Spirits Communicator 2022 shortlist

The IWSC Spirit Communicator 2022 - sponsored by Chivas Brothers - aims to recognise an individual who is making an exceptional contribution towards promoting spirits to the public. With such a broad mix of communication tools available, from traditional articles to live webinars, Instagram stories, books and beyond, the opportunities are endless.

Through the IWSC’s Spirits Communicator of the Year award, we aim to recognise and reward those who have succeeded in using an omnichannel approach to communicate their spirits message to their audience.

For 2022, applications were at an all-time high and our panel had the hard job of whittling down the long list of nominees to just five outstanding candidates. We are delighted to reveal our shortlist for this year’s Spirits Communicator of the Year award…

Billy Abbott

Self-proclaimed ‘Whisky-Geek’, Lego lover and all-round spirit specialist – Billy is the training and content manager at The Whisky Exchange. His job title does not truly define his wide encyclopaedic knowledge of spirits, and it is this which helped him become one of the first to gain the WSET Level 3 Spirits Teaching Qualification. With this qualification, Billy has trained staff at The Whisky Exchange over the past two years. He is one of the main presenters of The Virtual Whisky Show and it is his down to earth presenting style that helps him create accessible and interesting content on a variety of social media platforms. Billy’s blog ‘Spirited Matters’, has been running since 2009 and he is about to release his first book ‘The Philosophy of Whisky’. Billy’s plans for the future include bringing the accessible and popular training sessions he conducts for The Whisky Exchange, to a consumer audience. 

Millie Milliken

Millie Milliken is a familiar name to many in the industry thanks to her massive breadth of work. Her aim to democratise the spirit industry has seen her carrying out work as diverse as matching whiskies to ice cream and launching The Drinks Community, a platform to bring the industry together and help it grow and diversify. With a focus on bringing the stories behind the bottles into the spotlight she has written for publications including Master of Malt, Spirits Beacon, Supper and the IWSC’s sister publication Club Oenologique, as well as presenting a session for Money Supermarket on drinks and cocktail culture. Her podcast ‘Sliding Pours’ focuses on drinks industry professionals’ lives outside of their drinks roles. Millie is in the midst of launching her weekly newsletter ‘Wet Ink’ and writing a book that celebrates people in the UK drinks/bar industry. Millie is focused on demystifying spirits, bringing brands to the consumer in a fun and engaging way as well as developing and mentoring future spirits communicators. 

Felipe Schrieberg

Redefining how consumers interact with whisky is a passion project for Felipe Schrieberg. Alongside a respected body of work that sees him regularly write for publications including Forbes, Whisky Magazine and Whisky Wash he has also hosted over 250 online tastings and published his book, ‘London Cocktails’. With a calling to demystify the world of spirits, his works include, creating ‘The Rhythm and Booze’ project which holistically combine whisky and music, including building a drum kit out of whisky casks! His ambitions include matching whisky and music for live audiences and continuing to use his writing to reach as wide an audience as possible and highlight, expose and educate trade and consumers alike from matching whisky to cheese, to exposing sustainability and organics in whisky creation.

Moa Nilsson

The ‘Swedish Whisky Girl’ is becoming a familiar face on social media, which is where Moa is growing her audience of interested whisky lovers around the world. Her engaging style and content takes readers on her journey of whisky discovery, as she navigates the world of whisky in a refreshing and unusual way, gaining her a following of over 16K. Her curiosity and friendly delivery coupled with a passion for storytelling, highlight a new insight into communicating about everything from spirits, to matching whisky with ice-cream or even a distillery with a dress, all whilst gently educating the reader in a non-intimidating way. Her style has led her to write many articles for several drinks magazines and receive awards. Her ambition is to grow her online presence and continue her journey of communicating about spirits. 

Kristiane Sherry 

With a diverse background in the spirits world that has seen her as editor, co-producer, and taster, Kristiane Sherry is a trojan in communicating about spirits. Her award-winning subscription service, ‘Pour & Sip’ was one of the pivotal companies during the pandemic, blazing a trail in how tastings could move online and open up to wider audiences. Able to communicate across a wide range of platforms; she has put trade and consumer education at the forefront of the conversation, not only training Atom Group’s staff, but now devising internal training sessions for FINE+RARE. Her ability to switch between audiences and communicate at a variety of different levels across multiple platforms make her an important ambassador for the world of spirits. Her aim is to bring greater recognition to both ‘Pour & Sip’ and FINE+RARE. 

Our winner will be announced at our Whisky Awards Ceremony, taking place in Edinburgh on 21^st October.

Click here for more information about our whisky tasting and awards ceremony.

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is a global drinks producer and exports company steeped in Scottish heritage. It is the only Pernod Ricard business dedicated entirely to Scotch whisky and comprises a prestigious range of single malt and blended whiskies. Chivas Brothers’ award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered Scotch whisky brands including Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet.