“I used to find that most tastings would be very competitive and a bit macho, with the men showing off how much they know about whisky,” he says. “We then began doing blind tastings, and this changed things, because all you were doing was talking about the experience you were having in tasting that whisky.”

Why have women been reluctant to drink whisky? “It is literally the historical social meaning ascribed to it, and the packaging,” says Standing, “which is ridiculous. A lot of it is prestige- driven, which is why it is sold more to men. But within the single malt community, because it is perceived as having more distinctive and diverse flavours, and the packaging and marketing is less geared to men, more women are turning to whisky.”

Lora Hemy is Head Distiller at Halewood Wines and Spirits, in Liverpool. She is working on distillery projects in Wales and building new English and Welsh whisky brands. Has whisky’s depiction in popular culture led to women feeling as if it’s not “their” drink?

“The idea of whisky being an old man’s drink is an anachronism,” says Hemy, “but I think that feeds the constructed novelty surrounding the female whisky drinker. I like to think that is starting to change now, but I am still occasionally confronted with surprise even from within the industry when I talk about my love of drinking whisky as well as making it.

“Recently there have been some marketing campaigns directed specifically to women and this does feel problematic to me. I’d rather we focused on quality of liquid and base ingredients, barley provenance and fermentation rather than a gendered approach to advertising.”

Are we in the midst of a whisky revolution for women? “The history of whisky has been shaped by some very revolutionary women, going back hundreds and thousands of years,” says Hemy, “so if we are having a ‘moment’ it’s been going on a long time.”

“When I started the book,” says Rachel McCormack, “I didn’t realise how relatively few women drink whisky. One of the things I have done is get female friends to try whisky and find at least one they like. So far I’ve had a one hundred per cent success rate. So, you know, one woman at a time.”