Spirits Judges' Top Picks

Discover the top spirits our judges rated the highest at our recent judging...here we discover what multi-award winning drinks writer, Millie Milliken, rated as her top picks.

An early adopter in the modern gin boom, David has built up an unrivalled wealth of knowledge on juniper spirits. As well as Gin, he leads judging for vodka, vermouth and liqueurs for the IWSC. Here we discover the spirits he scored most highly at last year's spirits judging.

Here we discover the entrants Joel Harrison scored highest at our 2022 spirits judging. An IWSC Judging Committee member, award-winning drinks writer and commentator, and whisky and fine spirits specialist, discover his top picks here.

Co-founder of Glassmates, Jimmy Harris returned for IWSC judging in 2022 to assist with our whisky judging. Discover his top picks here

A whisky consultant and writer, Colin is also a presenter on The Three Drinkers on Amazon Prime, Chairman of the Circle of Wine Writers and a Keeper of the Quaich. His writing careers started at the Scotsman, he has since worked at The Times and FT, and became the founding editor of Whisky Quarterly magazine. He contributes to Club Oenologique and on top of all this, as well as being one of our judges, Colin is also a highly skilled and awarded photographer. Discover his top picks here.

Discover the top spirits our judges rated the highest at our recent judging...here we discover what Rosie Milsom, Head of New Product Development at Atom Brands, rated as her top picks.

Dhavall has more than a decade of experience in the alcohol sector, beginning his whisky career at single malt maker The Macallan in 2014 before joining The Lakes Distillery in 2016. Earlier this year he launched his own consultation business – Dhavall Ghandi Whisky. Discover his top picks here.

Sam Carter has been an Ambassador for Bombay Sapphire since early 2009. His role requires him to be at the coal front  of this ever-expanding drinks category. During his 25+ years within the drinks industry, Sam has developed a wealth of knowledge through his training and on hands experience, making his contribution to our judging incredibly relevant and important. Discover his top picks here.

Tim is the Co-Founder & Commercial Director of Crossip Drinks, which he founded back in 2020 on a mission to change the no and low category. Discover his top picks here.

Bernadette Pamplin is a writer with years of experience, who relatively recently took the step to specialise in what she loves most. The wonderful world of spirits. She founded her website, Under the Ginfluence back in 2015 and has been judging with the IWSC for several years. Discover her top picks here.

Founder of Thames Distillers, Charles’ family have been involved in the gin trade from as far back as the 1680’s. Discover his top picks here.

Having worked in kitchens and bars across the world, Keli took up the post of Sipsmith‘s US brand ambassador in 2018 and has since been working hard to help this renowned British gin gain momentum in the US. Discover her top picks here.

Guy is Spirits Buyer for luxury fine wine and spirits merchant Bordeaux Index which he joined in 2021 after four years at Master of Malt. An avid whisky lover as well as a big cricket fan, discover his top picks here.

Veronika Karlova is a Slovakian vodka expert based in the UK. With an extensive knowledge of the global vodka market, Veronika is the UK Brand Ambassador for Beluga Vodka. Discover her top picks here.

Billy is a writer and educator specialising in whisky and fine spirits. Formerly a computer programmer in the finance industry, in 2011 he swapped code for actual words, rapidly becoming one of most respected voices in whisky. Discover his top picks here.

Barry has judged with the IWSC for over 10 years and specialises in agave and Asian spirits including Shochu. He has many strings to his bow, including as a Restaurateur, Food & Beverage Development Consultant, business owner and a restaurant and bar start up specialist. Discover his top picks here.

Anne has worked in the wine and spirits industry since 2008, when she moved into the buying team at Waitrose. She has covered all categories, and has visited, studied and enjoyed extensively - most recently with focus on rum, gin, alcohol-free and baijiu. Discover her top picks here.