A proud Scotsman, Ian started his career in the alcohol business straight from school working for an independent wine merchant in his home town of Edinburgh. From here his formative years in the On Premise were spent in the late night scene working in more sticky floored nightclubs than he’d care to admit in some of the less desirable cities in the North of England.
From there it was onwards and upwards back to his home town where he was one of the key figures in the early 2000s cocktail revival in Edinburgh where he trained and mentored two generations of cocktail bartenders who have gone on to run some of the best bars in the world. Ian moved to the Sales side of the business for a time in Malt Whiskey before switching back to his favored training role this time as part of the Bacardi UK Training Team. Here he has worked with all strata of the spirits industry and some of the biggest names in the business as a consultant and trainer and counts Tales of the Cocktail®, London Cocktail Week, the Imbibe Bar Show and many others amongst his many presenting credits. Ian is Director of Advocacy & Training for Bacardi USA.