Michael Bilello

🥃 Pres. & CEO @USAWhiskeyAssn 🥃 Former: @WSWAmedia, @TSA_Bilello, @Centurion360 CEO & @USMC Officer ⚔️ Iraq Vet 🇺🇸

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

American whiskey is born from American grain, shaped by American oak, and carried forward by generations of craft, discipline, and innovation.

Now, its story belongs on the world stage.

Born here. Celebrated everywhere.

#AmericanWhiskey #WorldsWhiskey #America250 #Bourbon

[Ambassador Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia]

News! Secretary Marco Rubio extended an invite on behalf of President Donald Trump, for Prime Minister Modi to visit the White House in the near future! 🇺🇸🤝🇮🇳

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

This Memorial Day weekend, I pause as a proud American to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation.

For me, this day is personal. As a Marine officer who served in Iraq, I carry the memory of classmates, friends, and fellow service members who never came home. Their names, their faces, their families, and their sacrifice remain with me.

As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, we should remember that America’s story has always been written by those willing to defend it, and too often paid for by those who gave everything.

This weekend is not about politics. It is not about celebration. It is about remembrance, gratitude, and duty.

May we honor the fallen not only with our words, but by living as citizens worthy of their sacrifice.

Semper Fidelis.

#MemorialDayWeekend #MemorialDay #WeRemember

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

We remember the fallen.
We honor their sacrifice.
We are grateful for the freedoms they secured.

From the American Whiskey Association, may we never forget the cost of liberty.

#MemorialDay #HonorTheFallen #AmericanWhiskey

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

America’s whiskey story didn’t start in a boardroom. It started in rye fields, rebellion, frontier grit, corn, oak barrels and a stubborn belief that America could make something all its own.

https://t.co/fY5mVlMXEj

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

Bourbon’s next chapter is going to be exciting.
Master distillers and blenders have more to work with than ever: deeper stocks, older whiskey, new finishes, innovative mash bills, single barrels, small batches, and a consumer base that knows quality when it tastes it.

#Bourbon

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

As a lifelong student and practitioner of public policy, I’ve learned that the best insights often come from listening to colleagues working across markets, governments, and regulatory systems around the world.

Through my travels, meetings, briefings, and the excellent work of my colleagues and fellow members of the World Spirits Alliance, one global truth about alcohol policy is clear:

Excessive alcohol taxes may deliver a short-term government revenue grab, but they create far greater immediate and long-term costs — including public health risks, consumer safety threats, lost revenue for legitimate businesses, and a bigger payday for criminal networks.

The WSA’s studies, data, and commitment to addressing illicit alcohol trade should be applauded. Smart policy supports legal, licensed, and regulated markets. When alcohol is taxed or restricted beyond reason, the illicit market wins while like clockwork consumers, governments, and responsible businesses lose.

https://t.co/uW1o6Stpcl

https://t.co/uW1o6Stpcl

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

Consumers around the world are looking for products with real standards, real stories and real quality. Bourbon has all three.

Congress recognized bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States” in 1964, and that foundation still helps American whiskey compete globally today. 

Now the work is to protect the category, open markets, reduce trade barriers, and connect America’s Native Spirit with consumers everywhere.

To make American whiskey the world’s whiskey —that’s the mission of @USAWhiskeyAssn !

Worth the listen 👂 👇

[FredMinnick @FredMinnick]

On this day, May 4, 1964, Congress declared bourbon to be a "unique product of the United States,"giving it Geographical protection against copycats around the world. In today's video, I talk about this and the Big Bourbon Lie that continues to be perpetuated 62 years later. https://t.co/Bg8YnrGAth

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

On May 4, 1964, Congress recognized bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States.”

Today, that legacy fuels AWA’s mission to lead, protect and promote American whiskey globally.

American grain. American oak. American craft.

American exports.

America’s Native Spirit

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

We commend President Trump for lifting the 10% tariff on whisky — a win for fair, reciprocal trade, diplomacy and the world’s whiskey ecosystem.

Raise a glass. 🥃 https://t.co/Wmaew3yxcF

#AmericanWhiskey #Whisky #SpiritsTrade @WhiteHouse

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

From Churchill Downs to global sporting events, American whiskey has become a fixture of premium hospitality, culture, and shared moments.

That’s not by accident. That’s positioning.

New blog on how American whiskey shows up where it matters most:

https://t.co/536iByTLV3

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

#DerbyWeek 🥃 🐎

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

The Kentucky Derby has been run every year since 1875, and the official drink, the Mint Julep, goes through over 120,000 servings in a single weekend, made with bourbon.

Two minutes on the track.

A lot of American whiskey behind the scenes.

#KentuckyDerby2026 #AmericanWhiskey

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

It’s a great story to share, and an important one for our community of veterans to celebrate. Keep up the whiskey work, and cheers to you @FredMinnick !

[FredMinnick @FredMinnick]

Thank you to @NPR for telling my story. And I am so thankful for everyone in my bourbon life for allowing me to taste with you.

https://t.co/fk0IcKcMwC

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

@WhiteHouseHstry Cheers to President James Monroe on his 268th birthday 🇺🇸🥃

A champion of American independence, expansion, and identity. All values that still define the spirit of American whiskey today.

#JamesMonroe #AmericanWhiskey #AmericanHistory

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

If we want to make American whiskey the world’s whiskey, we need to show up in the markets that define what “world-class” looks like.

Singapore is one of those markets.

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

Singapore: Where American Whiskey Can Peacock

That’s where premium credibility is earned. It's also where momentum throughout Asia starts.

Read more about our CEO's trade mission here:
https://t.co/zU5VYZhkSB

#AmericanWhiskey #GlobalStrategy #PremiumSpirits #Singapore

[American Whiskey Association @USAWhiskeyAssn]

American whiskey is a global growth story.

> $5.1B annual contribution to the U.S. economy
> 1.7M jobs supported across the value chain
> 54% of all U.S. spirits exports
> Projected to reach $18.8B globally by 2033

https://t.co/WgdNyHqOJQ

#AmericanWhiskey

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

Tonight’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner was meant to celebrate the First Amendment, a free press, and a vital American tradition.

Instead, violence interrupted the evening — a sobering reminder that these freedoms are never automatic and never abstract.
Grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and the Secret Service, and thinking of everyone affected.

Afterward, I was proud to attend gatherings at the residences of Dr. Ralf Heckner, Ambassador of Switzerland to the U.S., and Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the U.S.

Thank you to Ambassador Heckner, TIME Magazine, and Suntory Global Spirits for the Swiss Residence event.

Thank you to Ambassador Bili, NBC and Pernod Ricard for hosting and supporting the evening at the French Residence.

The First Amendment matters. A free press matters. And on nights like this, showing up for those principles matters too.

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

Singapore is a key growth market for American whiskey and a springboard for broader opportunity across Asia.

As I told @straits_times: “We need to put more product here, be more resourceful, and tell our stories better.”

That means showing up, building partnerships, expanding access, and making the case for American whiskey with confidence.

It’s good to see the conversation growing in Singapore. It’s both organic and timely.

https://t.co/KmCwwYOILX

#AmericanWhiskey

[Michael Bilello @BilelloPR]

Thank you to @Pernod_Ricard for hosting today’s Asia Pacific International Spirits & Wines Alliance (APISWA ) meeting in Singapore. It was a terrific opportunity to discuss the Asian market, the opportunities ahead for American whiskey, and the importance of collaboration across our industry.

APISWA is an important partner in advocacy, market intelligence, and data, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with this group and all of its member companies. Strong partnerships like this matter as we work to grow opportunity and make American whiskey more successful across Asia.

A special highlight was breaking out a bottle of Jefferson’s that had been aged in Singapore’s humidity. What a remarkable expression (I could taste it).

And a special happy birthday to the hardest-working person at APISWA, Audre Ang! I appreciate you! Thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome, a wonderful meeting, and outstanding hospitality. Looking forward to collaborating with all of you in the months ahead.

#AmericanWhiskey