Last weekend at the Glenfiddich Distillery 7 UK bartenders battled it out for the title of Glenfiddich Malt Mastermind 2013.
The competitors had to come up with a twist on the classic Rob Roy as well as a signature serve using Glenfiddich 12, 15 or 18 year old. Throughout the period they were also quizzed on their knowledge of the malt category.
The competitors consisted of
- Gareth Evans from Social Eating House, London
- Evan Rage from London Cocktail Club
- Marcis Dzelzainis from Satan’s Whiskers, London
- Marco Abreu from Aqua Shard, London
- Henry Yates from Boilermaker, Nottingham
- Till Britze from The Last Word, Edinburgh
- Jamie Ireland from Hotel Missoni, Edinburgh
They were competing for a winners prize of £1,000, a luxury weekend stay in Dufftown, a rather swish trophy and some impressive bragging rights.
The judging panel included last years winner Lee Potter Cavanagh alongside William Grant & Sons Master Blender Brian Kinsman and whisky consultant and general font of knowledge Mark Thomson.
Till Britze won out in the end with his ‘Ruadh damh’ (Red Stag) original serve impressing the judges due to its flavours and ingredients enhancing the Glenfiddich 18 year old he used as its base. This competition is not just decided on a single drink however and his knowledge also impressed.
Sarah Harding, Senior Brand Manager for Glenfiddich, was obviously impressed by everyone’s efforts during the competition finals:
‘The Malt Mastermind final was an exciting line-up of some of the finest talent in the bar industry. It was a tough call whittling down the finalists to one winner but Till Britze was a firm favourite with the judges and demonstrated a real passion for malt whisky and an extremely creative flair with his Red Stag serve.
‘Four years in and we continue to be seriously impressed with the calibre of entrants to the competition. We are lucky that the UK bar scene is fronted by some serious malt fans who are able to bring consumers innovative whisky serves. Whisky is an exciting category and remains in growth in the on-trade where outlets are increasingly placing malt serves on menus. Competitions like Glenfiddich Malt Mastermind aim to further encourage bartenders to experiment with malt and showcase its versatility to new drinkers.’
Congratulations to Till on taking the title back to it’s spiritual home and we look forward to trying it on our next trip up to Scotland very soon.
“Ruadh damh” (The Red Stag)
- 50ml Glenfiddich 18 year old
- 25ml spiced damson reduction
- 15ml Benedictine
- 2 dashes Boker’s Bitters
Stir everything over cubed ice, and serve straight up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a skewered plum and grapefruit twist.