We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tommy Malick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tommy below.

Tommy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Less rigor on non-essential topics and more on life skills

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into the wine industry by accident. I was a full time teacher and worked at a winery part time for fun. I didn’t even like wine much when I started but instantly fell in love with it. I’m most proud of having managed two wineries AND getting my level one sommelier certification. I like to educate people on wines and expose them to new things they may not have heard of or seen before.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was a full time teacher for 9 years when the pandemic hit. And due to the constraints on hiring and teaching in person I couldn’t get a job so I took my wine knowledge and experience to pursue it full time. I went back to working at a winery as a pourer but was promoted to manager after 9 months. Then I started working at a wine bar where i increased my knowledge and experience with more wines from around the world and took the sommelier exam. I started managing another winery to help get them on their feet and in the right direction before currently running a beverage program at a country club.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Authenticity goes a long way. Too many people try to fake it, make things up, get flashy, follow trends too closely, and everything they can to get more likes and followers and attention. For me, it has always been about educating the public on wine and helping people understand that good wine is subjective. Everyone is different and likes different things so the important part is to do (or drink) what appeals to you. So staying true to myself and that narrative helped me get the following I have. Most people see through the BS and fake acts. And those influencers/creatives might have a lot of followers, but it’s not authentic.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Drunkensomm
• Facebook: Wine in 60 Seconds
• Linkedin: Tommy Malick
• Twitter: drunkensomm
• Youtube: The Drunken Somm
• Tiktok: @thedrunkensomm