Kia Ora, I’m Phil
I'm Phil Gow, a New Zealand whisky communicator and filmmaker behind First Phil Whisky.
I'm a top international and also New Zealand whisky communicator and filmmaker, and the creator of First Phil Whisky (@firstphilwhisky), one of the largest whisky YouTube channels and whisky influencers in the Southern Hemisphere and world.
I make whisky films and education for people who want to understand what they're drinking, without the snobbery. Whisky can feel intimidating, full of jargon and tradition, and I remember not knowing what any of it meant. So I make the videos I wish existed back then. 79,000+ subscribers, 80 million+ views across platforms, and a 2025 IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year finalist.
Whisky can feel intimidating, full of jargon, tradition, and exclusivity. I translate that complexity into clarity with a touch of Kiwi humour.
Whether you’re new to whisky or already deep down the rabbit hole, my goal is to make learning feel like discovery, not study.
From filmmaking to whisky
Before First Phil Whisky, I spent more than 15 years in editing, motion graphics, advertising and commercial production, working on projects for brands including Red Bull, BMW and Air New Zealand.
That's still a big part of why First Phil looks the way it does.
Rather than sitting in front of a shelf reviewing every new bottle, I tend to make films around the bigger questions. How does peat actually change whisky? What does a sherry cask really do? Why does one distillery taste different from another? What is happening to the price of old Scotch?
The aim is to go deep without making whisky feel like homework.
Beautiful enough to watch.
Simple enough to understand.
Deep enough to explore.
Whisky communication
At First Phil Whisky, I simplify whisky without watering it down.
In 2024 I was shortlisted for the 2025 IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year, The IWSC judges recognised the way First Phil combines whisky education, filmmaking, live tastings and online community to make complicated subjects easier to understand.
I've interviewed people who have helped shape whisky, including Charles MacLean MBE, and have contributed whisky commentary to publications including Forbes and The Whisky Wash.
I also present live tastings and whisky events around New Zealand, from Larnach Castle in Dunedin to tasting cruises on Wellington Harbour.
Building better ways to understand whisky
I created the Whisky Flavour Tree and Whisky Flavour Map because traditional whisky flavour wheels never quite worked for me.
The Flavour Tree works more like a decision tree, moving from broad flavour families towards individual tasting notes. The Flavour Map takes the same idea and plots whiskies geographically by flavour rather than where they were distilled.
They're now used by whisky drinkers and tasting groups around the world.
First Phil Whisky
First Phil has always been about the same thing: explore, share and enjoy whisky.
Whether you've just bought your first bottle of single malt or you've spent twenty years disappearing down the Scotch rabbit hole, you should be able to learn something without being made to feel stupid for asking.
I'm based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
📌 Wikidata: First Phil Whisky on Wikidata
