Meet the mentee: Tracy Dawn Shachtay, Port Ellen
After 20 years in another industry, Tracy Dawn Shachtay started an unsure journey in whisky. Now, as Port Ellen’s private client and brand home host, she has finally found her calling.
OurWhisky Foundation: Hi Tracy! What’s new?
Tracy Dawn Shachtay: I’ve just moved from Royal Lochnagar Distillery to a new role this year at Port Ellen as private client and brand home host with Diageo!
OWF: Congratulations! Tell us a a little bit about your background.
TDS: I loved growing up in the prairies of central Canada. Although we lived in the city, we spent most weekends out in the countryside visiting family. I think that’s where my love of exploration and travel came from, taking long road trips with my parents and sister, passing beautiful scenery and stopping at quirky roadside attractions.
If I’m not working, I’m still off on adventures. Most people think I travel around exploring Scotland because I didn’t grow up here, but I lived the same way back home. A forever tourist.
OWF: Can you explain what your role entails?
TDS: I’m based at Port Ellen Distillery, which since its reopening in 2024 has focused on unique and exceptional experiences for its visitors focusing on both the history of the distillery as well as its venture into industry innovation. I’m supporting the teams at both Lagavulin and Caol Ila, managing their private clients and luxury experiences.
You might see me out and about around Scotland as well, as I will also be helping to build the Port Ellen brand in the wider whisky and luxury communities. Port Ellen celebrates 200 years this year, and I can’t wait to be involved in planning this momentous event!
OWF: What were your thoughts on your future career when you were growing up?
TDS: I always wanted to work with people. I am extremely driven and always have been, but I believe you have to be able to channel that energy into something that you’re passionate about. I did competitive dance growing up and saw the benefits of taking care of your body and decided to get into physio rehab and sports massage as a career. I loved working with my clients for two decades.
When I knew it was time for a change it took me a while to decide what direction to go. It’s hard making that shift after 20 years in the work force. I knew I could never transition into a field that I wasn’t passionate about, so I started to examine what I loved doing most in my time off and that led me to whisky tourism.
OWF: When did your love of whisky begin and why?
TDS: In Canada, rye whisky is the popular whisky of choice but I was never sure of what to make of it. To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Scotch whisky when I moved here either. I would take friends and family members to distilleries when they visited me here in Scotland and I slowly started enjoying tasting the drams.
A new friend invited me to a monthly whisky tasting in Aberdeen back in 2018 and that’s when I properly started to appreciate all the different flavour profiles. From there it snowballed, and I started organising whisky tastings and tours for pals and other whisky enthusiasts around Aberdeen, and started attending events and festivals around Scotland.
Starting again: Shachtay left a 20-year career to begin an uncertain path in whisky.
OWF: Why did you apply for the OurWhisky Foundation Mentorship Programme?
TDS: I had decided the month before that whisky tourism was the direction I wanted to go professionally. The only problem was my lack of experience. Although I had two decades of entrepreneurial experience and was already planning tours and tastings, I didn’t know how to translate my skillset from other industries to potential whisky employers.
I was also unsure if I wanted to head down the self-employment route again or focus on helping build brands from within. I wanted support to clarify what the best options in the industry might be for me, as well as work with those already in the industry to try to showcase my skillset to the best of my advantage.
OWF: What were the biggest challenges for you in progressing?
TDS: Breaking into the industry was probably the most challenging for me. I ended up taking on a role I was overqualified for but that gave me the foot in the door I needed. Mentally that was also tough, starting a new career in a new field without the seniority and expertise I had built up in my previous one.
OWF: How did you work with your mentor to overcome these?
TDS: My mentor Mitch Bechard, founder of CopperCairn, and I were able to have some great conversations about my goals and how I might achieve them. Mitch really helped me to focus in on what I was really looking for.
OWF: What was an ‘a-ha!’ moment for you in the programme?
TDS: After completing the programme I still was a bit unsure what direction my career in the whisky industry would take. But when I started working with the Diageo Rare & Exceptional and Justerini & Brooks teams at Royal Lochnagar supporting luxury events and visits, I knew immediately that this was the direction I wanted to go in the industry.
I have always thrived on creating unique and memorable experiences for my clients and this gave me an opportunity to do that at another level. Being able to sit and really dive deep into some interesting whisky chat with clients that are as big fans of the spirit as yourself is always a pinch-me moment.
OWF: What has been your biggest win in the last six months?
TDS: Securing the role at Port Ellen. I have worked tirelessly to progress in the industry in the last year. Starting a second career can be tough emotionally, especially when you’re not sure how to showcase your skillset from another field. When I haven’t been working, I’ve been networking.
Having a good support system from OurWhisky has given me the both the network (and networking skills!) and confidence to be able to secure this new role, and I am grateful to OurWhisky for starting it all.
“I have never felt so encouraged and supported in my life”: The OurWhisky Foundation community means a lot to Shachtay.
OWF: What was your favourite part of the entire Mentorship Programme?
TDS: The network of OurWhisky alumni! I feel like the collection of women I’ve met in this industry has been incredible. So many strong, independent, intelligent and driven women who also love whisky and also really care about those around them. I have never felt so encouraged and supported in my life.
These women rally around every single other alumni, whether they’ve met you yet or not. Any question or struggle, they are there. I have loved meeting every single one of them.
OWF: How has this experience changed how you feel about being a woman in this industry?
TDS: I feel like I’ve found my people and they are truly the most welcoming bunch. We stick together. We support and help each other. No matter the struggle, I have a collection of brilliant women at my side. This is my superpower.
OWF: How has this programme empowered you to empower others?
TDS: It has given me the confidence to share my journey in the world of whisky. I definitely felt like a bit of an imposter when I started the programme, as I wasn’t as far along my journey as others, but after completing my six months with OurWhisky, I felt like I was really a part of the community and that was down to the strong network of women I met, as well as the different workshops we completed as part of the programme.
OWF: What advice would you give someone applying for or starting the programme?
TDS: Get stuck in and embrace all that the programme can teach you. Put yourself out there – we were all apprehensive at the beginning but the more you put yourself into the programme, the more you will grow.
OWF: What are your hopes for the future for women working in whisky?
TDS: That we won’t be asked if we even like whisky anymore. But really, a world where the consumer doesn’t question a woman’s understanding of the spirit, isn’t judged when she hosts a tasting or writes about whisky, and a world where enjoying whisky is something that doesn’t have to include a conversation about men and women, but only about how good it tastes.
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