Wonderworks Communications talks to Millie Milliken, former deputy editor of Imbibe UK Magazine, freelance drinks writer and The Drinks Trust’s Drinks Community Manager. 

Rising to the Challenge

2020 saw challenges for most of us with the pandemic. But for Millie Milliken, 2020 was fine. No furlough, no redundancy. Then Christmas was upon us and Imbibe folded. “That was a massive challenge in my career”, Millie remarked.

She then kick-started 2021 with a WSET Level 3 in Spirits course, freelance work and working for The Drinks Trust. Once she completed the course, “the freelance writing work started rolling in.” 

Millie has found the charity work enlightening: “it’s been amazing to work for a charity that works for our industry.”

Winning that Award

“Bonkers!”, she exclaimed when she won the IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year award back in October. “It was incredible. It was very unexpected.” In her mind, it made the sleepless night and late hours writing worth it. 

Another career high for Millie has been launching the Drinks Community for The Drinks Trust,  an online drinks community forum for the industry to network and upskill. With 1,200 drinks people already on the platform, it covers all disciplines and sectors. “Helping to build a space for people to come together and hopefully, help people the way that I was helped when I was at a bit of a crossroads has been a huge achievement.” 

The People I’ve Met Along the Way

The Sunday supplement profiles of the great and good always have celebrities giving thanks to an individual who has turbo-charged their career. Not for Millie. 

For her, it is the people in the drinks industry: “I have to say, the people that I've met along the way” have been the greatest help.

Millie has found her network to be invaluable during her career. “Having that common interest helps.” As a result, “they’ve been extremely helpful.”

Advice to Her Younger Self

Millie has looked up her childhood journals and found early ambitions to be on the stage and to be a journalist. She believes that her career “just kind of happened.”

Talking back to her 12-year-old self, she would share, people are key. “If someone offers you an olive branch or offers you that help, just take it.”

Persistence is essential – never give up. “Don’t be afraid to get in touch with people – the more you annoy people, the more they’ll just get back to you.”

It is also about balance in work too. While she loves writing,  “writing all day, every day, is virtually impossible.” A cross-section of work keeps her sane: “it’s balanced out really nicely.”

Walk Into a Space as Myself

Millie tells stories of how she doesn’t live up to a lot of the spirits writer archetypes. To be “able to walk into a space, as myself has sort of broken a bit of the bias.” She also wants to make spirits such as whisky “more fun and accessible.”

But as someone whose “idea of heaven” is a Gibson cocktail and is the IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year, we know that Millie will carry on breaking the bias.