Kyle N. McHugh

Market Director - Americas

Spearheading operations in the Americas on behalf of the Edinburgh Whisky Academy is 25+ year industry veteran Kyle N. McHugh.

After 10 years running restaurant bars in cities all across the United States, Kyle has been consulting in the beer, wine, & spirits industry as “The Boozehound” since 2007. From 2016-2023, Kyle was the Global Director of Advocacy & Education for the craft spirits collective Samson & Surrey, where he oversaw all aspects of education and ambassadorship for FEW Spirits, Bluecoat Gin, Brenne Single Malt, Widow Jane, Mezcal Vago, and Tequila Ocho. From 2011-2016, Kyle worked as a Diageo Master of Whisky. In 2015, Kyle earned his General Certificate in Distillation from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling based in London, England. A former Professor of Wine & Beverage at Le Cordon Bleu – Chicago, Kyle regularly serves as a spirits judge for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, World Whisky Awards, TAG Global Spirits Awards, & the Beverage Testing Institute.

Kyle is a Certified Spirits Professional with the U.S. Bartender's Guild (USBG), where he also served as National President (2018-2020) & Chairman of the Board (2017-2021). He is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Cicerone Certified Beer Seller, a trained BJCP beer judge, and an Executive Bourbon Steward, to name a handful of his certifications. Kyle is also a graduate of the IBA Bartender Training Center Europe (Tallinn, Estonia 2016) and the BAR 5-Day program (New York, NY 2017). In 2021, Kyle joined the Board of Directors of the USBG National Charity Foundation, where he currently serves as President & Chairman.