The Distillers Lectures is a series of live events from the Distillers Journal. The half day lectures give a platform to six speakers to inspire change, generate discussion and share Distilling expertise.
The lectures are hosted four times a year cross the UK and Ireland.
Full details of each lecture will be released in the run up to the day. Scroll down for upcoming events.
EDINBURGH, 25 JUNE 2024
The Venue
Riddles Court,
322 Lawnmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2PG
The Time
10:00 – 15:00
The Sponsors
The Speakers
Hannah Fisher | BIG Partnership
Hannah is a senior account manager at BIG Partnership and specialises in corporate communications, working predominantly with clients in the built environment sector. This includes delivering communications and stakeholder & community engagement campaigns to support minor and major planning applications. Most recently, Hannah worked with Suntory Global Spirits to introduce their plans to create a state-of-the-art maturation facility in East Ayrshire and redevelop the iconic Laphroaig Distillery on Islay.
Rob Hollands | Proofworks
Rob Hollands is the CEO of Proofworks, a proprietary SaaS solution to digitalise the entire spirits supply chain, from production, maturation and bottling, to customer engagement and digital ownership. Combining user-friendly solutions with the latest in powerful Web3 technologies, the Proofworks platform surfaces previously unseen data and insights, allowing for optimisation and transparency at every stage of the product journey.
Jenny Karlsson | Ardnamurchan Distillery
Jenny Karlsson has more than 15 years of experience working in the Scotch Whisky Industry in sales, marketing and lately in staff development. She is experienced in international whisky sales, in appointing and dealing with distributors across the globe. She also has experience working with new product development and has been involved in developing award-winning whisky.
Saniya Khot |
Glencadam Distillery
Saniya Khot is a Gin distiller and Laboratory Technician at Glencadam Distillery. Glencadam Distillery opened in 1825. at Glencadam the company's award-winning Single Malt Scotch Whisky is still produced using the same traditional and handcrafted production methods as it has done for almost 200 years.
Caroline Loudon | TLT
Caroline is a partner in the Edinburgh office at TLT. A licensing specialist since 2006, she acts for clients across the licensing spectrum, including household name retailers, celebrity chefs, 5 star hotels, academic institutions, festival and large event teams, international casinos, national bingo/casino operators, major sporting venues and of course individual licensees. Caroline is the winner of Scottish Hospitality Group's Special Recognition Award at the DRAM Scottish Bar and Pub Awards 2023.
Barry MacAffer | Brewguru
Barry MacAffer is a celebrated distiller overseeing the master blending, production, maintenance, and key operations of brand-new South Korean whisky distilleries. A native of Islay, Barry previously spent 13 years at the world-renowned Laphroaig Distillery working in all areas of the process and management. Joining as warehouse and maltbarn cover in 2011, he held roles such malting and stilling operator and distillery assistant manager before being promoted to distillery manager in 2021.
Johnny McGhee Doyle | Lallemand
Johnny McGhee Doyle is a Business Area Manager at Lallemand UK & Ireland. Because spirits are their passion, Lallemand Distilling is committed to providing the distilling market, wherever you are, with only the highest quality Yeast, Nutrients, Enzymes and Bacteria, in partnership with expert technical support and education programs, all specific to your needs.
Jen Ward | BIG Partnership
Jen Ward has been working in communications for more than 10 years. She is currently an Account Director at BIG Partnership, one of Scotland’s largest integrated communications agencies. She specialises in consumer PR and has managed the delivery of campaigns for several drinks brands including Naked Malt, Glen Scotia, Littlemill, Loch Lomond Whiskies and Tomatin.
Jim Rankin |
Rankin Cork
Since 1774, the Rankin family has been supporting the beers, wines, spirits & foods packaging industries with best in class closures that help seal, protect and add value to brands. They are a family business that have been going to the ends of the earth to support customers with premium products and a high-quality service for six generations. While their business has evolved significantly over time, and they continue to invest heavily in research and innovation, this core mission has remained the same.
Matt Servini |
The Craft Distilling Business
Matt Servini, co-founder of The Craft Distilling Business, originally trained as a Biochemist and has 30 years of experience working in the food & drinks industry, starting with global drinks company Cott Beverages, where he held many roles in Innovation and NPD. Matt moved to Cargill from Cott, developing flavours and alcoholic beverage formulas for UK and International markets. During this time, he learned the science behind distillation and the development of flavours. Matt bought his own still in 2010 whilst working in Amsterdam and has been developing his skills as a distiller. In 2017, Matt co-founded The Craft Distilling Business with his ex-colleague Nessie. In the last seven years, they have built and commissioned over 200 craft distilleries in Europe and Asia.
Piers Warne |
TLT
Piers Warne is a licensing lawyer at TLT and has 20- plus years’ experience licensing premises for the sale of alcohol and other licensable activities. This includes licensing breweries for direct sales to customers, online sales and for tap rooms. He has acted on the licensing around sale and purchase of major breweries and small start-ups across the country and on registrations for AWRS and other relevant certificates.
MANCHESTER, OCTOBER 2024
The Venue
TBC
The Time
TBC
The Sponsors
BECOME A SPEAKER
The Distillers Lectures are built on giving professionals from in-and-around the world of spirits a platform to share their knowledge, expertise and experiences.
You might have grown and expanded your distillery, undertaken a successful rebrand, or built a fantastic team of talented individuals.
You might have some best-practice tips for aging, effective ideas on yeast pitching or wise words on water treatment.
The Distillers Lectures are designed to enable knowledge-sharing and to help ensure we create a better industry as a result. Do you have a burning idea or talk topic you want to share with the world? Then get in touch with our editor Tim Sheahan at tim@reby.media and we can hopefully have you take part in one of our future events!