Whisky Magazine appoints new editor
Whisky Magazine, the UK's longest-running whisky publication, has appointed Bethany Whymark as its NEW editor.
Bethany, who was previously editor of thedrinksreport.com and Gin Magazine, will take over the mantel at Whisky Magazine from outgoing editor Christopher Coates on 5 September.
She said: “As someone who hasn’t been in the spirits industry all that long, it’s a real honour to be editing a magazine that is held in such high esteem by whisky fans around the world.
Bethany worked with a number of UK-based publishers, including Johnston Press and Archant, before joining Norwich-based Paragraph Publishing in 2020 as a multimedia content executive.
She very quickly became editor of several titles within Paragraph’s portfolio, including Gin Magazine, gin-mag.com, thedrinksreport.com and Rum Magazine.
Bethany added: “I would like Whisky Magazine’s evolution to be as much about its readership as its content. The publication is doing an excellent job of portraying more of the diversity within the modern whisky industry, among those who make it, drink it and promote it, and of course I will be doing my utmost to progress this.
“However, during my tenure I would also like to give more people from outside whisky’s ‘traditional’ consumer demographic the confidence to engage with the magazine, and with the world of whisky more broadly. The magazine profiles myriad brands and individuals who are pushing the limits of what whisky is and can be – why shouldn’t that logic of limitlessness also apply to its drinkers and our readership?”
While Bethany will focus on overseeing Whisky Magazine’s editorial content alongside deputy editor Phoebe Calver, Christopher Coates will continue to chair the title’s World Whiskies Awards and Icons of Whisky in his new role as Editor-at-Large.
He also steps into the role of Director of the Paragraph Partnership, a new division focused on creating branded content for for drinks companies worldwide.
Whisky Magazine was first published in 1998 and currently runs eight print issues a year.
*This article has been amended to correct the statement that Bethany Whymark is Whisky Magazine’s first female editor. She is reportedly the third after Jane Slade and Margaret Rand.
