London-based international spirits judge, blogger and soprano Claire Filer holds a WSET Spirits Level 3 qualification with Distinction, and judges across multiple spirit categories for World Drinks Awards, Global Spirits Masters, IWSC and NZ Spirits Awards. Originally from New Zealand and an established advocate and influencer of New Zealand's spirits industry, Claire is an associate member of Distilled Spirits Aotearoa, has previously judged The Junipers Gin Awards, and was a taster for the Guide to New Zealand Gin 2021.

Claire is known for her spirits blog Ginesthesia, where she discusses tasting as a full sensory experience, and High Ginx, a duo blog with fellow opera singer Ben Thapa. These have led her to travel widely, tasting spirits and learning about their history and process through distillery visits, workshops and masterclasses in the UK, US, Europe and NZ. Claire also designs cocktails to fit concert programmes for NZTrio, which allows her to combine her two great passions - music and flavour.