Emily Wheldon

Today

Recognition, in Emily Wheldon’s view, is useful when it does the practical work of backing up skill with public attention. Awards and industry notice are not ornamental in her telling; they help bartenders speak with more authority about what they know and what they can do. “It helps to validate their craft, their skills, their knowledge. It raises their knowledge. We want to raise their profiles to be as appreciated as chefs.” The point is straightforward: keep the people behind the bar visible, and give their expertise the same standing granted to other culinary professionals.

Career - Global Head of World Class, World Class

Signature

Drinks culture is the field Emily Wheldon speaks to with the most clarity, especially where profile and recognition shape the trade’s standing. Her work has focused on the conditions around bartending as much as the bar itself: who gets recognised, how talent is positioned, and what it takes for the profession to be read with seriousness. The emphasis stays on visibility earned through craft.

In Their Words “It helps to validate their craft, their skills, their knowledge. It raises their knowledge. We want to raise their profiles to be as appreciated as chefs.” “We are hugely proud to be bringing the World Class Bartender of the Year Global Finals to Scotland, the home of so many of Diageo’s much-loved spirits.”

Recognition

World Class is the recognition engine at the centre of Emily Wheldon’s work. Her former title placed her within a global bartender platform built to make technical skill more legible to both the trade and the public. In that context, the value of the role was clear: not ceremony, but advocacy for a craft that has often had to argue for equal standing in modern hospitality.

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