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-1990’s, Alan was a senior spirits panelist and a spirits editor with the Institute, the kind of constant you could count on in the tasting lab and in the field. Professionally, he could be a grizzly bear—blunt, demanding, and not at all interested in letting small things pass. He didn’t suffer fools, and he never hid what he thought. Spend a little time alongside him—at a dinner, during a consulting project, or in conversation about the industry at a trade show—and another Alan came into view: attentive, generous, funny, and always ready to share a sometimes long-winded, but always worthwhile, historical anecdote to give context and meaning. The Alan we came to know over the years was actually a teddy bear, in his own way.
Like his close friend, the late Michael Jackson, Alan’s knowledge and command of beer and spirits were world-class. He wasn’t only tasting—he was analyzing and deciphering what was in the glass. He brought history, perspective, and a practical instinct for quality that only comes from long years in the trade and seeing a few things.
Writing was very dear to him, and so was getting the language right when talking about spirits. Back in 1999, as editor of the Beverage Testing Institute’s Buying Guide to Spirits, he helped set a tone we still value: plainspoken, precise, and rooted in history and research. He dedicated the book to his mother, author Julian May Dikty, and the line he chose shows the passion and pride he had in his writing: “The family tradition continues.”
Outside the Institute, as co-founder and CEO of Allied Beverage Tanks, he helped grow a company that supported the rise of the craft brewing and distilling movements. He had a keen ability to see where things were headed in the industry and the creativity and discipline to keep pace and innovate.
Sitting next to Alan on a tasting panel meant you were going to hear the truth—usually blunt, but always honest. It also meant you were with someone who cared deeply about getting it right. He challenged people, moved the conversation forward—sometimes testy but, in the end, he made the work better tested and tempered. And when things got quieter, he offered stories, erudite humor, and a warm smile that lingered.
Alan leaves an absence that’s hard to describe. We will miss the depth of his experience, but also the simple fact of how he always showed up, said what he meant, and cared about the people and the work around him.
We will miss him greatly.
