Page 100 - IWSC Tasting Guide 2017

People focus
All in good spirit
This year’s IWSC Annual Awards Banquet, held at the City of London’s Guildhall, will see the Spirit Communicator of the Year being crowned. Here, we highlight the ve drinks experts who have been nominated for the prestigious award
This November will see the return of the Annual IWSC Awards Banquet, a gli ering event held at the City of London’s Guildhall that celebrates the great and good of the drinks world.
Among the pres gious awards is the much-an cipated Spirit Communicator of the Year Award, sponsored by Chivas Brothers.
The highly coveted award seeks to crown someone who has stood out and made an excep onal contribu on towards increasing public awareness of and interest in the dynamic spirits industry, which con nues to grow and expand in line with shi ing trends. It not only champions people in the industry and rewards excellence but celebrates someone’s story to inspire others. This underlines one of the key aspects of the IWSC itself – that it is all about the people who make up the industry.
RECOGNISING TALENT
This year’s shortlist comprises of ve talented professionals who have used their unique skills and knowledge to further interest in spirits in increasingly diverse pla orms and media.
Richard Stoppard, CEO of Partner Businesses and Group CMO for the ISWC, said the candidates had hugely impressed the judging panel, made up of industry experts, master dis llers, Masters of Wine, wine and spirit buyers and
MEET THE FAB FIVE
Neil Ridley and Joel Harrison see themselves as
“the champions of the underdog,” seeking out ar sanal and unusual spirits from around the world. Celebra ng 10 years in the industry this year, the duo travels widely, including to Beirut, Japan, the
US and Taiwan, to educate, inform and entertain about a category they believe tends to be overlooked and under-represented in the wider media. This encompasses everything from interna onal
tas ngs and TV work, to wri ng ar cles in na onal newspapers, specialist and food magazines and websites, as well as embracing social media. They are also publishing Straight Up, a follow-up to their award- winning book, Dis lled, which has been translated into eight languages.
Amanda Victoria is something of a trailblazer in the spirits world. Her current role as communica ons director for The Scotch Malt Whisky Society sees
her create original media content that focuses on educa on and lifestyle.
But her skills were honed working in some of New York’s cu ng-edge bars,
We were hugely impressed with the shortlisted entries, all of whom proved their ability to harness the modern world of communication
sommeliers, “We were hugely impressed with the four shortlisted entries, all of whom have proved, against tough compe on, their ability to successfully harness the modern world of communica ng to convey their message about an age-old topic: spirits,” he said.
The list includes: drinks writers and commenta ng duo Neil Ridley and Joel Harrison, who are best-known for their unwavering passion for ne spirits and cocktails; apéri f advocate Amanda Victoria, communica ons director at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and founder of drinks blog Apéri f Hour; spirits author, journalist and educator Dave Broom, who retains a par cular penchant for whisky, courtesy of his Glaswegian roots; and Olivier Ward, co-founder of Gin Foundry and the resident gin cionado on popular Channel 4 programme Sunday Brunch.
including Please Don’t Tell, Pegu Club, and Dutch Kills (Milk & Honey group), and through her consultancy work with premium spirits brands and by launching several small spirit brands in new markets. She has also worked with companies such as Bacardi, William Grant & Sons, Rémy Cointreau, Moët Hennessy, and Pernod Ricard on educa onal programmes.
She cites her twin passions as words and spirits, and embraces the challenge to nd innova ve ways to communicate spirits knowledge to consumers, drawing inspira on from the industry’s long history in binding people together through tradi on and geography.
Whisky writer Dave Broom has spent his working life in the drinks world, from working on a bo ling line to a seven-year s nt at Oddbins and running a real-ale pub before becoming a drinks journalist and later an author. This vast
100 IWSC Tasting Guide 2017