Chair
Shay Waterworth
Shay joined Drinks International as a reporter in 2017 shortly after returning from China where he studied Mandarin as part of a scholarship with the British Council. Since then he has used degree in journalism and experience on national newspapers to provide insight in the drinks industry, building a reputation as a respected member of the trade press.
His writing was acknowledged in 2019 when he won the Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year. Becky Paskin, drinks writer and presenter, said:
“Shay has a natural affinity for storytelling. His confident yet humble tone and journalistic nose for thoroughly exploring a subject add an authoritative weight to his writing, while his ability to create intrigue and suspense elicits a hungry curiosity.”
As well as running the Drinks International website and writing regular features for the monthly editions, Shay has also produced a variety of supplements over the years on subjects including rum, world whiskies and gin. He also edits the annual results magazine for the International Spirits Challenge and contributes to the Global Bar Edition which commentates on the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars.
Shay has headed the Pre-mixed drinks sector of the ISC for the past four years and watched it grow significantly during that period, particularly since the uptake in RTDs caused by lockdowns off the back of the pandemic.