Mark Gruber has been a panelist at BTI since its inception in Chicago. Throughout his career, Mark has authored numerous magazine articles on the topic of wine and spirits, most notably the whiskey entry in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Mark also served as the consulting mixologist for The Art of Distilling co-authored by fellow panelist Alan Dikty and founder of the American Distilling Institute Bill Owens. Currently, Mark teaches wine and spirits classes at his alma mater, Northwestern University.
R.I.P. Alan Dikty
In Memoriam: Alan Dikty (August 5, 1954 – March 25, 2026) Everyone at Beverage Testing Institute is grieving the loss of our dear colleague, a partner, and friend, Alan Dikty. Since the mid-19...
2026 World Packaging Competition Winners
2025 was another tough year for the adult beverage industry. Alcohol sales were down due to the convergence of several “perfect storms” of obstacles on multiple fronts: tariffs and resulting trade...