioned as a drink.
When it comes to my relationship with people that choose to follow me, they mean a lot because I wouldn’t have been able to get started in the way that I did without them. I’m also so glad that the community we built up together around Swedish Whisky Girl consist mostly of people that open for discussion, who respect other people and enjoy sharing and interacting with others, because I can see other whisky bubbles and individuals that are in quite the opposite way.
It’s one of the reasons I like Instagram the most, because people there have more of a personal relationship with me, where as on YouTube sometimes videos get pushed to a random audience and I’ve met more unpleasant comments there. I feel more in control on Instagram.
But it’s always so much fun to interact with familiar faces as well as new ones and especially now that I get to meet them in person in various events. I was surprised that so many people recognised me recently at the Cinderella Whisky Fair in Sweden but it was also so fun to recognise and actually meet some people in person that I’ve already chatted to quite a lot online.
“It’s a great community and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”
Q - What should readers expect when they visit your blog?
A - A bit of a quirky personality mixed in with a keen interest for flavour. And a bit of everything - I’ve gathered whisky and drinks content with all the things that suit who I am on the blog, both as a way to open up the world more for myself so that I can write about anything that intrigues me, but also to showcase who I am as a person - and I’m not just a whisky enthusiast, but it is part of who I am.
I think it’s really important to represent different faces in the whisky world to make it more widely known that you don’t have to look a certain way, or be a certain person to be a whisky drinker and this is my way of trying to do that.
You can love knitting - and whisky. But if you’re only interested in whisky content, then just press the whisky blog button and it will filter out everything else!
Q - What can viewers expect to see when they watch your vlog on YouTube?
A - Mostly whisky reviews where I try various samples and give out my in-the-moment tasting notes and thoughts, but I’d love to be able to do more distillery vlogs, interviews and maybe two videos a week instead of one in the future so trying to change it up occasionally.
With YouTube my biggest problem is time, and filming and editing can be very time consuming and it’s hard to schedule and fit in my weeks at the moment.
Q - When you're not working with spirits, how do you unwind? Do you have any interests that aren't related to alcohol?
A - Absolutely - I took up sewing and knitting during lockdown which has become my go-to hobby in the spare time. It’s great to be able to get creative in a hand-on way and I really enjoy the planning aspect of it as well.
It’s also a way for me to get away from staring at a screen as you need to fully focus on the project at hand to make it well. It’s always like a kind of meditation. I also really enjoy yoga and would like to do a yoga teacher training one day.
Maybe a whisky & yoga retreat would be fun one day…?
I want to express my gratitude to Moa for her time and for allowing me to conduct this fascinating interview.
