Whisky, Identity, and Reinvention: The Story Behind My Whiskey Sherpa
 

I wasn’t looking to start a business—I was just trying to find myself again. I didn’t expect that rediscovery would come at the bottom of a Glencairn glass and through the stories whisky has been telling for centuries.
 

I founded My Whiskey Sherpa to bring people together around a shared appreciation of whiskey—not just as a drink, but as a gateway to identity, community, and resilience – I do Whisky Education and Consulting. Today, I host tasting events and consult with distilleries on everything from launching new expressions to building brand loyalty. And, it all started with a DNA test.

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The Spirit of Reinvention

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My marriage had ended, and with it went decades of a life that defined me. A casual curiosity led me to a DNA test, and the results flipped the script on what I knew. I had always been told I was French and Irish. Now, I know I’m Scottish and German. It hit me—not just because of what it changed, but because of what it affirmed. There was a lineage I didn’t even know I was walking in, a legacy I hadn’t yet claimed and was drawn to all my life. My family is the McDaniel clan. Suddenly, the smoky, peaty notes of Islay and the honeyed complexity of Highland malts felt like more than tasting notes—they felt like home.

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The Birth of a Business

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Whiskey became a bridge between my past and my future. I started hosting tastings, not as a business, but as a way to reconnect with people. Turns out, whiskey invites conversation. It slows us down. It gives us permission to be thoughtful, nostalgic, even vulnerable. I saw people open up in ways they hadn’t in years—all over a dram of something special. That’s when I realized whiskey wasn’t just a passion—it was a calling.

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My Whiskey Sherpa was born to help others navigate the complex, fascinating world of whiskey. I designed tastings not just to teach people, but to create experiences—rich with history, humor, and heart. Whether someone’s a curious beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, I guide them on a journey through the styles, stories, and spirits of the whiskey world.

Consulting with Purpose

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Suddenly, people who knew me from 30 years in business consulting and industrial psychology, were sending their distillery friends to me. Could I help them design a tasting program that really connected with their audience? Did I know how to position a new offering? How could they capture more market share in a crowded, often gimmicky field?

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The answer was yes—not because I had all the answers, but because I listened. And I understood that whiskey isn’t a commodity—it’s culture. People don’t buy brands. They buy stories. They buy feelings. I now work with producers to align their products with purpose and authenticity, which is more important than ever in an industry flooded with new labels but not always new meaning or community.

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A Passion for Daring Distillers Launches a Company

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I formed the Daring Distillers program to provide free business consulting to spirits wanting to increase their market share by paying me a percentage of bottle shares. Each year I select distillers I believe have a product that I can sell out to my clients and list. I work with them soup to nuts on all aspects of the release and sell it out for them. While I was doing my inaugural launch, I was approached by a representative of a major American Icon wanting to launch their own spirits line and American Icon Spirits Company Inc. was born.

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"Whisk(e)y Business": A Book Born from Battle

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This year, I’ll be releasing my first book: Whisk(e)y Business – How to Make It, How to Lose It, and How to Come Back Stronger. It’s a love letter to the industry—and a battle cry for those who’ve been knocked down but aren’t out. Part memoir, part manual, it’s for distillers and dreamers, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, and anyone who’s ever wondered what it takes to bring a soulful spirit into the world.

The title includes that parenthetical “e” for a reason. It nods to both whiskey and whisky—to the Irish and the Scottish, the Americans and the Canadians. It's a wink to complexity, to dual identity, to the bridges between worlds. Just like me.

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Finding Your Clan

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If you had told me five years ago that I’d be teaching whiskey classes, guiding brands, and publishing a book with a punny title, I’d have laughed you out of the room. But traumatic endings have a way of distilling who you are, and heritage has a way of calling you home.

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The McDaniels may be hundreds of years and thousands of miles removed, but their fire is in me now. I feel it every time I raise a glass, every time I help someone find the perfect dram, and every time I teach that whiskey isn’t just taste—it’s connection.

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So here’s to all the Sherpas out there, helping others find their way. And here’s to the whiskeys—and the lives—that get better with age.