Speakers

Kirsty Black is both Manager and Distiller at Arbikie Highland Estate, a field to bottle distillery located on the east coast of Scotland.  She has been there since the distillery conception in 2014, overseeing all aspects of its conversion, from disused cattle shed to a multi award-winning distillery production vodka, gin and whisky.   
  
Following obtaining a BSc in Plant Science, a PG Dipl. in Forensic Science and nearly 10 years working as an engineer in the Medical Device Industry the time had come to learn about alcohol. She graduated in Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University obtaining an MSc with distinction, The Watt Club Postgraduate Medal for best in school and the Brewers Company Prize for best in class.  She has since gone on to obtain her PhD from Abertay University and The James Hutton Institute. During her PhD, Kirsty demonstrated the potential of using legumes (peas and beans) in intercropping systems and the conversion of the resulting crops into beverage grade alcohol. This led to the launch of the world’s first climate positive gin made from peas (Nàdar). 
  
She is a Fellow of the Charted Institute of Brewing & Distilling and, in conjunction with working at Arbikie Distillery, she chairs their Awards Committee and sits on the Board of Examiners. 

Co-founder and Managing Director of MacLean & Bruce, Scotland’s leading luxury whisky travel specialist. Since 2013, she has grown and developed M&B, curating extraordinary whisky and travel luxury experiences, and exclusive access for global clients, working alongside renowned whisky authority Charles MacLean MBE, with whom she founded the company after designing a bespoke whisky tour for a visiting Royal.

In response to the pandemic, Vikki and fellow Director David Moore successfully diversified the business by expanding into cask trading, establishing a second revenue stream. This evolution continued in 2023 with the launch of Auld Bond Bottlers, a bonded warehouse and bottling facility in Perth. As one of three founders, Vikki served as Director and shareholder until May 2025.

Recognising the risks and fraudulent activity in the fast-growing cask market, Vikki founded CaskNet—a pioneering cask register designed to bring authenticity, traceability, and accountability to what has often been described as the ‘Wild West’ of whisky investment. CaskNet currently serves as a cask management system enabling cask buyers to access services without the need to go through a broker.

Prior to founding MacLean & Bruce Ltd, Vikki worked for independent bottlers Adelphi, and  from this is fortunate to have forged deep connections throughout the whisky (production) industry and hands-on experience in all areas of whisky production and bottling.

David Ellis graduated with a BSc and PhD from the University of Exeter before embarking on a career in synthetic and analytical chemistry. He moved to Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh in 2000, initially as a Research Assistant, before obtaining an academic position in teaching and research. Together with a colleague, Dr Ruaraidh McIntosh, their team studies various aspects of Whisky Science, with a particular interest in sustainability. The group work closely with SWRI and several Distillers

Morag Garden is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the English Whisky Guild (EWG), an organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting English whisky producers. Appointed as the EWG's first full-time employee, Morag brings a wealth of experience from her decade-long tenure at the Scotch Whisky Association, where she served as Head of Sustainability and Innovation. 

Morag's career began in Scottish Water, where she held various roles from Laboratory through to Environmental Policy. She took several secondment opportunities, including a year with the Scottish Government developing policies on controlling Diffuse Pollution as part of Scotland’s implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. In 2007, she transitioned from water to whisky. 

A decade later, Morag became the Head of Sustainability & Innovation at the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). In 2021, she joined the global sustainability consultancy Carbon Intelligence as Associate Director, focusing on the Retail & Management sector. There, she delivered decarbonisation and offsetting roadmaps for blue-chip clients, including Specsavers, Channel 4, and Twitter. 

Now, as the first CEO of the English Whisky Guild, Morag is committed to supporting the guild in achieving its vision of being recognised globally as a respected choice for whisky drinkers. She is passionate about the growth and innovation within the English whisky sector, which is witnessing unprecedented growth and is at the forefront of creating spirits with incredible flavour diversity and the highest standards. Morag is dedicated to building a community for the sector and its wider stakeholders. 

Richard Heald is the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) Chair since 2022. Prior to this he was its Chief Executive Officer for 10 years during which time the UKIBC has evolved into a deliverer of sector focused policy advocacy and consultancy to members, stakeholders, and major corporates as well as a full provider of trade and investment services to Indian and UK companies operating in the UK India economic corridor with offices in India.

A career investment banker, he enjoyed over 30 years’ experience of the international financial markets, 20 years of which has been focused on advisory and capital raisings for governments and major corporate across the globe. Latterly, Richard had a 17-year career at Rothschild culminating in acting as Vice Chairman, Rothschild, India with associated responsibilities across Southeast Asia and a Partner of Rothschild. He retains extensive relationships across the region.

In addition to his chairmanship of UKIBC he is a Managing Director of Essar Energy Transition and a non-executive Director of TVS SCS Ltd.

Richard was awarded an OBE in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to economic and trade relations between the UK and India.

Calum holds a degree in Microbiology from the University of Leeds, and an MRes and PhD in Brewing Science from the University of Nottingham.  His PhD and Postdoc research focussed on use of unmalted cereals within the brewing process and valorisation of brewing/distilling co-products, with recent work addressing implications for raw materials selection and processing on whisky quality.  Currently, Calum is Associate Professor in Brewing and Distilling at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling based in Heriot-Watt University where he lectures on Malting and Brewhouse Operations.    

Julie leads the marketing and business development activities at the Scotch Whisky Experience welcoming hundreds of international journalists, content creators, and travel professionals each year. he is passionate about  promoting Scotland’s whisky tourism on putting in on the global stage.

Having joined the business in 1996 she has worked through many significant investment and development programmes, developing a new invigorated visitor attraction, enjoyed by both traditional and new emerging visitor markets. 

As a master of the quaich she is also involved in running numerous whisky tastings and presentations for guests and media from all over the world.

Chris Keenan is an International Trade Specialist at Scottish Enterprise, bringing over 25 years of global business experience to support the international growth of Scottish companies. Specialising in the food and drink sector, Chris works closely with distilleries and bottlers across Scotland, offering practical advice and commercial insights to help them succeed in export markets. 

With a strong background spanning both the private and public sectors, Chris provides tailored support to businesses, identifying export opportunities and helping them overcome market entry challenges. He collaborates extensively with Scotland’s food and drink industry bodies and leverages a wide overseas network to ensure Scottish businesses are well-positioned to compete and grow on the global stage. 

David Lee has hosted more than 500 events - more than 300 in-person and 200+ online. These have included policy conferences on a wide range of subjects, as well as election hustings, awards ceremonies, trade shows, and seminars. He has hosted the seminar stage at In-Drinks Glasgow and chaired the inaugural Scottish Distillers' Conference in autumn 2024. In 2025, he will chair the Distillers event again, as well as a new Whisky Conference. 
David has also presented more than 100 podcasts, and has a successful media training business. 

He has run his own company since 2009 and was previously a daily newspaper journalist for 20 years, latterly Senior Assistant Editor at The Scotsman. 
Away from work, he is an obsessive coastal rower, and an angry footballer of declining ability. He has four grown-up children and two border collies. 

Alex MacDonald, co-founder of North Point Distillery, was founded in 2020. North Point Distillery, based out of Thurso, Scotland, is a craft Rum, Gin and Scotch Whisky distillery with a unique focus on sustainability. Utilising innovative practices for sustainable energy, procurement, and production processes, the distillery has recently been awarded its B Corp certification.

Stephanie Macleod is Director of Blending for Bacardi’s John Dewar & Son Ltd.  She joined the industry in 1998, following four years of academic research at the University of Strathclyde on Scotch whisky, and after becoming the first female Master Blender in the history of Dewar’s in 2006, she now leads a team of Blenders, Whisky Stocks Analysts and Cask Experts; women and men from Scotland, India and the US to maintain and develop the house style of Dewar’s and Bacardi’s Single Malt Whisky portfolio, and ensure the best spirit is filled into the best oak casks to meet the demands for their whiskies now and in the future.

Stephanie’s knowledge and expertise in whisky making is widely acknowledged by the many prestigious accolades which have been bestowed upon her from some of the world’s top spirits competitions. One of the most notable being when Stephanie made history in 2019 by becoming the first woman to be awarded Master Blender of the Year in the International Whisky Competition. Stephanie has since retained this prestigious title for an outstanding six years in a row.

In addition to shaping the current generation of whisky, Stephanie is also working to influence and inspire future generations. Her blenders continue to learn daily from her wealth of knowledge and expertise, garnering expertise they will carry forward as DEWAR’S continues to champion the spirit of enriching discovery and change the whisky game.

Grant is a dual qualified lawyer. His practice has a commercial IP and regulatory focus and he holds specialist knowledge of the food and drink sector with a unique blend of expertise on product regulation, IP and commercial contracts. He has also worked with global producers and manufacturers of premium and luxury brand products on the commercialisation and maximisation of intellectual property rights, product diversification and strategic brand partnerships. 
 
Grant advises on a diverse range of regulatory frameworks that impact business matters including advertising regulation, including responding to complaints received from the Advertising Standards Authority and Trading Standards Scotland.  
Within the drinks sector, Grant has worked with leading producers in the Scotch whisky industry on a range of sector specific commercial agreements. His whisky industry experience includes advising on a wide range of contracts supporting the industry, ranging from due diligence support for M&A to whisky cask purchase agreements to contracts across the entire whisky supply chain (including grain drying and storage and transportation). 

Former strategy consultant Annabel grew up in Essex and she spent her childhood summers making the 12-hour journey to family holidays on the west coast of Scotland.  
 
Passionate about whisky, the inspiration for Nc’nean came originally from the location itself - Annabel’s parents bought the farm that the distillery is on nearly 20 years ago – an area of Scotland that is wild, beautiful and evocative of whisky distilling. But it was a trip to Islay when the idea really solidified – Annabel witnessed first-hand how many Scottish distilleries do things the way they have always been done.  
 
From these beginnings, Annabel started to develop the idea to create a whisky distillery that practices another of her great passions - sustainability.  Nc’nean began distilling in March 2017, after four years of fundraising and building the distillery from the ground up. Innovation and creativity are at the heart of the company’s philosophy and their award winning, organic single malt whisky has been making waves since its launch in August 2020 (including a world record-breaking £41,000 for the first bottle).  
 
With an uncompromising focus on sustainability, in July 2021 Nc’nean achieved verified net zero carbon emissions from its own operations. It is the UK’s first whisky distillery to be classified as net zero for scopes 1 & 2 and reached its goal 20 years ahead of the industry target. In addition, all Nc’nean’s products are certified organic, its bottle is 100% recycled glass and it recycles or reuses 99.9% of its waste.  
 
In January 2022, Nc’nean announced it was a certified B Corp, and recently in 2025 became re-certified with an extremely high score of 147.6 (versus an average UK score of 88), with major points in the environmental impact area. They are currently the highest scoring B Corp certified distillery globally.  

Billy Walker is a renowned figure in the Scotch whisky industry, celebrated for his transformative influence on several distilleries and his unwavering commitment to quality over a career spanning more than five decades.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Graduating from the University of Glasgow in 1967 with a BSc Honours Degree in Chemistry, a youthful Billy Walker had the perfect foundations to build an intimate knowledge of the science behind whisky making and flavour development.

Billy’s whisky journey began in 1972 at Hiram Walker & Sons – the company behind Ballantine’s at the time – where his role covered almost all aspects of production. After four years, he moved on to Inver House Distillers, taking up the position of Master Blender in 1976.

Fast-forward to 1982, Billy joined Burn Stewart Distillers where he went on to spend two decades, most notably playing a key part in the resurrection of Deanston and Tobermory Distilleries.

Reviving Distilleries and Establishing a Legacy

The next twelve years saw him acquire BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh Distilleries, each of which were either mothballed, closed or under exposed to the market. His innovative use of Sherry casks during this period played a pivotal role in popularising this maturation style within the industry. It was at this point in his career where Billy truly made a name for himself, leading the brands’ rejuvenation and subsequent phenomenal success.

The GlenAllachie Distillery

Billy’s next move was to his current position as owner and Master Distiller at The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, encompassing The GlenAllachie single malt, White Heather blended Scotch, MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, and most recently, Meikle Tòir peated single malt. The latter marks a significant milestone, representing Billy’s first core release fully overseen by him since acquiring the distillery in 2017.

Under his stewardship, the company has achieved widespread acclaim. Among its many accolades, the GlenAllachie 12-year-old was named World’s Best Single Malt at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards.

It’s from this incredible record of success that Billy has cemented his reputation as one of the most prominent whisky figures of his generation.

As Director of Spirit Research & Innovation at Independent Stave Company (ISC), Andrew Wiehebrink collaborates closely with distillers around the world to explore and expand the boundaries of modern spirits production. His work spans the creation and evaluation of new barrel products, as well as the design and execution of in-depth experiments that further the industry’s understanding of whiskey maturation, barrel performance, and alternative barrel construction techniques. 
Andrew has conducted more than 100 in-barrel experiments across multiple spirit categories and currently oversees a global portfolio of over 3,000 experimental barrels. His insights help shape the future of aging practices and drive innovation in cooperage and spirit development. 

Formerly HQ policy official HM Customs and Excise in excise duties directorates 1988 - 1997. Senior manager PwC 1998 - 2004. Independent consultant to present.
 
Chartered Tax Advisor; Fellow of the Institute of Indirect Taxation; Excise specialist on the Indirect Tax Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation; Honorary excise duty representative for the United Kingdom Warehousing Association 2009 - 2024. Founded The British Distillers' Alliance July 2016.
 
Liberalized the law in 1997 for spirits production (removing absolute bar on the licensing of distillers having stills of less than 18 hectolitres capacity), initiated the trade facility excise warehousing concept, worked on post implementation of law and procedures concerning excise duty assessments, penalties, appealing decisions against HMRC to Tax tribunal.
 
As a consultant has advised and assisted excise businesses on compliance, duty optimization, classification and all related matters.  Assisted many new distillers, rectifiers and excise warehousekeepers to be licensed/authorized approved by HMRC.  Instrumental in HMRC removing premises guarantee ("bond") as a standard condition of a new excise warehouse approval and removal of unlawful "dwell time" imposition on trade facility warehouses.  Reached agreement with HMRC Director in 2015 for formalisation of “approvals in principle” for applicant distillers and for warehouse approvals.
 
Instrumental in legal reform of WOWGR (removal of registration of owners) and repeal of spirits duty stamps legislation (both 2025) and working with industry and HMRC in developing the new alcohol producer regime (“drinks factory”)  made law 1 February this year.

Mark Littler is an independent whisky consultant, broker, and professional valuer. He is the founder of Mark Littler Ltd, owner of The Whiskey Wash (the world’s most visited whisky website), a Forbes contributor, and a Spear’s 500 recommended adviser. His insights into the whisky market have been featured by the BBC, The Telegraph, Which?, and cited in the Scottish Parliament. He works with collectors, investors, funds, family offices, and estates to buy, sell, and value rare bottles and casks.

Struan Reid is the R&D Technical Manager at Lallemand Biofuel & Distilled Spirits (LBDS), where he bridges research and commercial teams to support innovation, new product development and trials. Previously, Struan led the R&D team within LBDS, developing new products for a range of spirit categories. Originally graduating as a Chemist from The University of Edinburgh, he obtained his PhD from Heriot-Watt University’s ICBD in 2021. His research focused on malt whisky fermentation and spirit quality in collaboration with The Glenmorangie Company.

With a combined 20 years working in the whisky industry, brothers Gordon and Ally Stevenson launched Turntable Spirits in 2023. They both shared a frustration about the perception around the whisky world that the single malt category is where quality lies and blends are for volume. Blending presents a fantastic opportunity for creativity, flavour combination and quality.

At Turntable, the goal was to combine that opportunity with the care to detail, and transparency usually found in the world of single malt. What they landed on is a modern-day Blending House with a range of small batch blended whiskies, all bottled at least 46% ABV, natural colour and non-chill filtered. The focus is on quality, innovation and transparency.

They longed to create blends notable for their complexity and which belonged to a dynamic, forward-looking brand, unafraid to push the boundaries.

Gordon’s background covers many different aspects of the business and has seen him work with renowned distillers including Inver House and Douglas Laing & Co. Covering a wide range of markets, from Northern Europe to the Middle East, Gordon worked closely with production teams to create specialised products for different regions and helped to make cask selections for bespoke single cask bottlings. He has also participated in sensory and tasting panels and worked with a vast catalogue of whiskies, gaining an appreciation of aspects such as blending and production, NPD and consumer perception.

At Turntable, he is steering the operations side of the business, taking the lead on the sourcing and management of its whisky program, warehousing, bottling, and costing. Having worked on a wide variety of products, from entry-level blends to super-premium 40YO+ bottlings, Gordon has an acute understanding of the costs involved at each stage and will ensure Turntable offers the best value possible to customers.

Arthur's company The Motley Spirit Agency provides consultancy to the spirits industry in a range of areas including RTM and Sales Strategy, Historical Research, Coaching and Presentation. Before this he was Managing Director at Royal Mile Whiskies and cask buyer at SMWS in a career of 25 years. He also collaborates with writer Dave Broom on the YouTube channel 'The Liquid Antiquarian', which finds new stories about the drinks industry of the past.

Stuart works in the Scotch Whisky Association’s International Team as Head of Trade for the Asia-Pacific. Included in his portfolio are two of the top three priority markets for the SWA and its member companies, India and China. Stuart, alongside his other International Team colleagues, is focused on informing trade policy and tackling market access barriers.

Ewan is Head of Global Regulation in the Scotch Whisky Association’s International Team. He leads the SWA's engagement with influencing EU regulation, feeding into the developing the EU-UK relationship, and providing SWA member companies with analysis and support on EU and supranational policy developments that impact them.