Distilled Spirits

Dr Annie E. Hill is Associate Professor and Programme Director for the MSc/Postgraduate Diploma in Brewing & Distilling by Distance Learning at the International Centre for Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. Research interests currently involve distilled spirits production with a focus on microbiological aspects including fermentation and distillery microflora. Within teaching, Annie is Course Director for a range of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes covering microbiology, biochemistry and industrial practice, and has supervised over 170 MSc projects.

Annie regularly reviews articles within brewing/distilling microbiology for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, the American Society of Brewing Chemists, Foods, Fermentation, Food Control, and Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, and is an Editorial Board Member for the American Society of Brewing Chemists and Journal of Distilling Science. She is the editor of Brewing Microbiology and co-editor of Distilled Spirits. Frances Jack is a Senior Scientist at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI) where she specialises in research into whisky flavour and sensory evaluation. Working closely with industry, she spends time understanding industry priorities to make sure that the research that SWRI carries out aligns with the needs and challenges faced by Scotch Whisky producers. Frances has a background in Food Science and a PhD in sensory method development, both from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. She also has a Diploma in Distilling, is a Fellow of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling, and has published widely on sensory and whisky related topics.