CIBD appoints Matt Anderson as its new chief executive

The Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD) has appointed Matt Anderson as its new chief executive. He will take up the role on 1 December 2026.

Matt joins the CIBD from Sunrise Beverages, where he has held several senior leadership positions and most recently served as Brand Director. 

He joined Curious Brewery, part of Sunrise Beverages, as Head of Production in 2018 and has helped guide the business through a period of significant growth and change.

Earlier in his career, Matt spent more than a decade with AB-InBev in quality, brewing and packaging management roles, including positions at Magor and Salmesbury.

He also brings a longstanding personal connection to the institute. Matt is a CIBD Diploma graduate and has served on the CIBD Southern Section Committee since 2019.

The appointment comes as the CIBD prepares for its next chapter as a chartered institute. Its work includes revitalising its examination qualifications to meet the needs of the drinks industry and strengthening its international presence through conferences and section events in Australia, Africa, the United States and across the UK.

CIBD President Raphaël Grisoni said: “We are delighted to welcome Matt to the CIBD. Matt is a dynamic leader who brings many years of experience, which combined with his industry knowledge, team management skills and understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the CIBD, will inject fresh thinking and momentum into the CIBD, unlocking new opportunities and building a stronger platform for sustainable growth over the long term.”

He also thanked Carling Recruitment for advising on the appointment.

Matt said he was “incredibly excited” to be joining the CIBD as it enters its next chapter. Having experienced the institute as a student, member and employer, he said he had seen the part it can play in helping people develop and progress in the industry.

“I’m really looking forward to building on those strong foundations, ensuring CIBD continues to connect with brewers and distillers throughout their careers, as well as adding value to our partners, suppliers and employers across the industry,” he said.

Established in 1886, the CIBD provides technical qualifications and support programmes for the beverage industries, recognised around the world. Its qualifications range from introductory study to its highest awards: Master Brewer and Master Distiller.

https://www.cibd.org.uk

Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers launches its latest short course on spirit maturation

The Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD), the most widely recognised provider of technical education in the distilling industry, has launched a brand new self-assessed and on demand technical course: Spirit Maturation.

The Spirit Maturation course is the latest in a hugely popular series of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) short courses.

It's aimed at distillers producing matured spirits in distilleries of all sizes, providing a practical understanding of all stages of the spirit maturation processes. The course provides essential knowledge and best practice for spirit maturation at a commercial scale.

The course covers raw materials, how to understand their specifications, how they’re used to produce wort, fermentation, batch and continuous still distillation, maturation and blending. It also explains how to assess and analyse whiskies using laboratory and sensory methods.

This course has been developed in collaboration with leading distillers and spirits experts. These include:

Billy Mitchell – Consultant, Will and Spirit Limited

Ian Thorn – Master Distiller and Operations Manager, The Gospel Distillery

Maggie Campbell – CEO American Cane

The Spirit Maturation course provides the same technical excellence found in all CIBD qualifications, without needing to take a formal exam.

The course includes a downloadable PDF with technical information such as:

A summary of the key points of the course

Details of the significance of the analyses carried out during production

Key calculations for spirit blending

An overview of all aspects of spirit maturation

The course features text, videos, animations, quizzes, and online games to help enhance learning. At the end of the course, learners receive a Certificate of Completion.

On this announcement, Ed Wray, Technical Development Manager, explained to That's Food and Drink: “This course provides in-depth scientific and technical information specifically about spirit maturation. It is written in collaboration with experts in the field and with the technical rigour and accuracy that you expect from the CIBD. If you want to gain an understanding of all aspects of spirit maturation or you want to optimise your spirit maturation processes, then this is the course for you!”

https://www.cibd.org.uk

The American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and The Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD) Announce Partnership

The American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC), a nonprofit professional association dedicated to scientific excellence in beer and other fermented beverages, and the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD), a professional association providing gold-standard technical qualifications and support programmes for the global beverage industry, announce that there will be a special joint congress in 2026.

Established in 1886, CIBD is headquartered in London, England, with around 3,000 members spread across 90 countries. 

With headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A., ASBC brings nearly 100 years of history bringing uniformity to the brewing industry on a technical level with over 1,000 members across nearly 40 countries.

This collaboration brings together two of the brewing and distilling industry's most respected scientific organisations from August 17 to 19, 2026, in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. The title of the congress is Global Brewing and Distilling Innovation – Shaping the Future Together.

“We are delighted to confirm a new partnership between ASBC and CIBD for our 2026 Congress in Seattle. By combining the recognised scientific strengths of both organisations, we are creating a unique collaborative platform for colleagues across the brewing and distilling sectors to connect, exchange insights and advance scientific excellence. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Seattle.” Professor Katherine Smart, ASBC President told That's Food and Drink.

Both ASBC and CIBD will offer sessions to increase attendee technical acumen and skills in brewing, fermentationand distilling. Raphael Grisoni, President of the CIBD, states “This exciting partnership brings together two of the world's leading organisations in brewing and distilling. 

Our combined reach will ensure the congress in Seattle will be a genuinely global event with brewers, distillers, suppliers, academics and students coming together for three days to showcase and discuss the great science and innovation taking place in the sector. It promises to be an event that will drive collaborations that will last for many years”.

Both ASBC and CIBD have a long history of hosting international events for the brewing, distilling and related industries—with recent collaboration on the 2024 World Brewing Congress, and are looking forward to this new opportunity. The 2026 meeting in Seattle aims to be equally as successful under their partnership.

Planning is underway for the 2026 meeting with abstract submissions opening shortly. For more information go to www.asbcnet.org/events/2026Meeting.

FACTFILE:-

The American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) was founded in 1934 to improve and bring uniformity to the brewing industry on a scientific level. Today, ASBC is a nonprofit, membership-based, professional association with a global community working toward scientific excellence in brewing and fermented beverages. Society members can be found on nearly every continent and in breweries of all sizes, working in the brewing and allied industries, as well as in government and academia. 

The society works to ensure high quality and safety standards, provide science-based solutions to industry-wide issues, evaluate raw materials for optimum performance, and foster professional development opportunities for brewing chemists worldwide. ASBC provides a variety of scientific resources to the brewing community, including the Journal of the ASBC, ASBC Methods of Analysis, Fishbone References, and multiple events and online education offerings, among others. For the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on ASBC, visit www.asbcnet.org.

The Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers, established in 1886, delivers technical qualifications and support programmes for the beverage industries that are recognised around the world. The qualification ladder starts at an introductory level and ends with the Institute’s highest qualification, Master Brewer and Master Distiller.

The CIBD’s qualifications and global community of experts and members enables individuals in the sector to learn, connect and thrive. The CIBD connects people with an international peer network to help them and their businesses to succeed in the competitive and challenging drinks market. To find out more, visit www.cibd.org.uk