Spirits writers, marketers and designers are among the most influential forces in the spirits industry. Their opinions, ideas and creative talents inform and influence consumer perceptions and buying decisions.
The John Barleycorn Society was started by a group of spirits journalists seeking to honor excellence in all facets of the industry. The journalists spent several years creating a comprehensive competition that became the John Barleycorn Awards.
An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
John McCarthy
Director of Judging, Spirits Journalist
John McCarthy is co-founder and Director of Judging for the John Barleycorn Society. John is the author of The Modern Gentleman, A Guide to the Best Drinks, Food, and Accessories and was the long-time senior managing editor and alcohol aficionado at Men’s Health magazine. When not travelling the world in search of spirits, wine, and cocktail enlightenment, John works as a mixologist and consultant. You can check out his storytelling at Forbes, Men’s Health, Maxim, JW Marriott magazine, Bourbon+, and Gear Patrol.
📸: @ebruyildiz
Leslie Sbrocco
Author, Speaker, Consultant, and Television Host,
Leslie Sbrocco is one of the most awarded and renowned spirits journalists in the world. Leslie is a three-time Emmy winner, James Beard Award winner, author, speaker, consultant and television personality. In addition to a prolific book and magazine writing career, Leslie is the long-time host of the PBS series Check Please! a regular guest on NBC’s Today show, and frequently appears on CNN, QVC and the Hallmark Channel. Her latest project, 100 Days, Drinks, Dishes & Destinations is now airing on PBS
stations.
Clay Whittaker is a prolific freelance spirits, culture, and lifestyle writer. His work has been featured in some of the top print and digital publications like Esquire, Maxim, Men’s Journal, Southern Living, Popular Science, NBC, NPR, The Daily Beast, Playboy and Bourbon+. His media resume also includes assistant editor and tasting coordinator for Cigar Aficionado and editor at large for the Bourbon Review.
Frank Caiafa is an author, writer, tasting judge, and food and beverage director/consultant who has worked with some of the world’s top bars and restaurants including New York’s Lexington Hotel and Waldorf Astoria. Frank is the author of The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book, a modern update of the classic cocktail books of the Waldorf from the 1930s. His writing and recipes have been published in numerous publications including The New York Times, Wine Enthusiast, and Time Out New York.
Jack Robertiello
1951-2021
The late Jack Robertiello was an original member of The Barleycorn Society who helped organize the Barleycorn Awards competition as well as the editorial plan for BarleycornDrinks!. Jack was a long-time, highly-respected, well-known spirits journalist. The 2022 Spring Competition is dedicated to Jack’s memory.
Rachel DelRocco Terrazas
Spirits Writer, Speaker
Rachel DelRocco Terrazas is Associate Editor at Wine & Spirits Magazine, where she oversees the tasting department and leads the spirits writing. Rachel is also an in-demand speaker and educator having presented at San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Bar Convent Brooklyn, and BevCon Charleston. She is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and is pursuing the Level 3 Advanced of Wine & Spirits Education Trust.
Tony Sachs
Spirits Journalist
Tony Sachs has been writing about spirits, cocktails, bars and the boozy life in general since 2007 for the Huffington Post, Robb Report, Serious Eats, Whisky Advocate, Liquor.com, and Esquire. Tony has judged cocktail competitions for several brands, including Jack Daniel's, Stoli Elit, and Chivas Regal. Tony is a member of the Bourbon Roundtable, which helps select batches of Booker's Bourbon for release.
Susie is a freelance cocktail, spirits, food, and travel writer coming to us from Dallas, Texas ... or wherever her travels take her. Susie is the founder of SusieDrinks.com and TheJetsweater.com, contributes to Bevvy, the Dallas Observer, D Magazine, Where Magazine, and Texas Lifestyle Magazine, and runs her own social media consulting agency. But she's never too busy to dive into "research" for her articles, because the perfect Gibson isn't going to find itself.
Jonah Flicker
Spirits Journalist
Jonah Flicker is a freelance writer who covers spirits, lifestyle, and travel, with a particular focus on all things whiskey. His work has appeared in outlets including Robb Report, Esquire, USA Today, Maxim, Liquor.com, and many others. Over the years, he has traveled the world visiting distilleries from Kentucky to Scotland to uncover the stories behind the spirits.
Susannah Skiver Barton
Spirits Journalist
A seasoned blind taster and critic, Susannah Skiver Barton covers whisky and spirits from both lifestyle and trade angles. She served as a senior editor at Whisky Advocate and Market Watch for many years, responsible for the annual awards list. Other bylines include Punch, The Daily Beast, and more. She is a Certified Spirits Specialist and recipient of the 2020 Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer Award.
Susan Reigler
Author, Spirits Journalist
Former restaurant critic and beverage columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, Susan is bourbon columnist for Food & Ding and Covey Rise magazines and also writes for Bourbon+, LEO Weekly, and American Whiskey(tasting notes and ratings). Susan has authored or co-authored six books including Kentucky Bourbon Country: The Essential Travel Guide, The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book, The Bourbon Tasting Notebook, and The American Whiskey Tasting Notebook, and Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon? – Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinner, and Cocktail Parties. Susan is a member of the Order of the Writ, former president of both the Bourbon Women Association and the Kentucky chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, an organization of women culinary professionals.
Clint Lanier
Author, Spirits Journalist
Clint Lanier is a professor in the English Department of New Mexico State University. He is also the co-author of Drunken History, Bucket List Bars: Historic Saloons, Pubs, and Dives of America, and Craptails: the World’s Worst, Weirdest, and Most Disturbing Drinks. He has also written about spirits and travel for The Huffington Post, Fodors, Eater, and Liquor.com.
Sother Teague
Author, Spirits Journalist
Author, podcast host, and world-renowned beverage director, Sother Teague is a New York City bar legend. He wrote an entire book on the notes app of his iPhone, and got New Yorkers to care about amaro long before it was trendy. A culinary school graduate, Sother began his career working in restaurant kitchens before becoming a research and technical chef for Alton Brown’s Good Eats. He later incorporated his culinary experiences into a distinctive style of bartending that he has brought to some of New York’s more innovative establishments.
Nico Martini
Author, Spirits Journalist
Musician, performer, radio personality, university lecturer, author of Texas Cocktails (2018) and Texas Whiskey (2021) and a regular contributor to American Whiskey Magazine. Nico is also the Co-Founder of Grayson Blended Texas Bourbon, as well as Bar Draught, mobile draught cocktail solutions. He has presented at numerous industry events, including Tales of the Cocktail, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Conference, San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Catersource, Portland Cocktail Week and The Bar Institute.
Jackie Summers is an author, journalist, public speaker, and serial entrepreneur. Jackie is the founder of JackFromBrooklyn Inc. and the creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur. He served as an Executive Editor for The Good Men Project for six years and was ranked among the world’s 100 Most Influential Bar Industry Figures by Drinks International Magazine (2019, 2020), and named to the Imbibe 75 (2021). Most recently, Jackie was recognized by FOOD & WINE as one of eight "Drinks Innovators of the Year" for 2022.
Amanda Schuster
Spirits Journalist
Amanda Schuster is a freelance writer with over 15 years' industry experience covering wine, spirits, cocktails and occasionally things you eat with those things. She is a freelance writer, beverage consultant, and the author of New York Cocktails from Cider Mill Press. With advanced training in both wine and spirits, Amanda likes to think of herself as bi-spiritual.
Kevin Gray is a writer covering food, drinks and travel, with a particular focus on spirits and cocktails. He's the editor of Bevvy and contributes to publications including The Dallas Morning News, Forbes, InsideHook. Liquor.com and Thrillist. Over the years, Kevin has visited distilleries from California to Kentucky to Scotland. He's judged numerous cocktail competitions, and his drinks-related commentary has been featured in outlets such as Fast Company, Eater and USA Today.
Who is John Barleycorn?
Since the first distiller started experimenting with various grains and techniques, many a would-be artisan has searched for the elusive combination that would produce a spirit hailed for its perfect taste and flawless presentation.For half a century, this quest has been illuminated in poems, stories and lyrics penned by the likes of Robert Burns, Jack London and Steve Winwood. Their protagonist, John Barleycorn, is a metaphor for the indignation, suffering, death and rebirth in the cyclical nature of planting, growing, harvesting and distillation.John Barleycorn has been revered for centuries. But he has never seen anything like what is happening now. A new generation of marketing is igniting demand for historic brands, varieties, new flavors, craft cocktails and small distilleries that are popping up throughout the world. John Barleycorn has emerged from the fields and taverns to a worldwide economic catalyst providing millions of jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic activity.
"John Barleycorn's inhibition rises like a wall betweenone's immediate desires and long-learned morality."
Jack London
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