USA

Darian Everding

Darian Everding is a queer, neurodivergent collector of stories and an enthusiastic spirits professional. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Northern Iowa in 2016. Shortly after graduation, she dove into the hospitality world as a bartender and hasn't looked back since. She credits her love of the hospitality industry in part to her neurodivergence. She enjoys studying many types of spirits and distilleries and notes that the ability to continue learning in the industry is crucial to her engagement. Her favourite way to learn is by connecting stories of people and history to beverages enjoyed today. She utilises her unique perspective and lived experience to make the storytelling of spirits history more accessible to a wider audience of people. She currently oversees talent and product development at London Underground, a British-themed pub and community space in Ames, Iowa, USA. You'll often find her there making cocktails, curating Queer spaces and events, and sharing stories about the bottles and brands behind the bar. She also works with the nonprofit organisation SAFE Bars Network to bring accessible bystander intervention culture and training to bar programs across the United States. Darian founded Women & Whiskey, an educational storytelling program focused on shining light on women in the whiskey industry. By sharing the stories of women in whiskey, past and present, Darian hopes to empower more young women to shatter barriers and pursue fulfilling careers in the beverage production industry.