Whisky Networking China

Over time, those monthly meetups started asking a dangerous question: why isn’t whisky as good as it used to be?

And eventually: how could we make whisky the way it used to be, at realistic and affordable costs for ALL whisky lovers, and prove to the dinosaurs and the behemoths of the industry that running businesses from spreadsheets and bottom lines is just wrong.

That’s how Whisky Networking became the birthplace of Nine Rivers Distillery.

Today, it’s a national network of monthly whisky events across China. Still no pretension. Still no industry dinosaurs or self-proclaimed experts. Just normal whisky enthusiasts who enjoy an evening of good company and honest drams.

If you’re in China, you like whisky, and you prefer real handshakes over typing into the void — this is probably where you belong.

Wuhan is famous for many things — the list is endless. But two things that make it famous amongst whisky lovers are Whisky Networking Wuhan, and the host, “LinkedIn’s Favourite Troll 2024,” Lucas Driggers.

While the location has moved around — from brew pubs and swanky steak restaurants to five-star hotels — and even a season at some weird place that decided to do a mashup between Hawaiian food and spicy Chinese dishes (yeah, no one got it, which is why it was an F&B failure) — it has always been hosted by Lucas.

He’s done an amazing job over the years, not only putting on an amazing flight of whisky each month but also building whisky culture in Wuhan. He’s even won awards for it.

We’ve just learnt over time that Lucas does best for Whisky Networking and for Nine Rivers Distillery in his physical form. He’s banned from social media because, behind the safety of a keyboard, he’s a nasty little bit.

Dongguan. A city famous for manufacturing, questionable nightlife, and one very loud Texan who thinks his soul comes from Nashville.

Our Dongguan host — let’s call him the Brisket Bard because he won’t stop singing and he won’t stop smoking meat — runs our biggest monthly whisky event that’s half tasting, half barbecue, and half country concert. Yes, that’s three halves. That’s how Texas works.

He’s from somewhere near Houston. He’s obsessed with mesquite like normal people are obsessed with oxygen. And every month, he fires up half a dozen massive smokers, puts a set of new batteries into Guitar Dave, and pours whisky for anyone brave enough to show up.

The whisky is good. The brisket is better. The singing is… enthusiastic. Luckily, it’s a mature crowd, and most of them are stone deaf.

People come for the whisky and a Texas barbecue on a scale not seen outside of Texas. They stay because he’s locked all the doors. After all, he lives for that audience.

Shanghai, in many ways, is seen as a trendsetter for China. There is the common perception (especially within those crowds of “foreign experts”) that you should always start everything in Shanghai, and the rest of the country will follow like sheep.

Well, we proved that wrong. We started Whisky Networking China in the deep south, and we made Shanghai play catch-up to what was already a big thing in half a dozen other cities.

Shanghai Whisky Networking has been hosted by various people over the years: Jason Will, Herman, Tom, and even Mudy, who has pedalled down on his bicycle from Shenyang. There have been public events. There have been super-secret private events. We’ve even rocked up with the UFC Hall of Fame legend, Urijah Faber.

Beijing. Where the traffic is imaginary, the distances are criminal, and for a long time, the whole Whisky Networking operation was founded and held together by Mark Bentley.

Mark was from Wales, which meant he could drink like a fish and complain about the weather in three languages. He’d been in China long enough to know which hutongs hid the good food and which ones just hid rats. He was a foodie in the genuine sense, not the Instagram sense.

He loved wine. He loved whisky. He loved putting them side by side on a table and watching people argue over which was better. Mark never argued. He just drank both (at the same time) and smiled like a man who knew something you didn’t.

And then he was gone. Which still feels stupid to write, because Mark was the kind of person you assumed would outlive everyone just out of sheer stubborn Welsh refusal.

But here’s the thing about Whisky Networking Beijing — it didn’t die. Because Mark wouldn’t have let it. And more importantly, two of his Padawans stepped up to keep it going.

Steve Gramling. American — technically not his fault, we blame his parents. Steve hosts the Beijing events like a very polite bouncer: welcoming, slightly intimidating, and quietly judging your bottle choice.

Phil. English by birth, but moved to Australia so he can justifiably wear shirts with parrots on them. If he wore them in Manchester (where he’s from), he’d get mugged and stabbed. But at least we all know there is finally a purpose for owning an Australian passport.

Together, Steve and Phil have kept the Beijing chapter alive, chaotic, and poorly organised in exactly the right ways. They’ve changed venues more times than they have changed their underpants. They’ve argued about tasting notes until 2am. They’ve poured whisky for people who showed up by accident and left as friends.

And somewhere, probably drinking a cheap red wine and laughing at all of us, Mark Bentley is raising a glass and saying, “Told you it’d be fine.”