As a Brand Manager at Winebow, Holly Abner leverages her 20 years of experience and deep knowledge of spirits and the Alcohol Beverage Industry to manage and grow a diverse portfolio of spirits brands across the Mid-Atlantic region. Holly is passionate about building strong relationships with her supplier partners to deliver exceptional results. “My commitment to excellence and strategic vision drives the success and growth of the brands I represent.”

Nicole Austin leads the strategic direction for Diageo North America’s Luxury American Whiskies, focusing on Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. and its brands. Since joining Diageo in 2018, she has driven innovations, including the award-winning George Dickel Bottled in Bond series and the Cascade Moon Whisky series. Nicole was named Artisan Spirit Magazine’s first “Distiller of the Year” in 2020 and received the Distillery Manager award from Icons of Whisky in 2021. She has launched several notable products, such as Dickel Bourbon, George Dickel x Leopold Bros Collaboration Blend, and Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour. Nicole has also been instrumental in George Dickel being named Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Spirit Brand of the Year. A Manhattan College graduate in chemical engineering, Nicole began her career at Kings County Distillery and worked with William Grant & Sons. She is a founding board member of the American Craft Spirits Association and co-chair of several committees.

Dwayne Bershaw is a native of Idaho and received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Idaho in 1993. A midlife career change led to a M.S. in viticulture and enology from UC Davis in 2010. Dwayne taught winemaking and made wine in southern Oregon before becoming an enology lecturer in the Food Science Department at Cornell University. Along the way, Dwayne also completed the WSET Diploma in wines and spirits. He currently teaches advanced winemaking courses and introductory classes in brewing and distilling.

Lew Bryson has been writing about beer and spirits since 1995. He was managing editor of Whisky Advocate magazine from 1996 through 2015, and a Senior Drinks Writer for the Daily Beast from 2017 through 2022. He has a solo podcast, Seen Through A Glass, about Central Pennsylvania drinks and food. Bryson is the author of “Tasting Whiskey,” a broad survey of the whiskeys of the world; and “Whiskey Master Class,” a deep dive on whiskey flavor creation. He has judged for both the American Craft Spirits Association and the Great American Beer Festival.

Johnny Caldwell, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, has a unique perspective on the food and beverage industry. She received her BA in political science from The College of Charleston and her Juris Doctorate from Charleston School of Law. Johnny is the co-founder of Cocktail Bandits (a blog platform that promotes female empowerment by advocating for the food and beverage community from a feminine, urban perspective). She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The United States Bartender’s Guild and Les Dames D’escoffier.

Maggie Campbell is an industry leader whose experience includes serving as Estate Rum Manager at Mount Gay in Barbados, previously serving as a Board Member and Vice-President of the American Craft Spirits Association, and being certified as a WSET educator. She is a Master of Wine student with a Diploma in Craft Distilling Technologies from the Siebel Institute and a Level IV Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. Her career includes serving as President and Head Distiller at Privateer Rum, Assistant Distiller at Germain-Robin, founding the Denver Brewer’s League, Half Pint CoCreation, and co-hosting Treacherous Waters with Ashtin Berry.

Since graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in chemical engineering, Alex Castle started in the spirits industry as an intern at Alltech’s Town Branch Bourbon, followed by four years as a production supervisor at Wild Turkey. Then in 2015, Castle moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to help open and launch Old Dominick Distillery, producing the first whiskey to be distilled, aged and bottled in the city since Prohibition. In 2020, she was elected the first female President of the Tennessee Distillers Guild, a position she held for four years. After nine years in Tennessee, Castle moved back to her home state of Kentucky to join the team at Augusta Distillery, becoming their first Master Distiller.

With more than 20 years of spirits experience, Clyde Davis Jr. has been a brand owner, investor, consultant, spirit judge and a frequent speaker and panelist at spirits conventions around the world. He’s also the founder of 75 Proof Beverage Solutions, a company that provides sales and marketing consulting for emerging brands. He has a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Erlinda A. Doherty, is an alcohol industry consultant providing education, advisory, and public affairs services to all three alcohol beverage tiers. A sommelier, wine/spirits educator, public policy professional, beverage competition judge, and Global Ambassador for Mezcal, Erlinda has engaged with emerging and established alcohol beverage enterprises on diverse projects to make them more profitable and resilient in this dynamic industry. A frequent speaker on issues pertaining to emerging technology, alcohol health policy, and on diversity and gender equality, Erlinda received her Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Elayne Duff, the Director of Advocacy for Samson and Surrey and the founder of the Beverage Brand Ambassador Academy, is an accomplished 20-year spirit industry veteran. She acquired a successful reputation as Diageo U.S.A.’s first head mixologist and luxury spirits ambassador. Throughout her career, she has frequently appeared as an expert on the T.V. show Bar Rescue, graduated from the grueling WSET Level 3 and BAR 5 Day program before becoming a Global Manager of experiential events and education at AB InBev Craft Beer Division Z.X. Ventures.

Philip Duff is one of the cocktail community’s best-loved presenters & educators, a renowned expert on all distilled spirits (but especially vermouth, rum, shochu, vodka, whiskey, gin & genever), and an in-demand on-trade & beverage consultant to drinks companies everywhere. He bartended around the world for decades after leaving his native Ireland, founded Holland’s first-ever bar to enter the World’s 50 Best Bars, and owns an award-winning liquor brand. The inaugural Director of Education for the Tales of the Cocktail festival, Philip advises cocktail weeks and spirits festivals in several countries, judges spirits contests, and occasionally contributes to trade magazines, having previously written columns for Drinks International and Australian Bartender, among others. He lives in New York with his wife, stepdaughter and an aging gecko named Dave.

Jake Emen is a freelance drinks, food and travel journalist and a full-time nomad. He’s served as a spirits and cocktail judge at a range of national and international competitions and events, and his work has been published in outlets including AFAR, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Conde Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, GQ, Imbibe, Maxim, Thrillist, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Vice, The Washington Post, Whisky Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, and a wide range of others. Follow his latest adventures @ManTalkFood.

Tracie Franklin is a whiskey educator, professional spirits judge, brand consultant and distiller who lives in Washington D.C.She has obtained numerous whiskey and spirits certifications and received her diploma in distillation from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in 2023. As a brand ambassador and educator, Tracie represents numerous spirits brands including: Glenmorangie, Rhum J.M., Angel’s Envy, Ardbeg and National Ambassador for Glenfiddich. She is now the VP of Product Development for Pronghorn.

Mark Gillespie is the host and executive producer of WhiskyCast, the longest-running whisky podcast series. Mark has more than four decades of journalism experience spanning broadcast and online journalism, and has been honored as Communicator of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky Awards. WhiskyCast has also been honored by Tales of the Cocktail with a Spirited Award for Best Podcast. Mark lives in the charming, yet regrettably dry town of Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Paul Hletko is the founder and President of FEW Spirits, a grain to glass whiskey distillery located in Evanston, Illinois. Paul has been named an Icon of Whiskey, an Icon of Gin and a Notable Entrepreneur in Chicago. In addition, FEW is a founding member of the American Craft Spirits Association, and Paul has served as a board member and President.

Know amongst spirits enthusiasts as So Dram Good, Sonja Hunt has worked with some of the industry’s top brands since returning to the industry six years ago. She is a trained blender and distiller and has worked alongside some of Kentucky’s veteran producers. She currently resides in Virginia and is excited to expand her résumé in the spirits industry.

Washington D.C. native Denaya Jones has been in hospitality for over 10 years. An administrative position with catering and event design company Charlene’s Kitchen  evolved into a true passion for hospitality, with a focus on cocktails and spirits. That passion is what led to Deestilled: a mobile, boutique style company, specializing in providing bespoke bar & spirits experiences. In addition to operating Deestilled, Denaya has shaken things up in bars throughout Washington, D.C., from Georgetown to Union Market, and between. She is also General Manager for craft spirits retailer Seelbach’s, one half of spirit-focused podcast Soul Palate, Board Member of D.C.-based nonprofit, Chocolate City’s Best, a certified educator in spirits for WSET Global, and member of Fred Minnick’s American Spirits Counsel of Tasters.

Sydney Jones is a Supervisor and Lead Distillery Technician at the newly-constructed Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Previously, she worked as the first female Head Distiller for FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, and has been working in the distilled spirits industry since 2016. She specializes in whiskey and gin production and spirits education.

Phil Morgan is a multidisciplinary design and strategy leader with more than 25 years of experience building brands and places where people love to be. A serial entrepreneur, Phil opened the first of his many restaurants in 1994 and later founded a notable restaurant design firm in Brooklyn, New York, creating 150-plus  incredible new spaces in the hospitality market. Phil is renowned for his dedication and commitment to distilleries, consulting on process improvement in the creation of high-quality spirits.

Peter Newsom was a distiller for 9 years at Privateer Rum in Massachusetts. He has a background in pure mathematics. In addition to rum he has studied agave spirits. He has previously judged for ACSA.

Kapri Robinson is D.C.’s 2017 Cocktail Queen. Founder of Chocolate City’s Best (CCB). Kapri, is a WSET Level 3 Spirits graduate. She also was graciously nominated as a top 10 bartender in the nation by the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in 2022 and top 4 bartender in the nation for 2023 and 2024. Kapri was awarded 2023 Bartender of the year by Liquor.com. Kapri is dedicated to educating the masses on cocktail/spirits knowledge and strives to create opportunities for Black and Brown industry members.

Robin Robinson is the author of “The Complete Whiskey Course” and teaches the longest running whiskey class in the United States, Whiskey Smackdowns, at Astor Center in New York, now in its 15th year. He is the former U.S. Brand and Sales Manager for Compass Box Whisky and his consulting company, Robin Robinson, LLC, is a trusted voice in helping small beverage/alcohol companies find their route to market. He is a frequent lecturer at industry events on sales and marketing, and conducts sales trainings for brands and distributors alike.  His second book on the history of whiskey will be released in 2025.

When he’s not fishing, traveling, passionately rooting for Philadelphia sports teams, or chasing after his daughter (or lost golf balls), Chris Schmid is leading all new business development at Prestige-Ledroit and is responsible for lead generation, prospect management, and new supplier engagement. As Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Chris actively partners with current and potential producer partners to capitalize on market and category opportunities. Chris’ efforts are focused on strategically positioning Prestige-Ledroit for continued growth and profitability in the ever changing climate of the wine and spirits industry. He is an enthusiastic and inclusive leader with a passion for the food and beverage industry with a background spanning every segment of the beverage trade. Considered a thought leader in the craft spirits space, Chris has and continues to sit as a judge on a number of spirit and bar awards.

Since 2003, Clay Smith has served across many facets of the liquor industry—from Head Distiller of Corsair Distillery to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association Board of Directors. Clay has been an educator in botanical spirits at Moonshine University since 2013, officially joining the team as its Distillery Operations Manager in 2018. Serving as the primary hands-on instructor for both industry facing and consumer facing classes, Clay also performs on-site consultations, product development, sensory evaluations, contract distilling and staff educational services for distilleries nationwide.

Dr. Nicole Shriner is an academic and research specialist at Michigan State University. She holds a BS and PhD in chemical engineering from Michigan State University and a Master Brewer Diploma from Siebel Institute of Technology and Doemen’s Academy in Munich, Germany. She teaches all courses in the Fermented Beverage minor which include brewing, distilling and winemaking. She manages the fermented beverage analysis lab at Michigan State through which she completes analyses and facilitates research with industry members from raw materials to final fermented beverage products. Her research currently focuses on varietal differences in distilling grains including corn and rye.