About Us
It all started when I was in college. One of my friends was a little over a year younger than me. We decided to go celebrate his 21st birthday.
We were both very “low-key” individuals and didn’t want to make a grand spectacle of it. We just went out to dinner and then stopped at a nicer bar in the area. It was a place I knew to make good drinks and was usually just quiet enough so you could have a conversation without yelling.
We decided we wanted to have a single “celebratory pour” of something higher-end. We’d saved around $100 each for the occasion, which to a college kid used to living on ramen basically felt like a small fortune.
We wound up down in the lounge where they kept the nicer pours and were immediately drawn to a rectangular bottle featuring a drawn fox standing up wearing a tail-coat and a bowler hat. It happened to be Orphan Barrel’s Barterhouse release, and after gawking at the $20 / oz price tag, we plunged in.
It was the BEST spirit I’d ever had up to that point. And we fell in love with it.
It took us four months of searching weekly to track a bottle down, but we were hooked from then on out. We searched for new, rare pours across the city. We’d often split the cost of a bottle so we could afford the nicer ones. We’d often post our bounty on Facebook and write about what we did or didn’t like about it.
It was a few months into this ritual that I got connected with Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He had me write a few articles as a guest writer. I loved doing the research and writing about my findings. I loved talking with people about it and sharing my growing passion.
I’d always wanted to write, to be a storyteller, and I had so much fun writing those articles that I created a Facebook page to keep going. It was then that Whiskey Culture was born, the name capturing my love for people, writing, whiskey, and community.
Today, I am a Certified Bourbon Steward traveling the country looking for the next great pour of whiskey, hosting events, sitting on festival panels, exploring whiskey’s history and legends, and spending time with the individuals that make up the whiskey community.
I authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and am the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.
Whiskey Culture has grown since its early days as a hobby Facebook blog into a fully online e-magazine with a podcast, video content, and a full web series; and, we have you all to thank for it!
Thank you all so much for being a part of the Whiskey Culture that we love so much, and remember to use the hashtag #iamwhiskeyculture when sharing to your socials for a chance to be featured!
The Whiskey Culture Team
Greg Sinadinos
CEO / Head Author
Greg started his spirits journey writing a whiskey periodical for Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He began answering review requests under a social media page he named “Whiskey Culture,” which quickly merged with Greg’s passion for connecting with others and his interest in history.
Today, Greg travels the country not just looking for great whiskey, but also exploring the history and individuals that the whiskey community is founded upon. He has authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and is the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.
He connects with various whiskey societies, cigar groups, and venues to plan and craft engaging classes where participants will learn more about the world of whiskey. From tastings, to pairings, to history, to speaking engagements, Greg brings memorable events to life.
Orion Brader
Production Manager
Orion has been friends with Greg since their high school days.
His love for whiskey grew as he tried different pours Greg was reviewing for Whiskey Culture. And, when Whiskey Culture began traveling around the country, he went with them to document their whiskey expeditions.
Orion now works full-time for Whiskey Culture managing our production schedule and ensuring the quality of our content. He oversees our contributor program, and can be found alongside Greg during their trips to Kentucky either behind the camera, or behind a glass of fine whiskey after a long day of shooting footage.
Brian Merck
Editor
Brian and Greg met in college and quickly became good friends, both sharing notes and pours of whiskey.
He lives in Tallahassee, FL where he is our head editor, ensuring that our contributor program and community article submissions are pristine and ready for publication.
Brian’s particular brand of humor, generosity, and goodwill alongside his awesome editing skills have made him an excellent addition to the Whiskey Culture family.
Regular Contributors
Chris Payne
Chris first became affiliated with Whiskey Culture when he met Greg at one of their regular hangouts, Whiskey Willy’s in Tampa, FL.
Their mutual love for whiskey and connecting with other whiskey enthusiasts quickly spurred a great friendship between them. Chris and Greg would share samples, and hunt bottles for each other as their travels took them around the country.
Chris regularly attended Whiskey Culture events, and was even invited to sit on the tasting panel for Whiskey Culture’s first private barrel pick!
Now in Philadelphia, Chris is a regular contributor for Whiskey Culture writing op-ed pieces and bottle reviews.
Jean-luc Knowles
My love for whiskey started on my 21st birthday. I knew I wanted something special to try and while working as a server at a restaurant I got a ton of recommendations of what my first drink to be.
From margaritas to shots of fireball the recommendations came flooding in but I found one way more intriguing than the rest. One of my favorite customers told me to try and get a pour of Blantons.
I loved John Wick so I knew the bottle and had served it many times to some of my favorite whiskey-drinking regulars. Then the search began.
A friend that worked at a liquor store landed me a bottle for my birthday and on that day my curiosity and love for whiskey began. To this day I love finding the unicorns and the hidden gems of the whiskey world. But the best thing about whiskey is the culture that surrounds the old spirit and a culture that is continuously growing and expanding. I’m excited to be a little part of that culture while being a part of the Whiskey Culture team with Greg.
Bryan Hubert
After completing graduate school in 2017, Bryan began building cigar box guitars as a hobby. Having played guitar and bass for many years, it quickly became his passion.
Bryan considers himself lucky to have found a welcoming group of amateur luthiers to learn from, who shared his passion for not only building guitars, but the people, and the history of the instruments and music.
During the height of the pandemic, Bryan built his first whiskey-related guitar from a Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon box and fell into the rabbit hole of whiskey. As his appreciation of whiskey developed, the connection between music, guitars, people, and whiskey became obvious.
In 2020, Bryan formally created Hubert Guitars and has received increasing recognition for his work. Bryan’s work has been on display at the National Blues Museum in St. Louis, MO, Lambert Airport in St. Louis, MO, the Elkhorn Valley History Museum in Norfolk, NE, partnered with multiple distilleries building custom guitars, has built nearly 100 instruments (including 3 string cigar box style guitars, 4 string tenor guitars, 6 string guitars, and 4 types of ukuleles), and has gained an international following.
In addition to Hubert Guitars, Bryan launched HuGe Creations & Designs in 2021, a woodworking and manufacturing venture which, in addition to other things, has a specialization in items for distilleries and avid whiskey enthusiasts. Bryan met the Whiskey Culture team at a bourbon event in 2021 and hopes to share how music, whiskey, and the people involved in both have helped shape our world.