Welcome 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

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