Steven Olson has been helping to shape the beverage industry for almost 50 years. Getting his start in service, managing, and operating restaurants and bars, he also carved his niche in the industry as writer, consultant, educator, lecturer, and even TV host, in his chosen profession as the founder of aka wine geek, an educational and consulting group that he led, preaching the gospel of tasting for 25 years. Olson is particularly known for his pioneering work with Sherry, Spanish wine, Greek wine and spirits, Sake, Gin, Vermouth, Amari, Brandy of all types and Whisky from all places, but is probably most well-known for his work with Agave spirits over the past 30+ years. For close to 25 of those years, he worked as aka maguey geek [co- operating partner] for Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal. Olson may be best known to many, however, for his restaurant and bar consulting, having designed the innovative beverage programs and service systems for 50+ restaurants and bars in his career, including the Mayflower Inn in Connecticut, Gramercy Tavern in NYC, Christopher’s in Phoenix, the Borgata in Atlantic City, Aqua in Mexico, and the Summit at the BRO A DMOOR in Colorado Springs…amongst many others. Of his many accolades, Steve was selected as Santé Magazine’s Spirits Professional of the Year for 2003, awarded CHEERS Magazine’s Beverage Innovator of the Year, a lifetime achievement award in 2005, and was honored as Best Bar Mentor at the Spirited Awards at the 2012 Tales of the Cocktail. He currently is involved in some exciting projects, including J. Rieger & Co, a craft distillery producing Gin, Whiskey and Amari in Kansas City, MO; Stray Dog Wild Gin and a portfolio of spirits from Greece; and Uncle Waithley’s Ginger Beer, from founder Karl Williams. He will of course always work in agave spirits, acting as a liaison, and continuing his work with the palenqueros and the team in Oaxaca currently as consultant with Del Maguey. He continues to spend a large measure of his waking hours, however, as co-founder, and serving as co-operating partner with Doug Frost, MS, MW, in Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR), presenting the world’s most comprehensive distilled spirits and mixology program.