Welcome to the wonderful world of WhiskeyTube, where love and libations intertwine in the most delightful of ways. Whether you’re a casual viewer or a dedicated enthusiast, finding the right YouTube channels to follow can enhance your online experience and introduce you to new perspectives, interests, and entertainment. Today I would like you to meet the dynamic duos behind some of YouTube’s most captivating whiskey channels – amazing couples who share not only a deep affection for each other but also an insatiable passion for bourbon and whiskey. From spirited debates over the perfect dram to heartwarming anecdotes of their whiskey adventures, these couples offer a unique glimpse into the intersection of romance and whiskey appreciation. So, pour yourself a glass, cozy up, and join me as we get to know a little more about these amazing channels and the couples who run them. Also, don’t forget to go subscribe to their channels!
Before we dive in, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the channels for graciously taking the time to chat with me and agreeing to share insights about themselves. Their willingness to answer a few questions allows us to delve deeper into their world and get to know them on a more personal level. For that, I am forever grateful!
The Average Drinker
YouTube Description: Welcome to The Average Drinker! I’m Dara! I will be sharing my whiskey journey with weekly videos and a livestream every Monday at 6 PM MDT. From reviews, blind tastings and plenty of hot whiskey topics, I’ll educate and entertain you!
Joined YouTube: July 18, 2021
Subscribers: 10K
CR: Thanks for taking the time to talk about your channel. My first question is where are you from and how did you meet your husband and channel partner Bill?
Dara: We live in Colorado and both grew up in Missouri. We did not meet in Missouri, though. Bill and I actually met through a mutual friend at a backyard BBQ.
CR: How did you get into whiskey?
Dara: I actually didn’t even like whiskey when I met Bill. His love and passion for whiskey quickly became my love and passion.
Long story short, Bill had a good whiskey collection when we started dating. At this point, I didn’t like it but I wanted to. One weekend Bill went out of town and I stayed at his house. He said “feel free to try any whiskey you want, maybe you’ll like something.” So one day I decided to check out the bottles. The first bottle that intrigued me was an Ardbeg Dark Cove. The bottle looked sexy and so I decided to pour some. Surprisingly to me, it was a peated scotch and I truly had never had anything like it. I decided to look for another bottle. I saw a Blanton’s bottle and it looked really cool, so I tried it. It was easy to drink and didn’t taste bad. From then on, I was hooked! And that’s really where the channel started.
CR: What made you decide to start a YouTube channel?
Dara: In the fall of 2021, I decided to make the channel to showcase my whiskey journey. I quickly developed a respectable palate and started sharing reviews. Once we started doing livestreams in 2022, Bill joined me and we started doing a weekly video together. Things have really taken off since then!
CR: Since being in the WhiskeyTube world, what else have you been involved with?
Dara: In 2022, tragedy struck Colorado and a wildfire devastated towns less than 10 miles from our house. I felt like I had to do something. So I rallied a group of whiskey tubers from Colorado and we raised over $27,000 for our local Red Cross to help with the fire. We’re heavily involved with the whiskey community, both locally and nationally. We go to many local events and do our best to support local distilleries as often as possible.
We’ve also fallen in love with cigars while our whiskey journey has grown and have built a relationship with a great local cigar group.
CR: Tell us about your cigar journey. What cigars do you enjoy?
Dara: It’s probably similar to that of others. I smoked swisher sweets here and there when I was younger and had the occasional cigar for celebratory reasons. But eventually Bill and I started having a cigar here and there with whiskey. Bill started taking a deeper dive into cigar types and watched YouTubers and joined groups online. We started trying and buying more and more cigars over the last 2-3 years. About a year ago, we found this amazing cigar lounge and it became like a second home and family for us. We went from trying a variety of cigars to really honing in on things we truly loved and that’s when the whiskey/cigar pairings started. I went from only smoking something like a Oliva Connecticut Reserve Petit Corona to loving cigars like Liga Privada Papas Fritas. My favorites right now are the Room101 Johnny Tobacconaut, Dunbarton Stillwell Star Holiday 2023, Sobremesa Brûlée Blue, and the Mi Querida Black Papa Saka
Now it’s really fun and exciting for Bill and I to find cigars to pair with our favorite whiskeys.
We recently built our own backyard cigar lounge. We got a fishing tent and set it up with a heater, purifier and ventilation. We also put a TV in it and comfy camping chairs. It feels like our oasis! When we’re in there, it feels like we’re not in the city and we just get to enjoy good cigars and whiskey and each other’s company without the noise and stress of the world.
CR: Describe your channel to someone who may not know you.
Dara: The Average Drinker is here to provide entertainment and education for both the noob and experienced whiskey drinker. From reviews to blind tastings to our whiskey adventure-based vlogs to weekly livestreams. Whiskey is meant to be celebrated, opened, shared and enjoyed!
Whiskey Row
YouTube Description: Whiskey Row started as a YouTube channel and has grown across other platforms. We are a home for whiskey enthusiasts celebrating, tasting, and reviewing the world of whiskey. The joy in this hobby is experiencing new bottles, finding those rare/hard to find unicorns, and sharing the experience with friends and family.
We focus on the concept that we are all learning, growing, and exploring the world of bourbon and whiskey together and we want to share, educate, and get better together! We have full time jobs to pay the bills, but are passionate about creating whiskey related content, sharing our experiences, and helping others love bourbon and whiskey!
Joined YouTube: October 25, 2020
Followers: 39.5K
CR: Where are you from?
David: We are in northern VA outside of DC. I’m from Georgia and Jaime is from the northeast.
CR: I know your wife Jaime is in a lot of your videos. How did both meet and how did she start making an appearance in your videos?
David: This is our second marriage for both of us and feel like we finally found our person. When I started the channel she wasn’t interested in whiskey at all, but would help me setup blinds and stuff. She started sampling stuff as the camera was recording and she was pouring or mixing blinds and started there. On a trip to KY doing distillery tours is where she really gained an appreciation for the people and process and was hooked with the human element.
CR: Why did you start your channel?
David: I started drinking later in life and when I found bourbon was passionate about it. I’ve always liked creative arts and felt I had a unique and different story because of starting so late and not growing up/maturing like someone who started drinking at 21.
CR: What other project are you involved in?
David: We hold an annual fundraiser for Make a Wish each year, usually around the holidays and have done special charity drives for the Afghanistan refugees through Lutheran Ministries and the Ukrainian refugees through World Central Kitchen. We do work closely with distilleries sometimes and really like sharing up and coming or new bottles we find that we hope catch on
We have a Patreon community of supporters where we do bottle shares, barrel picks, a Patreon only whiskey tasting tournament called the whiskey row royal rumble, and special content. It has been an amazing experience!”
CR: Sidenote, Jaime does have her own whiskey channel called Beyond the Row. I hope everyone will go and subscribe to her channel as well.
Deck Night On The Rocks
YouTube Description: Bourbon enthusiasts giving you our perspective on bourbons whiskeys and ryes from our deck. We are here for you. to entertain you with down to earth, blunt realistic view on what we are drinking tonight. We may not be the best nosers. We may get notes wrong but we are going to have a good time telling what we think and showing you all the great whiskeys we bought. Come join us on our personal bourbon journey and maybe you can teach us something along the way!
Joined YouTube: July 14, 2022
Subscribers: 1.74K
CR: Thank you Homer and Amy for taking the time to help me. Where are you from?
Homer: Knoxville, TN
CR: How did you all meet?
Homer: She was a server and I was a customer, over time of many football Saturdays at her bar and we hit it off
CR: When did you all start your channel and what made you do it?
Homer: less then 2 years ago. why not, we where sitting on our deck drinking bourbon and discussing it and just decided to record it
CR: What else are you all involved with?
Homer: We have a busy life we own a business in town she runs that and I work 50-60 hour weeks working a security contract job. We have 4 kids 21,20,17,and 12. The job the business the kids and the bourbon channel keep us busy. That’s all we have time for right now.
CR: For anyone who doesn’t know who you are or about your channel, what would you like them to know?
Homer: No nonsense bourbon reviews, comparisons, top choices, bottom choices, bourbon hunts, we are no BS, no excuses, tell it how it is and we don’t try be something we aren’t. We are real and will tell you we don’t have a clue what we are talking about. We aren’t professionals. We are giving our perspective/opinion on notes and palette as we taste/smell it. We will say it sticks if we think it sucks. We have fun try to have a laugh and make our viewers laugh.
We also do livestreams where we do bottle giveaways and really enjoy interacting with our subscribers, also we do zoom calls with our paying members to have an opportunity to meet face to face. It’s a great time! The most important thing though is Drink what you like, how you like it. With a good friend or family member.
The Bourbon Van
YouTube Description: Greetings adventurers and whiskey enthusiasts! We’re Julie & Phil, a couple on a journey to see interesting places and taste delicious whiskey. Come travel the world and drink whiskey with us!
We post new travel and tasting videos every Monday ~9AM PT. Subscribe so you don’t miss the adventure! https://www.youtube.com/thebourbonvan. Check out Bourbon Van Travels for more of our outdoor activities and travels: https://www.youtube.com/@BourbonVan Travels.
Joined YouTube: October 14, 2020
Subscribers: 11.8K
CR: Lets start off with where are you from?
Phil & Julie: Thanks to the van, anywhere and everywhere. Our home base is in Bend, Oregon, but we’re originally from Chicago, Illinois.
CR: How did you both meet?
Phil & Julie: We met at a random party in Gary, Indiana. Julie was attracted by Phil’s wild, bleached hair. Seriously.
CR: When and why did you start your channel?
Phil & Julie: We started recording in November of 2020. Phil is an avid ultramarathon runner, but suffered a spinal injury and wasn’t able to move much. The channel was born of boredom from sitting around, as well as the lack of any other outlet during the pandemic. It seemed like a fun way to share experiences with others while we were cooped up.
CR: Have you both been big into whiskey?
Phil & Julie: Phil has been into whiskey since he was old enough to drink, but didn’t get into collecting until 2010-ish. Julie went along for the ride early on, but she’s developed her own palate and preferences over the last decade.
CR: What other projects are you involved in in and outside the whiskey world?
Phil & Julie: We both work full-time remote jobs, which surprises people who think we live on perpetual vacation because of our nomad lifestyle. Julie works in destination marketing and Phil manages a design and development company. Between work, the channel, constant endurance training, and frequent navigation and travel from place to place, we don’t find much time for anything else.
CR: Since you both have a channel that is completely different than a lot of the other WhiskeyTubers, being that you are traveling all of the time. What this the most memorable experience in van life that wasn’t caught on camera, and one that was that followers may go watch.
Phil & Julie: The most memorable moment people can go watch was the Red Man incident. It’s from this video: https://youtu.be/N5DnM1LzcC0?si=wP1F-fZKJjLrHtW4
CR: For anyone who doesn’t know your channel, what would you like them to know?
Phil & Julie: We’re a whiskey channel with a travel problem. We seek out interesting destinations, try any whiskey we can get our hands on, and share our experiences as honestly as we can. Plus our cat Mavis makes frequent appearances, which is probably the reason most people watch our channel.
Stuff & Whiskey
YouTube Description: Josh and Erin aren’t professional whiskey tasters, but they are dedicated to bringing a relatable, down-to-earth, consumer-focused perspective to the world of whiskey through topical conversations and blind tastings. They are dedicated to giving viewers the most honest and unbiased opinions possible.
Josh is the bourbon enthusiast responsible for the channel’s nerdy whiskey knowledge (and more importantly, remembering what Erin likes and doesn’t like). Erin is the social sipper, rye lover, and color commentary for the channel. They’re also husband and wife, which makes for fun banter and random tangents.
Less of a whiskey review channel and more of a whiskey reaction channel, think of Stuff & Whiskey content like you’re pulling up a chair and sharing a pour with friends.
Be sure to check out the Stuff & Whiskey Patreon if you want to join the online S&W community and get their single barrel picks.
Joined YouTube: February 10, 2021
Subscribers: 20.3K
CR: Where are you from?
Josh and Erin: Nashville, TN is our home. Josh is a native Nashvillian, and after living all over the US, Erin fell in love with Nashville and never left.
CR: How did you both meet?
Josh and Erin: Josh was a wedding photographer in Nashville and Erin was looking to assist established professionals after she moved to Tennessee. They’ve both left professional photography in favor of other personal projects—including their YouTube channel—but photography still holds a special place in their hearts.
CR: What made you want to start your channel?
Josh and Erin: We started our channel three years ago. We had discussed many potential creative projects to begin together, often while Josh enjoyed a glass of whiskey and Erin “mooched” sips and said some of the wildest tasting notes Josh had ever heard. Thus the idea for recording ourselves hanging out and sipping whiskey together was born. As husband and wife we have inherent banter back and forth, Josh’s nerdy and analytical approach to whiskey is appealing for those deeper into the hobby, and Erin’s “social sipper” approach to not taking whiskey too seriously makes for down-to-earth, relatable, and entertaining content.
CR: What other projects are you involved in?
Josh and Erin: Every October we host a charity fundraiser for mental health on our YouTube channel and have raised nearly $50,000 in our three short years as a small channel. Josh also helped found and currently sits on the board as Vice President of Barrels for Hope, a membership-based charity organization that provides its members with privately selected barrels of whiskey while raising nearly $50,000 annually for military, cancer, children’s, and mental health charities. Erin is an avid knitter and has her hands full with actively trying to keep Josh from working himself into the ground.
CR: Describe your channel to someone who hasn’t found you yet.
Josh and Erin: We’re all about good people and good whiskey, and everything we do revolves around those two things. As for our content, we taste almost everything blind to remove any hype, labels, or bias from our tastings. Our reactions to the whiskey we’re blindly sipping serves as the review for viewers. We also do topical discussion videos in a podcast-inspired format to begin conversations with and address important topics within the community from a non-insider perspective. And as husband and wife, there’s also the frequent tangent (which usually leads to a laugh or two). It’s a lot less like a whiskey review channel and a lot more like hanging out, sharing pours, and having conversations with friends.
As the glasses clink and the curtains draw to a close, it’s clear that these whiskey YouTube couples have created more than just content – they’ve forged bonds of love and camaraderie that resonate far beyond the screen. Through their shared passion for whiskey, they’ve not only enriched their own relationships but also inspired countless viewers to explore the world of spirits with their loved ones. So here’s to the enduring spirit of love, laughter, and whiskey, embodied by these remarkable couples whose journey reminds us that the true beauty of life lies in the connections we make along the way. Raise your glasses one last time to the whiskey YouTube couples – may their love continue to flourish, and their glasses never be empty. Cheers!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article. What power couple whiskeytubers did I miss? You know I love conversation and will reply to you. As always, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Until the next Whiskey Wednesday, if you’re going to enjoy a little smoke & oak just remember, “Life’s too short, enjoy the good stuff…” and do it responsibly!
Charles Ruth