James Sneddon Swan (born December 25, 1941) was a Scottish chemist, biologist, and author, known for his expertise in single malt whisky.

[6] His PhD focused on the subject of wood extractives in relation to the maturation of scotch whisky.

In the SWRI, Swan managed research programmes, funded by the European Union and the United Kingdom.

[6] In 1979, research by Swan and co-researcher Sheila Burtles led to the creation and publication of the first whisky flavour wheel.

He contributed to the distilleries: Jim Swan is credited with the invention of the STR cask rejuvenation process.