Jessamine McLellan

WhiskyFest Speaker Jessamine McLellanJessamine’s nine-plus years of experience have taken her through some of the Bay Area’s best restaurants and bars. She launched the cocktail program at Manresa. served as Hakkasan’s San Francisco bar manager and was most recently the Absolut Vodka Brand Ambassador in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she consulted on Absolut programs and created new, original cocktails.

With a passion for flavor and innovation, Jessamine currently serves as the National Brand Ambassador for the Powers & Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey portfolio at Pernod Ricard. Her role as National Brand Ambassador is to educate and showcase this unique portfolio of Irish Whiskeys including Redbreast, the Spot Whiskeys (Green Spot and Yellow Spot), Powers. and Midleton throughout the US.

No stranger to the spirits industry, she’s an award winning bartender and also knows her way around a wine list. Jessamine has a level two certification from The Court of Master Sommeliers and previously worked as Wine Director at Chez TJ in Mountain View. She’s also an active member of numerous industry groups. She graduated from BarSmarts. made it to the top eight in San Francisco’s Speedrack competition. is a proud participant in LUPEC and is the co-founder of LOH (Ladies of Hospitality). Her knowledge and easygoing personality have led to repeated love from the press. and she’s been recognized by publications ranging from San Francisco Magazine to SF Weekly.