Freelance writer and WSET-certified educator Marie Cheong-Thong has been judging spirits in the UK, Europe and the Far East for over 15 years.

She has visited wineries, distilleries and breweries all over the world as a food and beverage researcher, and was awarded a competitive scholarship by Genuine Education Network to research Japanese cuisine and sake making in Mie Prefecture, Japan.

Cheong-Thong also hosts and organises wine, sake and culinary trips around the world. She is currently a board director of the British Sake Association, and member of the Circle of Wine Writers, the Association of Wine Educators, and the Japanese Culinary Academy.