Meet the Judges

Alan is an Honorary Professor of Heriot Watt University's International Centre of Brewing and Distilling where he teaches Postgraduate students about the Scotch Whisky Industry.

A Life Member of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, he served on its Board of Examiners where he helped to set up the prestigious Master Distiller qualification.

Now retired, he formerly founded and managed Caledonian Solutions Ltd. consulting for both Scotch and International Whisk(e)y clients in the USA, Ireland and the Far East.

Alan's experience in Scotch stretches back more than 50 years having joined Distiller's Company Ltd (now Diageo) after leaving University, gaining valuable experience in a variety of technical and production management roles across Scotland.

A former Distilleries Director for Wm Grant & Sons, he ran both Grain (Girvan) and Malt (Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie) Distilleries and associated maturation and blending facilities.

An enthusiastic supporter of the new wave of "craft" distilleries, he chaired the Scottish Distillers Association for several years.

James is a respected business mentor and advisor with international sales experience assisting a range of drinks companies in developing relationships, branded awareness and exports globally through his consultancy business Wildcat Spirits. Before this James was the Global Brand Ambassador and International Sales Manager for Tullibardine Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky presenting on TV, Radio & to live audiences. Known as a charismatic public speaker with excellent presentation skills, attending the key Whisky Festivals around the world. Prior to this he worked as a Regional Sales Manager looking after Champagne Taittinger, Louis Jadot, Errazuriz and Villa Maria. James holds the WSET Diploma and has been a judge with the IWSC.

Somewhat of an industry veteran, David started his career with Allied Domeq in 1990, initially in the on-trade with Alloa Brewery before moving over to manage sales of their spirits brands including Laphroaig, Glendronach, Scapa, Ballantines, Teachers, Courvoisier and Beefeater Gin.

He was presented with the prestigious Champion Beer of Britain in 2002, for Deuchars IPA whilst marketing director of Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh.

As commercial director for Belhaven (Greene King) he created a number of interesting and successful bars including Albanach whisky bar on the’ Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

In 2006 he became sales director of Whyte & Mackay and under the tutelage of the legendary Richard Paterson he was part of the team who restablished the Dalmore as the iconic brand we know today.

He left Whyte & Mackay in 2015 to help develop the Glasgow distillery, and was inducted into the Scottish licensed trade hall of fame in the same year.

David was appointed Managing Director of John Crabbie & Co in 2018, and took on the challenge of rediscovering the Crabbie scotch whisky brand, whos’ history dates back to 1801. He built two distilleries in Edinburgh bringing single malt production back to his home city for the first time in a century. 

Now an independent consultant David, enjoys working with the new generation of distillers and distilleries on creating the innovative whiskies of the future. He also sources and bottles casks of rare scotch whisky for private clients. His passion for whisky is only matched by his passion for fast cars … but not at the same time!

As Alexander McCall put it:

“Whisky nosers, as they called themselves, eschewed what they saw as the pretentiousness of wine vocabulary. While oenophiles resorted to recondite adjectives, whisky nosers spoke the language of everyday life, detecting hints of stale seaweed, or even diesel fuel.”

Marc Crothall is 61 years young, and started his working life in tourism, leisure, and hospitality industry at the age of 17. He has held a variety of front- line senior management and executive positions across different sectors of the tourism, hospitality, and leisure industry in various parts of the globe.

In May 2012 Marc was appointed as the first CEO of The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) acknowledged as the overarching trade body for the tourism and hospitality sector.                

In November 2022 he was appointed to co-chair the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group (THILG) which act as the strategic guardian, think tank Scotland’s national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook2030. He co-chairs the THILG together Scotland’s Minister for Business Richard Lochhead MSP. He is a very well-respected influencer spending much of his time engaging directly with senior ministers in both Scottish & UK governments making representation on behalf of the industry.

He previously co-chaired the National Food Tourism Leadership Board  and was Scotland’s representative on the UK Tourism Industry Council . He is currently a board member of Apprenticeship in Hospitality Scotland Interface and an advisory board member to Springboard .

In 2020 Marc was awarded the “Fellowship” by the Scottish Hotel industry for his outstanding contribution to the industry and in June 2022 was awarded an MBE in the Queens Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours for services to the Tourism Industry in Scotland. More recently in October 2023 he also received the Industry Contribution award.

Jack is currently responsible for developing markets in Europe, North America, Latin America and the Middle East.

Originally from the small village of Tomatin in the Scottish Highlands, Jack has always been passionate about Scotch Whisky. Since graduating with a degree in Spanish & Italian, he has built a career in the drinks industry spanning a decade and a variety of international roles across wine and spirits.

A strong advocate for education, Jack has earned the Diploma in Single Malt Whisky from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy and the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines. He has also contributed as a judge at various awards including the Scottish Whisky Awards and the Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters

Graeme, an Account Executive at Bruce Stevenson, is an experienced Chartered Commercial Insurance Broker having worked within the industry for over 20 years. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) and holds an Advanced Diploma professional insurance qualification which demonstrates an enhanced understanding of insurance practices, both in technical subject matter and application.

Graeme’s particular area of expertise lies within the whisky sector - helping new and established distilleries, whisky brokers, bonded warehouse operators and independent bottlers and blenders. He designs insurance programmes that are specifically tailored to the whisky industry but bespoke to individual businesses.

With a passion for all things whisky, Graeme has developed an understanding of the unique risks associated with whisky production and maturation which has enabled Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers to become the ‘Broker of Choice’ to the whisky industry.

Rosemary Gallagher is Head of Business and Commercial Content at The Scotsman. She is an experienced journalist and communications professional, with a passion for Scotch whisky and I write regularly about Scotland's national drink.

She worked for the Scotch Whisky Association for more than six years and in her role as head of communications raised the profile of the trade body and the wider industry.

She has worked in journalism and PR in London and Scotland for more than 20 years, including roles as personal finance editor of The Scotsman and business news editor at Scotland on Sunday.

Colin Hinds is an award winning Chef and Restaurateur with over 35 years in the industry. A long time champion of Scottish food and drink, Colin's Whisky bar the Tipsy Midgie is a multiple winning Whisky Bar of the year and himself being voted Scottish Whisky Guru of the year, showcases the largest selection of whisky in the capital boasting over 1000 single malts, blends and rare whiskies. Colin also writes for magazines, blogs. podcasts, and about to embark on his latest project "Tipsy Midgie Wee Toon" in Campbeltown, creating the second bar in the Tipsy Midgie family!

Darren has worked for The Whisky Shop since his late teens back in 1997 and managed their stores in Inverness and in Edinburgh very soon after he began. Darren is now National Retail Manager for the full estate, which has grown to 20 shops from Inverness in the North to Brighton in the South and covers most major cities in between. The Whisky Shop in Paris is now in its 4th year. As well as managing the retail side of the business Darren selects all of the single cask and exclusive whiskies, including for their own label, Glenkeir Treasures. At any given time they will usually stock around 80 exclusive products. Darren hosts several tasting events on behalf of the company, from his base in Edinburgh and also around our various branches. Loch Fyne Whiskies is also part of their group and Darren gets involved with creating some of their exclusive range as well, in particular the blending of the Loch Fyne Living Cask.

Viktorija is a Lithuanian national, residing in Scotland, and the first female independent bottler who started her business from scratch. In 2013 she founded a company, which started as an export agency helping independent family owned Scottish distilleries to tap Into a variety of markets from Panama, Japan, to Singapore, Ukraine, Belarus and Baltic States, and whisky broker helping to develop independent whisky labels to both off-trade (retail) and HORECA (on-trade) clients. Viktorija is a strong believer in the bottom-up approach and when deciding to venture into the world of whisky, she worked on-trade in Oran Mor whisky bar in Glasgow, then she moved onto working in retail at the Good Spirits Co specialising in whisky and this way built industry knowledge, and built contacts. As of 2019, she is the co-owner of the Dràm Mor independent whisky bottling brand.

Matthew McFadyen is one of the co-founders of The Good Spirits Company, Glasgow's leading independent spirits specialist.  He is particularly interested in Scotch malt whisky, but his passion for booze extends to the fine art of the cocktail. He hosts monthly Whisky, Gin, and Cocktail tastings.

Prior to setting up The Good Spirits Co., he worked for Oddbins, managing Glasgow branches in the city centre and on the south side. Whilst there he developed a keen understanding of both the on- and off-trade, along with a taste for fine wine. He also ran regular customer tastings of wine, champagne, and whisky.

Matthew grew up in the Black Isle close to the site of the Ferintosh distillery. His first bottle of whisky was Laphroaig Ten Year Old.

Dedicated husband and father of two, Matthew confesses to a weakness for tweed, although he hasn't yet taken up golf!

James is the founder and distiller of the Electric Spirit Company, producing spirits in Leith, Edinburgh.

As a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, James previously consulted on brand experience for numerous multi-national businesses, before returning to Scotland and enrolling on the Brewing & Distilling MSc at Heriot Watt. He graduated with distinction, receiving the Brewers’ Company Prize as the course’s top student, as well as the Watt Club Medal as dux litterarum in the School of Life Sciences.

He founded Electric in late 2014, beginning production on a 20 litre still in a tiny industrial unit. The company has since increased capacity and expanded distribution nationally, winning at the Scottish Gin Awards and being named as the coolest spirit brand in Scotland by The Herald, with Ian Buxton placing Electric “at the cutting edge of the vibrant Scottish craft distilling scene” in 101 Gins to Try Before You Die.

Karen has a passion for whisky & Scottish Business. Co-Founder and director of The Fife Whisky Festival & Borderlands Whisky Festival, a vibrant celebration of whisky in the Kingdom of Fife and most recently Lockerbie in The Borderlands.

Fife Whisky Festival now in its eighth year and Award winning for its innovation and marketing It is marked as a highlight of the festival circuit calendar. It is also the only female ran Whisky Festival in the UK.

Karen was also Co founder of the former  Angels’ Share Glass, awarding winning specialist glass manufacturer in Scotland. Winner of entrepreneur of the year and many other business accolades, Karen champions female led businesses and now has her own business consultancy. Her passion for both Scotch Whisky and Scottish Business is evident in all she does.

A Master and Keeper of the Quaich, Karen is a highly experienced, accomplished and well-respected Scotch whisky marketeer with global exposure, gained from roles within the spirits industry throughout her whole career.

Now a marketing consultant, specialising in the marketing of spirits, utilising 29 years’ experience, she is focussed on adding value to fledgling, growing or established businesses.

Dr. Christopher White is an award-winning whisky writer, presenter, host, and judge, and is currently Head of Private Clients at Beamish International in Edinburgh.

Chris has hosted hundreds of events across the globe, he has worked in an ambassadorial capacity for several whisky brands, and he won the inaugural ‘Communicator of the Year’ award at the Icons of Whisky Scotland Awards. He has previously judged the World Whiskies Awards, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards, The Scottish Whisky Awards, The Spirits Business’ Global Scotch Masters, the Independent Bottlers Challenge, and the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge, as well as several national and international cocktail competitions.

He has also attended Diageo’s prestigious Malt Advocates Course, gained the Diploma in the Art of Tasting Whisky from Edinburgh Whisky Academy, sat on the Tasting Panel at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and had several high profile articles published in Whisky Magazine. Prior to joining Beamish, Chris was a Private Client Advisor at Diageo Rare & Exceptional based at the Johnnie Walker flagship experience in Edinburgh. He is also the founder, and former General Manager, of the award-winning Usquabae Whisky Bar in Edinburgh’s West End.

Debargha is a 2017 graduate of Brewing & Distilling from Heriot Watt University specialising in sensory analysis. His MSc. thesis was in collaboration with SWRI focusing on sensory profiling of bourbon and rye spirts based on their grist composition and maturation in toasted and untoasted cask.

He joined Cara Technology in 2018 as sensory scientist and then stayed as sensory manager till mid-2021. He has been part of an expert taster panel at Cara evaluating whisky, beer, gin, neutral spirits, tea, coffee, water and Aroxa flavour standards. He has also been associated with Scottish gin and whisky awards since its inception in 2018 and 2019. He is a certified Cicerone. He enjoys aroma of  β-Farnesene and α-Humulene in his beer and Guaiacol and 4-Methyl Phenol in his spirits.

Presently he is Business Development Manager (Europe) at MMR Research focusing on innovations in FMCG. He is also pursuing his masters in Strategic Marketing from Imperial Business School.

Georgia is a whisky specialist at Bonhams, one of the world's largest and most renowned auctioneers. She has worked across the business since 2012, and joined the wine and spirits department in 2019. Currently responsible for whisky in Scotland, she is charged with the sourcing of fine and rare whiskies from around the world, as well as the organisation and operation of the company's domestic and international sales.

Ciarán is Operations Manager at Woven Whisky.   Following several years working in some of Scotland’s best cocktail bars, Ciarán completed his MSc in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University with a focus on new product development in gin, and sensory & flavour analysis of liquids. He began his career at Sipsmiths as Assistant Distiller where he was part of the team conducting the day to day production of all distillates. He was awarded the 2021 Rising Star award from the ISC, and shortlisted for the 2022 Emerging Talent award from the IWSC.

Lucy is the Commercial and Production Planner Manager at Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh, managing their private cask programme and third party production.

Her interest in whisky began after a family trip to Islay and she has pursued roles within the industry ever since. After starting her career at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, she moved to Keepers of the Quaich and has been at Holyrood since it opened in 2019.

Alongside whisky, Lucy likes to explore the Scottish Highlands, go wild swimming and bake in her spare time.

From sales and ambassadorial roles with some of Scotch whiskies biggest brands to organising independent tastings and drinks festivals, it's safe to say Aly has sampled almost everything aspect of the Scottish drinks industry.

After starting out in Scotch Whisky tourism he moved in hospitality, managing a number of specialist whisky bars, organising festivals and tastings. His career has seen him working with a number of both global and independent whisky brands as well as World Whisky Day. Now, as Operations Manager at Edinburgh's Barney's Beer Microbrewery he enjoys the constantly changing and evolving world of working in one of the cities most recognisable microbreweries; championing the traditional Hauf n Hauf whenever possible.

Krisztian Eke currently oversees the Still Room (Whisky shop) at Gleneagles. He graduated in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Geography with a specialisation in Geoinformatics. Working in hospitality and retail since then, he quickly educated himself and gained knowledge about whisky.

A daily whisky tasting is held by him, as well as whisky investment consultations. His favourite drink is single malt whisky, but he also enjoys fine wines and craft beers.   

Apart from whisky, he likes to play music at home on his bass guitar or play table tennis with friends.

Christian joined Sanderson Weatherall in April 2011 and has developed over 25 years of valuation and advisory experience; and has been instrumental in the profiling of Whisky inventory and distillery process plant and machinery valuations for banking security, asset based lending, investments and acquisitions. In addition to working in markets as diverse as; printing, plastics, aerospace, automotive, metals, pharmaceuticals, health and beauty, foods and drinks, plant hire, rail, chemicals, recycling, packaging, construction, rare yarns and fibres and access plant to name certain examples, Christian has built a trusted and strong reputation in the Whisky sector offering specialist advice assisting banks, investors, distilleries, brokers and independent bottlers providing structured cask and cased goods valuations. Over the years, Christian has provided the appropriate guidance, due diligence, value profiling and market advice to a wide client base involved in supporting and advising multiple structured asset based lending facilities, investments and acquisitions of distilleries, independent bottlers and brokers across Scotland, Ireland, England and Australasia.

Jim Rankin is Commercial Director and 6th generation owner of Rankin Brothers & Sons, supplier of corks and closures to the Beers, Wines, Spirits and Foods Packaging industries.

Having been born with a cork in his mouth, he spat it out, albeit temporarily, to make wine with Penfolds in Australia during the late 80’s. While down under, he honed his commercial skills selling encyclopaedia Britannica door to door and later, developed a fine eye for detail working in design with ad agency McCann.

A call to help resuscitate T Top Stopper supply to the Spirits industry, lead to a return to the UK in 1992 and to his appointment as Sales Director to the family business.
As custodian of 4,500 acres of cork forest in Portugal, Jim’s expertise in stopper design and function extends from `acorn to bottle’.

Jim remains fascinated by the myriad brands the company supports; his credo being that the commercial offer remains as relevant today, as is was when the business was founded in 1774.

A keen advocate of work life balance and exponent of the virtue of sedentary sports, Jim has swapped a rowing boat for a bicycle, which he has used to cross America twice.

Pete has worked in the drinks trade since he was 18, having started in Oddbins. He then moved into the on trade part of the business to experience it from the other side and moved back to off trade after securing a position with a local independent beer shop in Edinburgh.

He opened The Beerhive in 2011 and over the following years built up a wide range of Gin, constantly rotates this at around 40 gins to keep up with the increase in new openings of Scottish Gin distilleries and the rise in demand for quality gin. It has become a huge focus in the shop and Pete always endeavours to buy direct from the distillery so he can meet the producers and get to know the gin first hand.

The Beerhive also stocks over 700 Beers and 500 wines. In 2015 and 2016 The Beerhive was awarded Best beer shop in Scotland by Off Licence News.

Elsie Cinnamond’s hospitality career started as a photographer earning £5 an hour in a 60s-themed nightclub with a revolving dancefloor and bucking bronco. Unperturbed she pursued a career behind the bar finding cocktail creation and spirits far more interesting than her degree. 

Over ten years later, she’s held such titles as Whisky Bar General Manager, Head of Drinks Development, and Chef de Partie (her back-of-house wilderness years). In that time, she has represented whisky brands in Scotland and abroad and passed on her passion for the spirit through training younger generations of bartenders. 

You can now find her at Holyrood Distillery, managing the distillery bar, designing experiences and masterclasses, and praying she doesn’t break any more Glencairns. She blushed when The Spirit Business recently listed the Height of Arrows Gin Experience as a Top 10 Gin Distillery Experience in the UK. 

Outside work, you can find her sketching, usually with a half-and-half, or her cats, sometimes both. Self-proclaimed life and soul of the party until about 9 pm-ish

My career began, and has always remained, in both trade associations and lobbying as well as the sustainability arena working with a number of industry bodies and Governments. 

My career started in Scottish Water covering a range of roles from Laboratory through to Environmental policy.  I then took a number of secondment opportunities during my career, including a year with the Scottish Government developing policies on how to control Diffuse Pollution as part of Scotland’s implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.  I moved from water to whisky in 2007.

A decade later, I took the role of Head of Sustainability & Innovation for Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

In 2021 I moved to the global sustainability consultancy Carbon Intelligence as Associate Director focusing on the Retail & Management sector. Where I delivered a suite of decarbonisation & off-setting roadmaps for blue chip clients including Specsavers, Channel 4 and Twitter.

I now have the huge privilege of being appointed the first CEO of the English Whisky Guild and to support them in delivering on their vision to be recognised globally as a respected choice for whisky drinkers. English whisky is witnessing unprecedented growth and at the leading edge of innovation and creating spirit produced with incredible flavour diversity and to the highest standards. Building a community for the sector as well as our wider stakeholders.

Matt Chapman is the founder and managing director of Contagious: a creative agency of enthusiasts, globally renowned as experts in the design and delivery of drinks brands.

He was born in Yorkshire, studied design in Scotland and spent the first ten years of his career working for creative agencies in Edinburgh, London and Singapore. These formative years were spent designing global brands across numerous sectors, but it was his love of working within the eclectic world of drinks and premium spirits brands in particular that drove him to launch Contagious in 2001.

Over twenty years later and both Matt and his award-winning agency are now well-established within the global drinks arena, with an incredible portfolio of internationally recognised brand names and independent start-ups. This platform allows the Contagious team to constantly push boundaries—utilising their multi-disciplinary expertise in brand strategy, brand world, brand activation, packaging, and immersive environment design to create unique brand experiences for consumers around the world.

Cameron holds the current position of Head of UK Commercial at CVH Spirits, the bold, passionate, and ambitious creator and distributor of globally recognised premium spirits.

His career in the drinks industry has spanned 24 years with a proven track record in On & Off Trade drinks sales at Head of UK, Channel Controller, National and Regional Account Management levels. He has worked across hospitality, drinks wholesale and drinks brands building many successful sales teams along the way. Cameron has worked for renowned Whisky brands including Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tobermory, Ledaig, Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Monkey Shoulder although his extensive knowledge expands across all Scotch Whisky and Whiskies from across the globe.

When not thinking, or drinking, whisky Cameron is usually found on a pool table having played successfully at amateur level for many years.

James opened 56 North in April 2008 as Scotland’s first gin bar. He has therefore been fortunate to be at the forefront of the growth in Gin throughout the last 15 years.

James has worked with new brands, producers and distillers as they have popped up all over Scotland. Most recently he has taken an active role in the Great Scottish Gin debates.

Most importantly, James has hosted masterclasses on gin for over 25,000 people in Scotland, helping spread understanding and enjoyment to consumers and guests.

Alexandrion Group Whisky Director & Master Distiller Carpathian Single Malt Whisky

Allan Anderson is responsible for the group’s distillery projects from an operational, quality & technical point of view in Romania and in the USA and has been tasked with making Romania’s 1st ever single malt whisky.

He is currently the only person in the world to make single malt whisky in Scotland, Ireland & Romania.

Allan has more than 30 years of experience in producing both Scotch whisky (Loch Lomond, Whyte & Mackay, Aberargie) and Irish whiskey (The Great Northern Distillery). He also designed the distillery of Slane Castle Ireland and was a consultant for many smaller distillery projects.

David is the Brewing & Distilling Malt Sales Manager for Muntons Malt, responsible for all malt sales within the distilling sector in Scotland and overseas markets. Throughout the last 8 years with Muntons Malt, David has managed sales and business development across a wide spectrum of customers including craft, regional, national and international brewing and distilling accounts. David is an active member of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling, serving on the committee of the Scottish Section since 2018 and was elected Chair of the section in 2023.

He also served on the organising committee of the Worldwide Distilled Spirits Conference 2023 in Edinburgh. David completed the General Certificate in Malting through the Institute of Brewing & Distilling and Maltsters Association of Great Britain, whilst experiencing hands on training at various distilleries in Scotland. He has conducted whisky tastings at various trade events for Muntons Malt, demonstrating the importance of raw material in the final products.

With a true passion for all things malt, beer and whisky, David can often be found sampling Scotland’s finest in bars across his hometown of Glasgow.

Andre is a consultant, writer, and blogger with 20 years of experience in the drinks industry both in the UK and internationally across the On Trade, Off Trade, Prestige/ Luxury and Global Travel Retail (GTR). As part of his work through Inside the Cask Ltd, he helps drinks brands to develop and execute effective business and brand strategies across different markets and channels. He represents both Independent Stave Company (ISC) and Tanoaria Josafer in the UK, helping to supply quality casks directly to producers and is currently exporting UK whiskies from distilleries and independent bottlers to Latin America. Originally from Brazil, Andre has lived in Scotland for over 30 years and previously worked with leading drinks companies such as William Grant & Sons, Edrington and Loch Lomond Group amongst others.

Andre also manages his own website, Inside the Cask, where he shares insights, knowledge, jobs and his passion for the drinks industry. He is also a jury member for the Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (Belgium 2021, Guadeloupe 2022, Italy 2023, China 2024, Mexico 2025).

Paul is the Sales & Marketing Director for Brave New Spirits, the Glasgow-based Independent Bottler currently constructing Witchburn Distillery in Campbeltown.  Starting his career in drinks over 25 years ago with a US Winemaker, he began working with whisky & premium spirits producers in 2002,  with the the last 11 years dedicated to international sales & marketing roles.  

He is part of the team at BNS that selects casks for their own releases, and as an enthusiast for all things wine & spirits, has  visited distilleries & wineries in over 20 countries.  Paul has served on / chaired judging panels for organisations  & publications in Europe, Asia & Latin/South America  such as Concours Mondial Des Bruxelles, Meininger ISW, Whisky Magazine, and the Frankfurt International Trophy.  He holds the WSET Level 3 Spirits qualification &  is a two-time Whisky Magazine “Icons of Whisky” nominee.

Charlie MacLean has been researching and writing about whisky for over 35 years and has published 15 books on the subject.  Often referred to as Scotland's leading whisky expert, Charles has won numerous awards for his written work and continues to contribute to many publications.   He is a trusted adviser, mentor and guide to whisky producers and enthusiasts around the world.  Earlier this year, he launched a new dram for The Maclean Foundation, a global charity he founded with his three sons; world record-breaking rowers who have already crossed the Atlantic and are now in training to cross the Pacific Ocean.  The Ardnamurchan 6 Year Old single Highland malt is their first release and one which Charlie has carefully selected with Alex Bruce who has kindly donated the cask to the charity.  Every bottle sold will give at least one person clean water for life.

Growing up visiting Whisky distilleries regularly with his father, Martin has been in hospitality since he was a teenager and now 3 decades on runs One Canon in Edinburgh. An award winning bartender and drinks tasting host, and the creator of Scotland’s first Gin festival, the Juniper Festival. He has worked in all manner of venues and has trained countless bartenders along the way

Patricia Dillon has worked at Senior level for over 25 years in FMCG, in both public and corporate business.

Patricia took over as Manging Director of Speyside Distillers Company Ltd in 2012 she, with her team, led the company from a high loss-making company to a profitable business with presence in 32 world markets.

Patricia has led the company to achieve several business awards including the highly prestigious BOFTA (Board of Trade Award) for exceptional performance and contribution to the UK's international trade, Glasgow Business Awards Exporter of the year 2018, Inverness chamber of Commerce Exporter of the Year 2016 & 2019 - Cairngorm Business of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017.

Patricia has also led her team to achieve multiple whisky awards, with their most prestigious award being The World’s Best, Single Cask, Single Malt 2021 at the World Whisky Awards.   Other awards have been 2023, 2 Gold medals (Global Whisky Masters) Gold and Scotland’s Best Small Batch Single Malt (International Spirits Business). Some past awards have been, Concours Mondial Grand Gold Medal 2019; The Scotch Whisky Master’s Spirits Business Master Award 2019; World Whisky Awards Category Winners in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Patricia is a Keeper of the Quaich in recognition of Patricia’s outstanding commitment to the Scotch whisky industry.   

Patricia is a Member of Women on Boards.

Patricia was on The Council/Board of Scotch Whisky Association for three years to December 2022, within Patricia’s time on council she played a large part in resolving the US tariff issue on scotch aswell as sitting on the panel to recruit the new CEO of SWA. Patricia was also Chair of the Member’s Forum. 

In February 2023 Patricia joined Council of FDEC (Food and Drinks Export Council). The FDEC is a collaborative expert committee, co-chaired by DBT and industry, focused on boosting UK food and drink exports, it harnesses expertise and resource from the UK government and devolved administrations and industry in a collective endeavour to increase UK agriculture, food, and drink exports.

Founder and master distiller of the Esenlid distillery in Santiago, Chile, and partner and master distiller of Goodwinds Gin in Llifén, Lago Ranco, Chile. With a deep passion for the craft of distilling, he has dedicated his career to the science of spirit production. In 2017, he obtained an MSc degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Additionally, he holds the WSET Award in Spirits levels 2 and 3, both with the highest distinction.

He has had the honour of serving as a judge in prestigious competitions both nationally and internationally, including Copa Argentina de Gin, Argentinean Spirits Awards, and Catad'or Spirits Awards, where he also contributes as a member of the technical committee.

Beyond his distillery roles, he actively participates in cutting-edge R&D projects in the whisky industry at the Millennium Institute for Regenerative Biology (iBio) in Santiago, Chile. These projects involve pioneering research on using wild yeast strains and fermentation processes to enhance flavour profiles and production efficiency. His work also includes exploring sustainable practices in whisky production, such as the utilization of alternative energy sources and waste reduction techniques. This research not only contributes to the advancement of the industry but also promotes environmental responsibility within the field.

He also serves as a member of the organizational committee at the International Diploma in Craft Distilling at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, where he also teaches, sharing his knowledge and passion with the next generation of distillers. Through his teaching, he aims to inspire and equip students with the skills and understanding needed to excel in the distilling industry.

Steve Annand is the Sales & Marketing Director of Inverarity Morton, Scotland’s leading independent wines & spirits wholesaler.  Inverarity Morton supply Scotland’s top bars, restaurants, and hotels with a portfolio of over +3500 drinks brands and are trusted advisors to over +2500 on trade outlets when it comes to curating their drinks lists. Steve has over 20 years of experience in sales and commercial roles across the drinks industry having managed customer and teams operating in the Off trade, Convenience, Wholesaler, Brewers, Independent Free trade and National On trade. Inverarity Morton are privileged to supply some of the top whisky bars in the country and are constantly evolving their whisky offering whilst distributing iconic brands , emerging distillers and independent bottlings to ensure they provide the Scottish trade with a whisky portfolio to suit all venues and occasions.

Steve main interest outside of the drinks industry is rugby. An avid Scotland and Glasgow Warriors fan Steve has coached mini and youth rugby for over a decade and is passionate about the positive role sport, in particular grass roots rugby, can play in the development of our young people. Originally from Aberdeenshire, Steve now lives in Glasgow with his wife Jenn and two teenage children.

Greg is a Whisky Specialist at Diageo and began working there in 2015, initially joining on the Global Graduate Programme and having roles in liquid commercialisation, R&D programme management and maturation strategy. In 2018, he joined the team of 12 expert whisky makers based at Diageo’s Technical Centre in Menstrie.

Currently, he works on both single malt and blend innovation and is the Master Blender for Bell’s Scotch Whisky. Cask quality and maturation performance is a particular area of expertise with the opportunity for experimentation on casks from both a flavour and losses perspective. This is supported by having the opportunity to sample an inventory of more than ten million casks of maturing whisky from across Scotland.

With more than 30 years of experience in the drinks industry Julia is a reliable partner for quite a number of distilleries around the globe when it comes to product development, barrel management and contract blending.
She has already created 80+ gin recipes which all became very successful and received important awards.

Dawn Maskell is Professor of Brewing & Distilling Science at Heriot-Watt University where she is Director of International Centre for Brewing & Distilling. In this role she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students on topics including yeast and fermentation, product quality, sustainability and aspects of packaging. Her research interests include co-fermentation for whisky, the valorisation of co-products, process improvement and sustainability and has multiple publications on distilling topics. Dawn is a member of the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers and sits on the Scottish Section Committee. She a Liveryman by Presentation of the Worshipful Company of Distillers and has been on the organising committees of the Worldwide Distilled Spirits Conference and the Young Scientists Symposium in Malting, Brewing and Distilling. 

Annabel has been in the role of Director of the Keepers of the Quaich since May 2015, when she relocated the Society’s office north of the Border. Her role was to organise the two banquets each year where new members are inducted into the Society at Blair Castle. After 10 years she has decided to return to her consultancy role.  She began her career in 2001 with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at The Vaults and helped to establish the venue at 28 Queen Street. She also spent four years as the Global Brand Ambassador for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, organising and delivering events and tastings globally. In 2013 Annabel established her own consultancy, The Whisky Belle, where she was contributing editor on two publications and well respected for her sensory evaluation and tasting notes. She worked with several new start distilleries as a consultant. Annabel has delighted audiences all over the world with her knowledge and passion for Scotch Whisky.

In 2022, Olga emigrated from Ukraine to Scotland. Although indifferent towards whisky in her homeland, she soon developed a deep and lasting fascination with the spirit and its myriad of complexities. Olga holds a diploma from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, authors the Olga Tastes Whisky blog, and has provided published contributions to Scottish Field and the Whisky Explorer magazines, as well as the SMWS website. A graduate of the OurWhisky Mentorship Program, Olga is passionate about building a career within the world of whisky in a written content creation role. With a clear voice and a growing portfolio, she’s steadily carving out her place as a respected whisky writer. If you’d like to know more, you can connect with Olga on LinkedIn.

Michael started his career in FMCG at leading companies including L'Oréal and Britvic Soft Drinks, before moving into the wines and spirits sector.

His operational career saw him work on and grow some of the world's most famous spirits brands across multiple categories, holding senior global strategy and marketing roles at Bacardi Global Brands and the LVMH Group / Moet Hennessy. He has also previously worked closely with and supported the Boards of Eden Mill St Andrews and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS).    

Michael is now a Growth Strategy Consultant, helping Founders, Boards and Executive Teams within the consumer sector with their business, brand and commercial growth strategy. He works across a broad range of consumer categories, but has a continued passion for wines & spirits. He also runs workshops on the foundations of how premium and luxury brands are built. 

Outside of this, Michael is the co-founder of a golf media and publishing business and is a contributing writer to a number of golfing and lifestyle publications.  

Mike Aikman owns 3 cocktail bars in Edinburgh - Bramble, Lucky Liquor & The Last Word. Mike also owns Mothership Scotland, a multi-faceted hospitality business covering events, training, brand management, logistics, bottling, cocktail production, as well as producing their own products. These include the Lucky Liqueur range, Cross Brew coffee liqueur and SeaWolf Rums. Lastly, the Bramble Whisky Company, a small range of single cask Scotch Whiskies.

Sean Murphy is a Glasgow-based author and journalist specialising in food, drink, hospitality and tourism. Having cut his teeth working in the world-famous Pot Still bar in Glasgow, Sean has gone on to write extensively about whisky, gin and rum for several leading Scottish newspapers such as the Scotsman and the Daily Record.  

He is also the author of two books about Scottish Gin, the most recent being the Scottish Gin Bible, which provides insight into 100 Scottish Gin producers, cocktails, the distillation process, botanicals, and more.

Ged Welch worked for 5 spirits company over an 18-year career embracing a series of well-loved brands from MacKinlays, Teachers, Johnnie Walker,Bell’s to Tanqueray, Gordon's and Pimms.

He was Operations Director for Glenmorangie plc and Managing Director of Wm Grants Distillers.

For the last 25 years Ged has been showing leaders and organisations how to unlock clarity, resilience and real bandwidth leading to effortless performance and more joy! 

Georgia is the UK Private Client Manager for The Glenrothes Whisky Distillery. Joining Edrington in 2024, Georgia works both in an advocacy role educating consumers across the country about The Glenrothes, whilst also focusing on the cultivation and management of the distillery’s private client network. Prior to this role, Georgia worked as a whisky specialist at Bonhams Auctioneers, one of the world's largest and most renowned auctioneers. During her 13 years with the business, and six with the whisky department, she sourced and valued fine and rare whiskies from around the world, as well as the organisation and operation of the company's domestic and international whisky sales.