Meet the Judges

A BSc graduate from Edinburgh University, Hilary joined Scottish & Newcastle in 1981 and enjoyed a varied career within the global drinks industry including managing the then famous Tyne Brewery in Newcastle, and Theakstons Brewery in Yorkshire. Latterly – before its takeover by Heineken - she was S&N’s Group Technical & Quality Director, looking after brewing quality in seven European countries as well as the Baltika joint venture in Russia.

In 1995, she was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. In 2005 she became the first woman President of European Brewery Convention, where she led its merger with the trade association, Brewers of Europe.

In ‘retirement’ from the world of corporate brewing she co-manages (with Petra Wetzel) Heidi Beers Ltd in Glasgow, which brews and distributes the WEST family of beer brands. She also sits on the Board of Sikh Sanjog, the Edinburgh-based charity which supports Sikh and other ethnic minority women to integrate into mainstream Scottish society and the employment market.

Fiona is an IBD Master Brewer with extensive experience across most functions in the beer business, including Supply Chain, Procurement, Innovation, Operational Excellence, Quality, Marketing and Sales. Fiona joined Scottish & Newcastle in 1991 and was Sensory Manager for a number of years, developing sensory procedures, training personnel from all functions in beer varieties and flavours, supporting new product development and beer transfers between international breweries.  She also commissioned a micro brewery, developing new beers and optimising brewing processes and techniques.  She joined Heineken in 2008 as Senior Audit Manager WE, developing, leading and managing Marketing and operational audits across the global Heineken network. She then became the Procurement Services Director for Central and Eastern Europe, leading teams across 14 countries to improve purchasing operations and skills.  She was frequently a judge in the SIBA annual awards, and also judged at the International Beer Awards.

For over five years now Tim has been bothering the good publicans of Edinburgh & beyond in an effort to improve their beer selection. Having gained a grounding in one of Melbourne's top beer bars & importers, as well as stewarding at the Australian International Beer Awards, he now looks after Scotland's capital for a leading speciality beer distributor. You may not be aware of Tim's work - but your favourite pub or festival may well have better beer because of it.

Christie has worked in retail for more than 13 years with experience across Operations, Sales and Buying.  She joined the Aldi Scottish Buying Department in 2013 and currently manages the Beers & Spirits buying category in Scotland.

Christie and her team are passionate about working with small businesses and supporting the Scottish food and drink industry. In recent years, the team has been responsible for hand selecting craft ranges of beers and spirits for ALDI's specialbuys, core range and Scottish Beer and Gin Festivals.

Ruth Evans MBE is CEO for BFBi (Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry Suppliers’ Association, formed in 1907).  She has been with the Association for 16 years, the past 12 as CEO.  BFBi is believed to be the only trade association in the world representing an entire value chain into the beverage industry and gives Ruth a unique view across all sectors. 

The Association owns and runs the bi-annual International Brewing Awards, the oldest international brewing competition in the world (started in 1888).  Cider returned to the Awards in 2011, via The International Cider Awards.

Self-confessed beer geek, Aidy Fenwick is Brooklyn Brewery’s Scottish brand ambassador and has been part of the team since January 2017. Born in Edinburgh but raised in New Zealand she has a passion for travelling to beer festivals all around the world. With a background in Marketing, Aidy made the move to the beer world 6 years ago. She returned to Scotland and, despite having zero bar experience, she talked her way into a job at The Hanging Bat where she instantly fell in love with craft beer.  A few years and a whole lot of beer education later, Aidy landed her dream job as Brooklyn Brewery’s Scottish Brand Ambassador where she spends her days spreading the word about all things Brooklyn. 

Rob Gilmour is one of Ireland’s many exports to Scotland. He has been involved in the drinks industry in both Ireland and Scotland working in various roles for the past 9 years. Since he arrived in Scotland, he has worked with Scottish Independent Wine Merchants Vino Wines and WoodWinters Wines & Whiskies. He now works at Flavourly.com, a leading drinks e-commerce business, where he is the Senior Buyer.

He holds a Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) L3 accreditation with a Distinction grade, he was awarded the Rhone Prize Scholarship in 2015, holds a Diploma from the Champagne Academy and is a member of the same Academy. In 2016-17 he was the President of the Institute of Wines and Spirits, Scotland, a consumer and trade organisation established in 1963 to promote education around Drinks in the Scotland.

Johnston Carmichael are Scotland’s largest firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers, advising over 425 food and drink businesses.  They have a wealth of food and drink industry expertise and use this knowledge to help business owners make better business decisions.

Adam leads Johnston Carmichael’s food and drink team, regularly advises brewers across the UK on strategic growth, internationalisation, and funding options.  Funding has become increasingly complex in recent years with the explosion of crowd funding and peer to peer lending.  Adam is very well connected across, craft beer market, the wider food and drink industry and regularly makes introductions across his network of business leaders, investors and intermediaries to help clients grow.

The Brewers Association of Scotland (TBAS) was formed in in Johnston Carmichael’s Edinburgh office.  Johnston Carmichael recently set up the TBAS Hopline, a helpline for brewers for matters relating to Small Brewers Relief, HMRC, Excise Licensing, VAT, Import and Export. 

Jehad has been running Glasgow's first growler shop, and tasting room for 3 years now. When it comes to life or business, he loves to do things against the grain. Isn't life more fun when being different, unique, and original?

Even though his life revolves around beer, hospitality and customer service will always be his first love.

Beer started out as a personally hobby while living in Indiana, but has super nova'ed into a way of life.

When he's not drinking beer, you can find Jehad with his four legged friend, Luna the French Bull Dog.

Ian commenced his brewing career in 1966 with Scottish & Newcastle Breweries working in the micro lab and process plant. Leaving S&N, he joined Heriot Watt University Department of Brewing and Biochemistry as a brewing technician before attending Stirling University. With Tennent Caledonian Breweries in Glasgow & Edinburgh, he worked in a variety of production positions before moving to Bass Export and spent several years as Brewery Manager in the P.R.O.C. (Tianjin) and subsequently in Asia and the Americas in various commercial and technical roles. Ian moved to Belhaven Breweryn 1991 as Production Director moving to Divisional MD and part of the successful MBO.

As a qualified Master Brewer and Fellow and Life member of the IBD he has been responsible for the development, generation and marketing of products such as Belhaven Best, St Andrews Ale, 10 Saints (Barbados) and a ‘bung of craft beers’. After opening his own consultancy business Still Brewing Company Ltd, Ian is now in semi- retirement but remains interested in Scottish Brewing heritage and links with the Drinks Industry.

Colin entered the brewing world in the best possible way; tasting a great beer in a pub and asking the company for a job. Colin has worked across the industry in many differing roles of the past 7 years, principally focussed on process, operations, projects management and engineering at WEST, Tennents and C&C. 

After being part of the team that set up Drygate then running it as Operations Director, he became an independent consultant in the industry under Maru Projects and is now working with a variety of clients on a diverse range of projects from brewhouse setup and expansions to quality systems and business development. He is now Sales Manager for Crisp Malting Group based in Cheshire.

Deb has over 25 years end-to-end supply chain leadership experience in the drinks industry in several different businesses and across global markets.

Deb joined Scottish and Newcastle in 1992 where she had several different technical and operational roles before moving to Join AB Inbev in 2003 based in their global headquarters in Belgium responsible for a global operations alignment and optimisation program. In 2008 she moved to join Diageo as Supply Chain Development Director for Africa before becoming Business Development Director for Global Supply and Procurement. After a family move back to Scotland in 2012, she then became Head of Manufacturing and Technical for C&C Group.

In ‘retirement’ since 2016, she now supports not for profit organisations including the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) and Children’s Hospices Across Scotland with their strategic programs. She is also part of the IBD examinations committee and is an examiner for the Master Brewer Qualification.

Andrew is a leading corporate lawyer who has carved a niche representing the Scottish food and drink sector among a number of other sectors.

Andrew has spent the last 16 years specialising in corporate transactional work. He led the team which helped to create The Capital Pub Company plc in 2000 and which, having floated it on AIM in 2007, sold it to Greene King plc in September 2011 for an enterprise value of £93 million.

Andrew also helped to establish Par Equity in 2008. Par Equity has now created and manages a range of innovative investment products and funds, financed by a strong investor syndicate.

Rob is one of only eighteen Master Cicerones worldwide, and one of only two outside North America. The Master Cicerone qualification recognizes an exceptional understanding of brewing, beer, and pairing — combining outstanding tasting abilities with an encyclopaedic knowledge of commercial beers. The two-day exam challenges individuals to converse with professional brewers and chefs as a peer, demonstrate the tasting ability of a seasoned quality control panel member and yet also speak with consumers using easy-to-understand but vividly descriptive language.

Rob has been in the craft beer industry for just over 5 years; from a graphic design background, he joined BrewDog’s marketing team in Ellon as a junior, and progressed to managing the NPD process. Alongside this he handled design projects, as well as becoming a key part of the sensory analysis team. He is now the Creative & Marketing Director at Drygate Brewing Co, utilising his particular set of skills back in Glasgow, with a small, passionate and dedicated team.

Andrew has worked the beer trade for nearly a decade. Starting as bar staff and moving up to the management team, before being asked to transfer to brewery work. Where he got hands on experience in all operational sides of the brewing industry.

The former events management student now works in the events side of the industry. As the owner of the newly independent Beer Union Ltd, hosting masterclasses, tastings; working with some of Scotland’s top breweries, and providing breweries with event support. Recently sharing his passion and knowledge for great beer on YouTube.

Andrew judged the previous two years at the Scottish homebrew awards organised by The Scottish Craft Brewers. He is excited to be involved in the 2019 Scottish Beer Awards.

Dr Dawn Maskell is the Director of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University. Dawn has a PhD from Oxford Brookes University in brewing yeast physiology and an Honours degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University.

Previously she worked on the valorisation of brewery and distillery co-products. Dawn is a member of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling with a Diploma in Brewing and is an accredited Chartered Scientist. Dawn is also on the Board of Examiners for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and the programme committee for the 2017 Worldwide Distilled Spirits Convention.

Aly is a craft beer and whisky specialist who has worked in the Scottish drinks industry for nearly 10 years. From large scale events organisation and bar management to brand ambassador work and sales, he has worked with both independent and corporate brands alike. With a background in publishing and journalism he has worked as a freelance writer for a number of years, allowing him to get an even deeper insight into the brewing and distilling industries.

He currently runs the largest brewery taproom in the country - Six Degrees North , Edinburgh - which showcases great craft beer from around the world across 40 taps, but loves to promote Scottish breweries above all else.

Chris is group commercial director of JW Filshill (& JW Filshill International) a fifth generation distributor of ambient goods.

In 2014 he established the Craft Beer Clan which is now Scotland’s leading domestic & international consolidator / exporter of craft beer & spirits.

The Craft Beer Clan represents a growing portfolio of brews from all regions of Scotland & utilises expertise in the market to consolidate for importers, distributors & retailers enabling consumers access to the variety and depth of beer styles from the brewing excellence of Scotland’s craft producers.

Miller recently formed a new brewing venture in partnership with Scott Williams, founder and brewmaster of Williams Brothers Brewing Co, and international whisky expert, Master of the Quaich Charles PB MacLean.

The Clan Brewing Company portfolio focusses on a series of four whisky barrel-aged beers matured in regional single malt casks & exports to USA ,China,Hong Kong,,Japan & South Korea.

Chris is also a non-exec of BrewGooder, the new craft beer brand produced in partnership with BrewDog which donates 100% of its profit to clean water projects.

Driven by a passion for all things beer and whisky-related, Sean writes for the Scotsman extensively on both subjects. 

He can also sometimes be found behind the bar at the world famous Potstill bar in Glasgow where he continues to enhance his beer knowledge.

Ben previously worked for Bairds Malt for 3 years and started out as a Commercial Graduate before taking on a new role at Brewers Select. The Graduate programme at Bairds involved walking fields of barley with our growers, to the storage and logistics involved in managing both barley intake and customer malt sales. During his 3 years with Bairds he developed a unique appreciation for the malting industry, both from a commercial and production perspective. This experience stood him in good stead for a move to Brewers Select, where he was appointed as Sales and Key Account Manager for Scotland & North England.  Now he works as both a Brand Ambassador for Bairds Malt in the U.S. and enjoys travelling the UK on behalf of Brewers Select as a Key Account Manager for our craft brewing and distilling customers. 

Professor Sir Geoff Palmer OBE was born in Jamaica. After leaving school in London in 1958, he attended evening classes to improve his qualifications. He subsequently entered Leicester, Edinburgh and Heriot Watt Universities where he gained BSc, PhD and DSc degrees, respectively. Professor Palmer has taught at the Heriot Watt University (ICBD) for about thirty years and has carried out research on cereal grains and malt for about fifty years.

He has received many research, academic and community awards and was knighted in 2014 for his contributions to science, charity and human rights.

Robert is a qualified brewing professional with extensive experience in quality and technical roles in beer production. Based in the UK and working for yeast specialists Lallemand, Robert’s expertise includes Fermentation and cask beer production. He has won awards working on projects with breweries in the US and Australia and was named IBD young brewer of the year 2013/14. Passionate about beer flavor and sensory science, he is also a Doemans Beer Sommelier graduate.

David runs his own Edinburgh-based consultancy Because Brands Matter. The business has one sole objective; to make other people’s brands more
famous.

With a career spanning 33 years, David has worked both agency and client side and has collaborated with many food and drink manufacturers. These include names such as Glenmorangie, Drambuie, Smirnoff, Tennent’s, Mother’s Pride, Schlitz, Harviestoun and Border Biscuits.Using his unique Brand Repositioning Workshop process, he has helped hundreds of businesses, across a wide variety of sectors, reframe their proposition and hone their messaging.

David is the only person to have won been awarded Agency Creative Director of the Year, Agency Managing Director of the Year and Scotland Food & Drink SME
Client of the year. He describes himself as being “A lover of all beer styles” and is always interesting in assisting any brand looking to improve sales and increase their share of voice.

As the founder of ScotBeer Tours, Sara works to promote Scotland as a brewcation destination publishing beer guides and creating experiences for locals and visitors that tell the story of Scotland through beer over the last 1000 years.

Pete has worked in the trade since the age of 18 having started with Oddbins. He move into on trade to see the business from the other side, moving back to off trade after securing a position with a local independent beer shop in Edinburgh. 

He opened The Beerhive in 2011 as a craft beer specialist and now stocks over 700 beers and 500 wines. In 2015 The Beerhive was named the Scotland’s best beer shop by Off License News.

Ali Stewart qualified as a CA with KPMG in Edinburgh before joining the London office of Royal Bank Equity Finance in 2000, spending the next 13 years investing in, managing and exiting a wide range of mid-market buyouts, growth capital deals and other non-standard investments via RBEF's £1.1bn Special Opportunities Fund.  Ali was a Managing Director, Head of the Industrials team and a member of the Investment Committee.  He then spent two years working on private equity, infrastructure and corporate projects before founding Igneous Capital with Bill Dobbie in 2015 to invest in and grow early stage and growth companies.   

Ali is the CEO of Flavourly, the e-commerce retailer offering UK consumers access to a wide variety of quality, craft and premium alcoholic drinks.

Following Rachel’s graduation from the MSc in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University in 2002; she joined the team at the Scottish & Newcastle Technical Centre in Edinburgh.  Completing roles at Fountain and John Smiths Brewery, Rachel moved to S&N’s head office in Edinburgh and following the acquisition by Heineken Rachel spent five years as UK Sensory Manager.  In 2012 Rachel joined the team at Innis & Gunn and spent the next five year as Quality and Sensory Manager.  Since October 2017 Rachel has worked at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University as an Assistant Professor – Brewing, teaching brewing and sensory classes to undergraduate and postgraduate students.  Rachel has a keen interest in beer and food matching and enjoys the opportunity to judge at home and international beer competitions.

Dan has over 32 years’ experience in the brewing industry over three continents. Dan was Brewers Society Scholar 1985 (Msc -British School of Malting & Brewing) and became an MBrew in 1991 with Bass Brewers. Dan has enjoyed a diverse career working in many aspects of the industry.

He worked in the ‘first wave’ of craft brewing in the USA in the late 1980s at The Commonwealth Brewing Company, Boston and The Pacific Northwest Brewing Company, Seattle. Dan spent over 20 years working with Bass/Coors including both Production and Technical Director roles in the UK. During this time he represented Coors Brewing on the advisory boards of both ICBD Herriot Watt and Campden BRI. Dan was also Production & Technical Director of Bass Ginsber in Manchuria, China for 3 years in the mid 1990s. Dan also represented the UK brewing industry on the European Brewing Convention (EBC) 2003-2005. He has also worked in senior positions in Innserve, Micromatic and outside the Industry. Dan is currently General Manger of Brewers Select -Bairds Malt craft brewing ingredients division in the UK. He has a wealth of brewing knowledge, specifically contributing to the craft business division.

Graeme left school in Fife at 17 to work in the yeast pilot plant of the former Distillers Company (DCL) in Menstrie, where his interests in fermentation were born. He subsequently graduated with a BSc in Brewing & Biochemistry in 1975 and completed his PhD in Yeast Physiology (1978), both from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. He was awarded DSc by Abertay University in 2004, where he is now Professor of Zymology.  Prior to joining Abertay in 1987, he held positions in Denmark (Carlsberg Foundation), New Zealand (Otago University) and Ireland (Dublin City University)

He is a Fellow of The Institute of Brewing and Distilling, and UK representative on The International Commission for Yeasts. His research focuses on understanding and optimising yeast fermentation processes. He has published over 200 articles in journals, books, and conference proceedings and has authored/edited several textbooks, including Yeast Physiology & Biotechnology (1998), Bioethanol (2011), Distilled Spirits (2012) and The Alcohol Textbook (2017).

Graeme also acts as guest lecturer in Brewing and Distilling at the Siebel Institute/World Brewing Academy (Chicago), and convenes The Alcohol Schools   (held variously in Montreal, Toulouse, Bangkok etc.). He is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of the Institute of Brewing and the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

Professor Walker acts as consultant for international brewing, distilling, yeast biotechnology and biofuel companies.

He loves real (Scottish) ales!

In 1997 Caroline and her husband founded one of Scotland’s first micro-breweries within their family pub and restaurant, The Fox & Hounds.  Caroline’s role was to drive business growth with responsibility for sales, marketing and logistics.  Multi award winning, both the pub and brewery were sold in 2012 after winning CAMRA’s Champion Best Bitter of Great Britain with Houston Peter’s Well. 

Caroline then joined Scotland Food & Drink, and since January 2017 has been working with The Brewers Association of Scotland (TBAS) to develop and communicate events and opportunities that will help grow both the sector and member breweries.

Andrew Wolffe is a designer and business owner who has worked at the highest level of design consultancy in Scotland for over 30 years, he runs a boutique brand design
agency in central Edinburgh. His well-informed brand thinking and intelligent creative solutions have supported a wide range of businesses from start-up distilleries to international 5 star hotel groups, and from Scotland's last independent stockbroker in Glasgow to a luxury shoemaker in South America.

Andrew is self-appointed Whisky Diplomat for a new Whisky Club venture that he is developing to export and sell Scotch whiskies in Colombia. His qualifications to judge the Beer Awards are based on consumption and a deep understanding of the importance of good design in this exciting sector.

Based in Edinburgh since the mid-2000s with a background in Architecture, Dominic has over 12 years of experience in the Hospitality and Wine & Spirits industry, with significant roles such as Head Sommelier, Buyer, and in Sales and Account management.

Over the period, a knowledge and approach to the industry has been cultivated that lead to the opportunity to take over the ownership and direction in 2015, of the Brauhaus in Edinburgh in collaboration with business partner Chris Mitchell of Cork & Cask, Edinburgh. Inherited as “a going concern”, the project is utilised as a vessel from which to test and implement ideals of anti-consumerist and commercial practices within modern culture and society.

The bar acts as a platform for innovative and progressive producers sharing similar ideals, focused on an integrity of ‘purpose’, ‘production’, and ‘quality’, across the beer, wine and spirit industries. Advocating an ideal of greater social and cultural accountability, questioning generic tendencies of a brand-conscious, fetishistic marketplace.