Where culture meets flavour.
The Flavour Report isn’t your standard industry round-up; it’s an insider’s look at the flavours shaping spirits, cocktails, and drinking culture, told through a lens that’s both expert and irreverent.
We spotlight ideas, innovation, and cultural relevance — giving every reader a seat at the table in a broader, more meaningful conversation about flavour.
We cut through the noise to explore the stories, techniques, and trends that actually matter, whether it’s the way terroir impacts whisky, the cultural roots of a cocktail movement, or why some flavours suddenly become the bartender’s new infatuation.
Navigating Each Edition
We don’t follow a traditional format, rather, every section of the Flavour Report is designed with purpose. Think of it as a tasting menu for your mind, organized into four distinct courses.
-
The people, products, and distilleries rewriting the flavour rules.
-
Tools, terms, and taste training for the flavour-obsessed.
-
Data-driven reports and historical deep-dives into the forces shaping how we drink.
-
Bold opinions, hot takes, and the debates worth pouring over.
Contributors.
We bring different perspectives to the table, but we’re united by a love for purposeful work, thoughtful spirits, and real connection.
Masthead
Reece Sims
Reece is the Editor and Publisher of the Flavour Report, a spirited publication exploring the intersection of flavour, culture, and connection. Named the 2025 IWSC Emerging Talent in Spirits Communications, she’s also an international spirits awards judge, seasoned writer, and educator. In addition, Reece is the founder of Flavor Camp and owner of SIP Spirits Consulting, where she helps brands bring flavour to life. Her work focuses on data- and insight-driven strategies that shape the global drinks landscape.
Publisher & Founder
Abby Wiseman
Founder of Amuse Bouche Creative Studios, Abby is a photographer, writer, and content strategist who has made her mark in the food and beverage industry by collaborating with prominent food brands and restaurants. With her unique background in journalism and the restaurant industry, Abby uses her lens and words to uplift small food and sustainable lifestyle brands.
Editor & Social MediaContributing Writers
Charlene Rooke
Charlene Rooke is a Vancouver-based drinks journalist and educator. She is the Drinks Editor of LCBO Food & Drink magazine, teaches spirits courses for the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, and leads tastings for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and others. As the Academy Chair Canada West, World’s 50 Best Bars, she's on a quest to discover the world's best rye Manhattan.
Erik Kozlik
Eric Kozlik is a spirits judge, cocktail expert, and consultant based in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and Principal Consultant at Direct Fire Consulting, where he helps distillers and hospitality professionals create stunning liquid brands. Since 2017, he has produced and hosted The Modern Bar Cart Podcast, which has been recognized by Tales of the Cocktail and The New York Times as an industry leading drinks podcast.
Heather Storgaard
Heather is a multilingual Danish-Scottish writer, judge, and consultant who is passionate about whisky. She loves uncovering forgotten corners of the industry as well as using her cross cultural skills to bring international stories to new audiences. In 2025 she was named one of Harper's Wine & Spirits 30 under 30 and a Bourbon Women SIP Scholar.
Andrea Fujarczuk
Andrea is a Professor and Program Coordinator for Artisan Distilling at Niagara College with over a decade of experience in spirits production, sales, education, and media. A level 4 WSET scholarship winner with an MBA and a BSc in Environmental Science, she is currently completing her DBA at Heriot-Watt University, exploring values and the role of country of origin in the Canadian whisky market.
Blair Phillips
Blair is a lifestyle and spirits writer specializing in Canada's growing landscape of spirits and distilleries. He co-authored The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distillers (Appetite by Random House), the 2021 Gourmand Award winner for Best in the World - Drink Culture. In addition to being the Canadian contributing editor for Whisky Magazine, Blair contributes to various publications and is on the jury for the World Whiskies Awards, the Canadian Whisky Awards and the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition.
LinkedIn — Instagram
Davin De Kergommeaux
Davin is the world’s leading authority on Canadian whisky and an IACP award-winning writer. Author of Canadian Whisky: The Essential Portable Expert and founder of the Canadian Whisky Awards, he’s been a celebrated voice in spirits writing for over 25 years. In 2024, he was inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame and named one of Canada’s most influential in food and drink.
Guest Contributors
David T. Smith
David is an internationally renowned gin expert, judge and author. He chairs judging panels for the American Distilling Institute and the International Wine and Sprits Competition (IWSC), as well as the Gin Masters competition. In addition, he has written a variety of drinks books including Gin Tonica, The Craft of Gin, The Gin Dictionary, and more recently, Disco Cocktails with Keli Rivers.
Amanda Horn
From marketing wine to marketing water, Amanda is an ocean entrepreneur, professional scuba diver, and storyteller. She designs eco-conscious brand and product experiences that invite you to Take a Look in the Merroir™ because the ocean is reflected in everything we do and all we are.
Emma Cookson
Emma Cookson is an Australian-based whisky writer and communicator with a focus on Scottish and Australian whisky history. With a background of bartending in specialty whisky venues, she now writes and hosts tastings at The Whisky List and has received several accolades for her work.
Shawn Soole
Shawn Soole is the founder of Soole Hospitality Concepts (SHC), where he helps bars and restaurants thrive through tailored training, systems, and education. A BNIC-certified Cognac educator and passionate industry leader, he shares insights on business, culture, and creativity as the host of the Post Shift Podcast, inspiring hospitality professionals to grow smarter and stronger.
LinkedIn — Instagram — Website
Theresa Smith
Theresa Smith is a Whisky Ambassador and Whisk(e)y Sommelier whose journey began through cocktails and highballs. A self-confessed flavour geek, she has explored distilleries, built deep industry knowledge, and now champions Alberta’s craft distilling scene, with a passion for highlighting small producers doing innovative things.
LinkedIn — Instagram
Heather Wibbels
Heather Wibbels is an author, whiskey educator, and founder of Bourbon Fluent, as well as the award-winning mixologist behind Cocktail Contessa. An Executive Bourbon Steward, spirits judge, and former chair of Bourbon Women, she helps curious drinkers understand what they love—and why.
Sarah Jeltema
Sarah Jeltema is a whisky expert, educator, and founder of @whiskynomad. A leading voice on American Single Malt, she co-hosts the Decades Distilled Podcast and writes for publications including The Whiskey Wash. She is a Certified Specialist of Spirits, global tasting host, and San Francisco World Spirits Competition judge.
Matias A. Luciani
Matias is a Senior Whiskey Specialist and Cask Curator at Celtic Whiskey in Dublin, with a passion for whisky, spirits and their stories. A WSET Level 3 Spirits and CIBD General Certificate graduate, and IWSC Emerging Talent in Spirits Trophy winner, he writes about whiskey, production and the culture surrounding the category.
Claire Vokins
Claire is based in London, UK and has worked in the whisky industry on a freelance basis for over a decade. Her work includes brand ambassador work, consultancy and writing articles for her Substack, oh and anything that sounds like fun!
Cocktail Recipe Contributors
Jessica Colacci
Jessica is the 2024 winner of Canada’s Amaro Montenegro Vero Bartender competition and has been recognized on the World's 50 Best Bars list as a young and rising star through the 50 Best Bars Roku Scholarship. She has worked at some of Canada’s most acclaimed bars including Hoof Cocktail Bar and Bar Raval, and currently resides at Bar Pompette (#7 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2025).
Lacey-Jane Roberts
Lacey is the Head Bartender at Published on Main. She is an International Award Winning Bartender and Scientist that loves to explore the intersection of Science & Cocktails. She has a passion for Sustainability and is the Founder of BarSide Gatherings, a Community Based Sustainable Event Non-Profit.
Kim Xie
Kim Xie is a bartender at Salt & Brick and has worked at notable Calgary cocktail bars, including one featured on Canada’s 100 Best Bars list. She creates flavour-driven cocktails inspired by her culture, balancing creativity with approachability, always aiming to delight guests with every glass.
Chris Enns
Chris Enns is Beverage Manager at PEYA in Vancouver, BC, and a celebrated bartender with numerous cocktail competition titles to his name. Winner of World Class Canada in 2018 and Canada’s 100 Best Bartender of the Year in 2019, he brings award-winning expertise, creativity and a passion for flavor to every cocktail he creates.