Spirits journalist, author, mixologist, and former senior managing editor of Men’s Health magazine, John McCarthy is the Managing Director of the Taste competition. John is in charge or organizing the judges and overseeing the dissemination of information and sample products. John is the founder of the John Barleycorn Society, an organization of spirits journalists that share experiences and give back to the industry. John is also managing editor of the Society’s online publication, BarleycornDrinks. In addition to writing spirits articles for other publications, John has written two books about the spirits culture.