THE LOCALS
BRAND AMBASSADOR
A KNACK FOR STORYTELLING
with Gabriel Cardarella By Joseph Luparello
“I’ve been lucky enough to call myself the North American Ambassador for Dewar’s for the past 11 years now,” says Gabriel Cardarella. “I think that makes me one of the most tenured ambassadors.” He laughs, “I am positive that makes me feel old.” When speaking about his path to what he considers the “best job ever,” Gabriel says, “The job ‘spirits ambassador’ didn’t exist in my realm at the start of my career, I’m sure I would’ve signed up. The only thing I was certain of then was that I did not want to have my life disrupted by routine. So that was the beginning of my journey; ready to go anywhere, and everywhere.” This natural spontaneity opened doors, granting Gabriel his first big break as a tour manager for MTV’s Jackass. As he fulfilled his role, he developed a knack for representing clients at a level that exceeded their expectations. So, he continued to nurture the experiential side of branding and built tours for other brands like Smuckers, MTV, and Jack Daniels. Working for Jack Daniels sparked Gabriel’s interest in the spirits world. Initially, Gabriel was no spirits aficionado. But after discovering the beautiful stories behind most whisky brands, his interest rapidly increased. “Discovering whisk(e)y was much more than liquid in a bottle
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was important to my career,” he says. “I remember thinking, ‘the people must know’ the real authenticity behind these brands, because to me that’s what made them immediately cooler, and better.” He converted that ah-ha moment into a lifelong career when a Dewar’s recruiter called him and asked, “How’d you like to travel the world and talk about whisky for a living?” A few short weeks after, he was on his first trip to Scotland to learn about Scotch and Dewar’s. “I’m so lucky to be the raconteur for Dewar’s,” he remarks. “My life isn’t disrupted by routine, and the whisky becomes better when you share it with the folks you love being with.”
