Luke McCarthy is a freelance writer, author and spirits judge. After completing a bachelor in writing and literature at the University of Melbourne, he worked at the award-winning Whisky & Alement as a bartender and educator, and he wrote a longstanding national drinks column for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He has published extensively on the history of Australian distilling and is a senior judge and industry advisory member at the Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards. His book, The Australian Spirits Guide, the first to tackle the history and revival of the industry, was published in 2016 by Hardie Grant Books. He lives in Melbourne with his family and is a regular contributor to Australian and international publications on the drinks and bar trade.