About the Academy

The 50 Best Bars Asia Academy is the mechanism used to create The 50 Best Bars Asia list. None of the employees of The 50 or any sponsors associated with the awards can vote or have any influence over the results.

The Academy is comprised of more than 300 members, each selected for their expert opinion of the regional bar scene, with a 50/50 gender balance. A minimum of 25 per cent of the panel is renewed each year.

To create the Academy, we divide the region into four, covering the following destinations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Mainland China, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each region has a chairperson appointed for their knowledge and experience. These chairs select a voting panel – ensuring a balanced selection of bartenders and bar owners, drinks writers and educators and well-travelled cocktail experts.

All voters, aside from the Academy Chairs, must remain anonymous.

Learn more about how the voting works

The Academy Chairs

  • Natalie Wang

    Natalie Wang

    Academy Chair: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan & Mongolia

    Born and raised in Chongqing, Natalie Wang built her journalism career in Hong Kong. Her career spans numerous news titles across Asia, including The Drinks Business Hong Kong as managing editor for Asia. In January 2019, Wang founded Vino Joy News, a media platform delivering news, data and analysis on the wine industry in China and across Asia. She has twice been named among the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Wine and Spirits by the Women in Wine and Spirits Awards (WINWSA), as well as being nominated for the IWSC's 2023 Wine Communicator of the Year award in 2022, becoming the only Chinese-born wine journalist to receive the distinction.

  • Nicholas Coldicott

    Nicholas Coldicott

    Academy Chair: Japan

    Based in Tokyo since 1998, Nicholas Coldicott is the author of Tokyo Cocktails and co-founder of artisanal sake exporter KuroKura. Coldicott has been a drinks columnist for The Japan Times and CNN, an editor of Whisky Magazine Japan and Eat, and a judge for the World Whisky Awards. He has also written guidebooks for Wallpaper* and Time Out, covering Japan's drinks, dining and hospitality scenes. 

  • Priyanka Blah

    Priyanka Blah

    Academy Chair: India and Subcontinent

    Priyanka Blah is the founder of The Dram Attic, a spirits and cocktail platform highlighting notable bars and talent around the world. Over the past decade, Blah has explored cocktail culture through extensive travel, chronicling the evolution of the drinks industry from both sides of the bar, with particular attention to guest experience and creativity. Her F&B experience spans operations, creative work and global sales of craft spirits.

  • Rachel Tann

    Rachel Tann

    Academy Chair: Southeast Asia & Korea

    Based in Singapore, Rachel Tann has led marketing campaigns for some of the world's most recognised spirits brands over the past decade. During her tenure at Rémy Martin, Tann was part of the team that founded and led La Maison Cointreau bartending competition across Asia. She also launched and grew Negroni Week into Singapore's largest spirits charity activation within three years, combining drinks marketing with community-focused initiatives.