Margarett Waterbury
Word Person
Margarett Waterbury is the author of Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland’s Whiskies (Sterling 2020), and a full-time freelance writer and editor. Her work has appeared in Epicurious, Whetstone Magazine, Food & Wine, Spirited Magazine, Whisky Advocate, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Capital Press, In Good Tilth, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, Portrait Magazine, Artisan Spirit, and many other publications. She is the editor-in-chief of Distiller Magazine and a travel editor for MediAmerica working on content for Travel Oregon.
She was formerly the managing editor of Edible Portland, as well as the former cofounder and managing editor of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey website twice recognized as Website of the Year at the International Whisky Competition. In 2017, Margarett won the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award. She received fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019. She was a finalist for the Bourbon Women Spirits Writer of the Year in 2023. She regularly judges drinks competitions and occasionally consults on product formulation for drinks brands.
When she’s not reporting stories, Margarett likes helping people use words to make interesting things happen in the world. She is a consulting associate at A to Be Partners, where she helps nonprofits raise money. She also consults on communications and marketing projects, helps businesses raise money, and writes commercial and advertising copy for companies and brands with stories to tell. Organizations that are mission-driven, visionary, or have a strong sense of place (or all three!) are her favorite kind of clients.
Margarett has a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from Reed College and a graduate certificate in Documentary Studies from Lewis and Clark College. She grew up on Vashon Island, Washington, then moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2004 and decided to stick around. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and walking long distances.