Diageo Reserve World Class GB Bartender of the Year Entry Deadline: Midnight, Monday March 9th, 2020
World Class, a competition that can be accurately described as both truly global, and potentially life-changing, has opened its doors to Great Britain’s bartenders. Over the next few weeks, a series of challenges, culminating in the GB final, will select a bartender to follow in the footsteps of 2019 GB champ Cameron Attfield – who went on to represent GB in the global final, placing a very creditable 4th overall.
The 2020 GB World Class Bartender of the Year winner will receive a package of prizes which includes the opportunity to tour with the World Class team hosting events and workshops, a visits to Diageo-owned distilleries located in the four corners of Scotland, a budget for bar tools, equipment and custom serve creation, a guest bartending shift at one of Europe’s best bars, as well as nationwide exposure and dedicated PR throughout the year.
And, of course, the 2020 winner will also be named GB World Class Bartender of the Year 2020, and will represent Great Britain in the Diageo Reserve World Class Global Final hosted in Sydney later this year.
How to enter World Class GB World Class Bartender of the Year
Stage 1
The first stage of the competition requires bartenders to enter a drink for either, or both, of the categories: ‘Acid House’ and ‘Heritage Highballs’. This stage is open to anyone in the UK, and these digital entries will be judged to create a Top 100 that will form the initial field of competitors. While it is perfectly acceptable to enter a drink into just one of these categories, it stands to reason your chances of making the Top 100 increase if you enter both:
Acid House – This category is designed to celebrate the whole citrus fruit that forms an integral part of Diageo’s premium gin brand, Tanqueray No. TEN. Entrants will then be challenged to replace the fresh citrus with an alternative acid of their choice.
Heritage Highballs – this challenge pays tribute to the classic Johnnie Walker Highball and challenges entrants to produce their own highball serve using Johnnie Walker Black Label and a range of ingredients with an interesting backstory
Your entry specs should be submitted to the World Class Club website, where you will also find full competition entry requirements and other World Class resources:
https://www.theworldclassclub.com
You should also post your drinks to social media with the hashtag: #WorldClassGB2020
Stage 2
Following the Stage 1 entry deadline of March 9th, the Diageo Reserve team will assess all of the digital entries, and produce the Top 100 list, which will be published on March 11th. The Top 100 will then be invited to share a Ketel One ‘One Square Mile’ serve online for the in-bar judging process. During this stage, judges consisting of previous GB winners and Diageo brand ambassadors will travel the country to taste-test each entry in the competitors’ bars.
The in-bar judging process will produce the list of 20 bartenders who will be invited to the first ever GB ‘Camp World Class’, taking place at The Pig Hotel in Brockenhurst, New Forest. These finalists will take part in a series of challenges that will utilise the natural resources of the surrounding area and showcase the natural beauty of the Great British Countryside, and the results of these challenges will decide who becomes the World Class 2020 GB Champion.
Jack Sotti, World Class GB Brand Ambassador at Diageo Reserve, comments: “…This year’s GB competition has got off to an explosive start with a record-number of bartenders joining the World Class journey on our UK-wide tour. As we move into this new phase of the competition, we can’t wait to see how competitors will respond to the new briefs we have devised. The national final always serves as a great opportunity to bring our industry together and it will be a privilege to see so much talent on display… GB representative Cameron Attfield came in fourth at the Global Finals in 2019 and this year, we will be watching closely to see if any of our bartenders can go that one step further and bring home the coveted title of World Class Bartender of the Year 2020 – let’s watch this space!”
Links and further reading
Follow World Class GB on Facebook.
Visit the World Class Club website
Use the World Class hashtag in your posts: #WorldClassGB2020