Podcast
Cheers with Nat
Hosted by Natalya Watson · EN
Cheering on women in drinks. Each week, I share a cheers and a chat with women who work in the drinks industry — to connect, celebrate, cheer us up and cheer us on.
23episodes
Episodes
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Mandy Naglich: Professional taster, author, and silent retreat regular
1w ago00:52:10Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. We're continuing our four-episode mini-series from NYC! Today's guest is Mandy Naglich, an author, journalist, and professional taster. Mandy tells us about the daytime TV icon she aspired to be when she grew up, and the winding career path she navigated in pursuit of her passion for broadcast journalism. We also discuss what it means to be a professional taster and how Mandy became one, what inspired her to write a book about the topic, and how she trains bar teams with her tasting skills. The we get into Mandy's social media presence, her love of travel, how she stays grounded outside work, and more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On the why behind her book: "If I can help a couple people be more thoughtful about what they're tasting every day, that felt really exciting to me." On how scent makes us human: "About 20% of our genetic code is dedicated to us decoding different aromas… Like what makes us human – what our bodies and genetic code is built to do – is to decode scents around us all the time. It's what's keeping us safe, it's what's letting us know what we're eating, it's what's letting us know what environments were in. So I think it's something that's so important and really ignored. And when you think of what's making you a person and what makes you different to the person next to you, so much of it is how we smell the word and we just don't think about it." On her social media: "My goal isn't to make these beautiful things, it's to hopefully communicate knowledge in a way that is memorable and – it's such a buzz word, but – snackable. Someone can watch it, remember what I said, and then go to a party and be able to repeat it like they're a knowledgeable person. That's what's important to me." On what travel gives her: "What it does and [how] I've seen my life change is, really, understanding people better." On why she loves silent retreats: "We don't realize how little silence is in our life… being in silence, I can feel my brain function differently. I love a good podcast, I always love learning. But I really try to monitor how much time I have someone else's ideas in my brain rather than my own brain producing ideas." Links & things: What we're drinking: Mandy's 'special brew' (a tea blend made on the day at Nomadworks where we were recording!) Listen in to learn why tea is great for 'waking up' your palate for a tasting! Mandy's work: Her book – How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life Her other writing Her social media (don't miss the ice video we chatted about!) Her TV appearances Where she travelled (just in April!): Lisbon – visiting Red Frog and Imprensa groups Amsterdam – to prep for Europe's 50 Best Bars Barcelona – to judge the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge and speak at Barcelona Cocktail Fest Vancouver – for the North America's 50 Best Bars announcement Highlights from our last call round: Podcast recc: Experimental History Producer we need to know: Duvel Where Mandy wants to visit: National parks in the US & the Cotswolds in the UK Another awesome woman in drinks we should meet: Anna Sebastian Recording info: April 2026 at Nomadworks in NYC Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Tara Hankinson: Brewery co-founder, customer experience whiz, and loves a chilled red
2w ago00:50:32Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. We're continuing our four episode mini-series from NYC! Today's guest is Tara Hankinson, co-founder and co-CEO of TALEA Beer Co. TALEA was founded with a mission to bring craft beer to a broader audience – and you're about to hear exactly how they're doing it. From brand voice, to customer experience, to collaborations and partnerships, Tara tells us how her early inspiration and entrepreneurial spirit snowballed to get her where she is today… and she's got loads of great insight to share. What stuck with me from this conversation: On getting to where she is now: "This is probably my 5th or 6th career post-undergrad, so it's not as linear as most people think. I think a lot of people expect to find that dream job at age 23, 24 and that's just not practical. So, it took a bit, but I love it now. And I think Leann and I are actually good at it. Both because of all the non-linear starts and stops we've had in our career and because we are very agile and flexible and have built this business from the ground up." On her initial vision for a business: "I had always loved wine, and I felt such a connection to the experience of going to a great winery and wine tasting. And that high end hospitality-forward experience had never been a part of the beer world that I had explored. So that was kind of my original kernel for getting interested in beer." On being data-driven: "Nowadays, you can export every Google review you've ever gotten and put it into Claude or Gemini and say, what are the positive trends, what are the negative trends, what's the biggest opportunity in our negative reviews to turn this experience around. That didn't exist when we started the business, but I think just thinking of customer experience as something you can quantify, you can use data to make decisions and make investments." On TALEA's brilliant beer descriptions: "This is meant to be relatable and approachable and to convince you to stay on the beer side of the menu versus the wine and cocktails that are on the back." On collaborations and partnerships: "I think [they're] a way in which we are continuing to challenge the preconceived notions of what craft beer is and who it's for." On what the business is here to do: "In its simplest form, we are trying to give people little moments of joy." Links & things: What we're drinking: TALEA's spicy marg sour (and their brite lager as a back up!) TALEA's: Taprooms Social, and Latest collaborations x NYPL x Flamingo x Levain Other shout outs: An early inspiration: Wölffer Estate Vineyard A mentor: Mike Seitz at Bare Bottle Highlights from our last call round: Podcast recc: Acquired Producer we need to know: Wild East Brewing Where Tara wants to visit: Germany Another awesome woman in drinks we should meet: Jamie Fox from the New York Brewers Guild Recording info: April 2026 in NYC We recorded in the basement of Talea West Village… right next to a rather noisy ice machine that decided to chime in part way through our conversation! The background noise settles soon after, so please do hang in there. (And thanks for your patience and understanding!) Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Courtney Iseman: Drinks writer, media consultant, and obsessed with creative people
3w ago00:45:37Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. We're about to kick off a four-episode mini-series from my recent visit to NYC! Today's guest is Courtney Iseman, freelance drinks writer and media consultant. Courtney shares how her childhood love of Broadway turned into a degree in journalism and screenwriting and, later, a career as a writer. We also learn how she went from writing about fashion to craft beer, and the surprising parallels between the two. You'll hear about how she spots trends and makes connections, the many hobbies that keep her grounded outside of work, and lots more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On a dream piece of work: "The first time I wrote a story for Full Pour… I opened the contributors page, and to see my name next to some of these writers that I absolutely worship…that is, I think, the biggest deal. To see your writing in the company of writers that you've admired for so long. It is a pinch me moment." On a focus of her writing: "My whole thing with my writing – whenever I can – is I really like to bring in other subcultures and other things that speak to people and help break down the rigid 'bearded white dude' thing in beer." On how she helps businesses as a consultant: "Everyone has a story. You're not getting out there because maybe you haven't identified it. Here's how you do that. Here's how you pitch yourself… so it's just kind of giving them a toolkit." On freelancing: "It's not for everyone and it absolutely has its challenges and its downsides. Absolutely. But it is the only life for me. And I do ultimately love it." On what piques her interest: "Whether it was in theatre, music or fashion, I'm obsessed with creative people." On how she stays grounded outside of work: "I want to be consuming art every day" Links & things: What we're drinking: Yoju White Peach Courtney's work: Journalism (She's pretty prolific! See all her work here) Copy & consulting Newsletter & podcast (right here on Substack!) Instagram Highlights from our last call round: Podcast recc: Threedom TV (& podcast!) recc: Hacks (watch in the US & the UK) & Hacks podcast Producer spotlight: Bayab Gin Another awesome woman in drinks we should know about: Stephanie Grant Other topics Courtney touches on: Brewers she was starstruck to meet: Dan & Martha of St. Mars of the Desert One of her favourite publications: Full Pour Craft beer's #MeToo movement Attaboy unionizing Recording info: April 2026 in NYC We recorded in a private room in a co-working space in NYC… that happened to be right next to the kitchen! That said, apologies for the occasional chat and clinking in the background. Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Lucy Do: Micropub owner, community builder, and finds magic in the mundane
4w ago00:40:26Tap to summarizeIn our final throwback episode, we're catching up with another guest from Beer with Nat season two, who I chatted with back in June 2019. Today's guest is Lucy Do, owner of The Dodo Micropub. We start by hearing what Lucy has been up to over the past 7 years, then we revisit our original conversation. Lucy shares us what a micropub is and why she decided to open one. She also reflects on some of her key learnings over the years, the advice she wished she had when she first started out, and a whole lot more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On community building: "Moving away from the corporate world, being successful was about being happy with who I am and what I've created and that's why I wanted it to be a community. I wanted people to not feel lonely. I wanted people to come in here on their own and make friends. I love that people make friends in here – I genuinely, genuinely love that. It's just heartwarming." Links & things: Lucy's micropub: The Dodo Follow her on follow here(and don't miss her creative reels and TV interviews, too!) You'll find a full list of the awards she's won here and a few highlights below: Industry Champion of the Year at the Women in Beer Awards 2025 Bar / Pub of the Year at the Be Inclusive Hospitality Spotlight Awards 2022 CAMRA Ealing & West Middlesex Pub of the Year 2020 & 2021 Her beginnings: The loan that helped Lucy get her start: Virgin Start Up Loan And the micropub that inspired her: The Just Reproach in Kent For more from Lucy: Listen in to the episode of the Good Beer Hunting podcast we recorded together in January 2021 P.S. If you're inspired by the idea of 'doodling at The Dodo', here's one of my favourite adult colouring books. Enjoy! 😄 Recording info: June 2019 in London + June 2026 voice note Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Annabel Smith: Beer taster, women-in-beer pioneer, and swimmer
Jun 300:42:10Tap to summarizeIn this throwback episode, we're catching up with someone from season two of Beer with Nat who I recorded with back in May 2019. Today's guest is Annabel Smith, Beer Sommelier and founder of the training, consultancy, and events business, BeerBelle. We'll start by hearing what Annabel has been up to over the past 7 years, then we'll revisit our original conversation. You'll hear about Annabel's journey from pub landlady to self-described professional beer taster. She also shares her passion for cask beer, her many firsts as a woman in beer, and her research into why so few women in the UK drink beer (and what to do about it!) What stuck with me from this conversation: On getting more women into beer: "I say this all the time. We don't need a 'beer for women'. We've got beer." On working in a pub: "Working in a pub teaches you to be a cook, a cleaner, an accountant. You learn crowd control. You learn to be an agony aunt. You have got to have so many hats and that's what I absolutely loved about being in the pub industry." On how to live: "I think we should all be a bit more dog." (You've got to listen to Annabel's update! 😄) Links & things: Annabel's business: BeerBelle Annabel's women and beer interest group: DeaLatis The Gender Pint Gap (2018) The Beer Agender (2019) The Gender Pint Gap: Revisited (2024) Other organisations Annabel works with and teaches for: WSET (via Northern Wine School in Manchester) Guild of Beer Sommeliers Cask Marque Recording info: May 2019 in Norwich + May 2026 voice note Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Lotte Peplow: Beer ambassador, judge, and field hockey fan
May 2700:41:29Tap to summarizeThis episode is another trip down memory lane, as we hear from a guest from the first season of Beer with Nat who I initially recorded with back in December 2018. Today's guest is Lotte Peplow, American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe at The Brewers Association. We'll start by hearing what Lotte has been up to over the past 8 years, then re-run our initial conversation. You'll learn how Lotte got her start in PR, how a beer and food dinner – a topic she's still incredible passionate about – led her to current role with The Brewers Association, her vision for the future (that she's since managed to accomplish!), and lots more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On getting into beer (at any age): "Everybody is welcome… no matter what age. If you're only just starting out in the beer world, it doesn't matter. Whether you're in your 20s, your 40s, your 60s, there is always a place and there is always a little niche that you can find. And I think that's important to retain and to keep hold of. Because it's just a great world to be in… and you'll always find something that you love here." Links & things: Who Lotte works for: The Brewers Association Where you can find Lotte – and the American craft beers she represents – next: London Craft Beer Festival Lotte's bonus episode (from 2018) on beer & food pairing: Learn more here Listen here Recording info: December 2018 in London + May 2026 voice note Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Jane Peyton: Drinks educator, novelist, and befriender
May 2000:40:32Tap to summarizeIn today's episode, we're digging into the archives! You're going to hear from a guest from the first season of Beer with Nat, who I initially recorded with way back in December 2018. Today's guest is drinks educator, author, and founder of the School of Booze, Jane Peyton. We'll start by hearing what Jane has been up to over the past 8 years (wow!), then re-run our initial conversation. You'll learn how a Venn diagram helped Jane to discover her perfect career path after she left behind her previous role as a documentary film producer, what it took to set a Guinness World Record, the aspect of her work she's most proud of, and more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On establishing a national beer day for the UK: "Beer is Britain's national drink and has been for thousands of years. We do beer really well in this country… We have this history and heritage, we have our amazing pubs, we have real ale, we have a vibrant brewing scene here, but we didn't have a national beer day… so I said, I'll start one!" Links & things: Jane's business The School of Booze And some of her many accomplishments Her qualifications The Guinness World Record she set Beer Day Britain, which she founded Jane's books Non-fiction Novels Recording info: December 2018 in London + March 2026 voice note ––– Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Ep 10 – Erika Haigh: Sake educator, relationship builder, and marathon runner
May 1300:49:38Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Erika Haigh, founder of Mai Sake. Erika talks us through her career to date, including how her work in wine led her to discover her true passion for sake, and how she went from opening London's first dedicated sake bar to setting up a boutique fine sake merchant. A true sake educator, Erika tells us about her training, both within and outside of the classroom, helps us to bust some sake myths, and reflects on her role as a representative of Japanese culture more broadly. You'll also hear about her recent TV appearances, her love of travel, how she stays grounded outside of work, and more. What stuck with me from this conversation: On running a small business: "Primarily, I do think it really revolves around human relationships. I think it's about cultivating and nurturing relationships I have. Whether… it's with those producers in Japan or it's with the beverage buyers or sommeliers in the restaurants I partner with or it's my team… I do think a lot of it is relationship building is really what I do." On helping people through hospitality: "I do think the world of food and beverage is about brightening people's day to day" On finding and following her passion: "I had a few things happen that led me to realise that you only live one life, why not make your passion into a job… I thought why not just make something I love into something I dedicate myself to day to day. So I started off in the world of wine, but quickly transitioned to sake when I really felt that I could make an impact with my background." On opening a sake bar: "You really could not find a place like a wine bar or a pub for a pint of beer that you could go to very casually to enjoy sake. Of course, there has been sake in the UK for a decade or two, but it was purely in Japanese restaurants or somewhere very premium perhaps. You know, there wasn't this casual offering that people could just rock up to and have a glass of sake, so that is truly what I wanted to open." On being a small business owner: "I think every single business owner – regardless of whether they're in hospitality or not – will tell you that every single day is filled with challenges, but it's truly about how you tackle those challenges and just knowing that everything you can figure out. Or at least having that confidence… that's what's key." On the importance of education: "I think it's just basic human nature that you don't really want to approach something that you don't really know much about. You don't want to seem foolish… And especially in the UK where there are so many other drinks available, why would you seek out sake. So with that, I think education comes first and foremost, [on] how delicious these drinks are and also how varied the world of sake is." On representing Japanese culture beyond sake: "It's always great for me to travel and its wonderful for me to be able to eat these things and go to this location, but it if stops with me, I feel like that would be quite a shame. So, yes, I do like to chat about the sake, but I always involve an element of something about the culture or the history, as well." On combining her love of running and travel: "I love travelling after booking a running race. It also keeps me very responsible, let's say, because the days leading up to the race, I can't drink as much. And then I get to overindulge after the race because, you know, we're celebrating. So it keeps me in check. But again, you see more of the city and you just have this sense of accomplishment… so it adds to the fun of travelling there, as well." Links & things: What we're drinking: EIKUNholic sake Where Erika's worked: Co-founder of MotoLDN Founder of Mai Sake Where you can catch Erika on TV: Sunday Brunch Sake education options: WSET sake education SSI International Kikisake-shi certification Sake Sommelier Association Mai Sake 'Mai Traveller' newsletter: Sign up here! Podcast recc: Sake on Air Book recc: Hooked by Asako Yuzuki Recording info: April 2026 in London Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Ep 9, pt 2 – Becky Paskin: Drinks journalist, change maker, and heavy lifter
May 600:42:47Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. In this episode, we're continuing our conversation with Becky Paskin, drinks journalist and founder of the OurWhisky Foundation. If you haven't yet heard part 1 of this episode, do start there, then come on back here for more. For those of you that are caught up, we pick up right where we left off – with the experience that led Becky to say "never again", including what happened 6 years ago and its impact since. Becky then tells us more about her latest project, Drink This, along with her tasting events and TV work. And we have lots of fun with our last call round – quick questions, not so quick answers this time around! I also wanted to share a content warning that we do discuss a cancer scare and how Becky has since learned to put herself and her health first. As you can probably tell, we touch on a wide range of topics in this conversation and I'm incredibly grateful to Becky for being so open and honest throughout. What stuck with me from this conversation On the learnings from her experience calling out Jim Murray's sexist language: "…the amount of messages I received from women off the back of this one incident made me say to myself – maybe this is a promise and driving thing really – never again. I will never let a single woman experience the sort of things I've just experienced and I will never let the next generation of women coming into this industry experience the sort of things that these women are telling me they have." On priorities: "You can keep giving yourself to others to make them happy and you can keep putting yourself into work, thinking that those accomplishments are going to make you happy, but you have to prioritize yourself. Whatever that looks like for you as an individual. Put yourself first every single day… and the rest of the day can be for anybody else. But if you don't put yourself first, no one else is going to." On this conversation: "I just want to put it on the record that I think the questions that you've asked in this podcast… they've been the most insightful and interesting questions I've ever been asked in my career." Links & things On calling out Jim Murray's sexist language: Becky's post on Instagram, Sept 2020 Felipe's article in Forbes – Sexism In Whisky: Why You Shouldn't Read The Whisky Bible Becky's resulting power anthem – Taylor Swift, "Look What You Made Me Do" Becky's Brighton reccs: Vine Street Tap Patio Voya On Air And the story behind "Hove, actually" Where you can catch Becky on TV: ITV Love Your Weekend ITV This Morning Channel 5 Harvest on the Farm On the gym: Becky's pull up journey Nat's podcast recc on the benefits of strength training Becky's book reccs: Nonfiction before the gym: The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil (Luma recommended this book in Ep 6, too!) Fiction before bed: Sarah J Mass Throne of Glass & ACOTAR series Rebecca Yarros The Empyrean series Becky's travel bucket list: Tasmania (paging Discover Tasmania to get Becky over there!) Recording info March 2026 at PLATF9RM in Brighton Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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Ep 9, pt 1 – Becky Paskin: Drinks journalist, change maker, and heavy lifter
May 100:39:23Tap to summarizeWelcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Today's guest is Becky Paskin, drinks journalist and founder of The OurWhisky Foundation. We had so much to talk about, this episode will be coming at you in two parts! In this first half, Becky tells us how she got her start as a drinks writer, what it takes to make a living as one today, what an editor actually does, and why she believes they don't get nearly enough credit. We also dig into her distilling qualifications – why she pursued them and how they've informed her work. Lastly, we explore why she's such a passionate advocate for diversity within the drinks industry, along with the work she's doing to drive real change. What stuck with me from this conversation On looking back: "We can always look back on what could have been, but so long as you're always following your heart and your interests and what makes you happy, I don't think you're ever going to regret your decisions." On being an editor: "…a lot of people think that's a really glamorous thing and that the best thing you could possibly be doing is writing, but I genuinely think editing is a much greater skill." On the advice she received after gaining her qualifications: "'Learn it, have it under your belt, but forget about it.' So I've tried my best over the years to just think simply, just break it down and create frameworks and systems within the way I speak about whisky to simplify it for audiences as much as possible, while still making everything true." On the importance of diversity: "I feel like no two people have the same palate and it's all based on experience, and that's why diversity in drinks is so important because people bring different experiences of different flavours to the table… I think we should be celebrating individuality a lot more than we actually do within the drinks industry." On the OurWhisky mentees: "I'm so proud of all of them. Somebody said, can you give me an idea of a success story from the Atonia Programme and I said, I can't give you just one. There are so many of them – 250 women have gone through our programme and they're all doing amazing things and I'm proud of each and every one of them." Links & things What we're drinking: A 2015 sample bottle of Bruichladdich's A Final Act of Creation, a 23-year old aged whisky aged in a Château Latour Wine Cask Where Becky's worked: Big Hospitality, now Restaurant Spirits Business ScotchWhisky.com Her 'hats': Drinks journalist, presenter and consultant The OurWhisky Foundation Atonia Programme for mentorship The Modern Face of Whisky image library Do You Even Like Whisky? report Drink This Qualifications Becky holds: NCTJ Diploma in Journalism CIBD General Certificate in Distilling WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits People shout outs: Jim McEwan, who gifted Becky the whisky we're tasting Alan Whichester, who supported Becky during her GCD studies Dr. Nick Morgan, who gave Becky some advice after completing her GCD Dhavall Ghandi, who Becky mentions during our discussion about the importance of diversity in drinks, especially when it comes to tasting Lucy Cox, founder of The Academe who runs The Power Room for Becky's mentees Millie Milliken, who works with Becky on The OurWhisky Foundation More to follow soon from part 2… Recording info March 2026 at PLATF9RM in Brighton Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email
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