The new ‘No History, No Rules’ cocktail competition by WhistlePig Rye combines a great concept with not one, but three fantastic trips to Vermont up for grabs.
It takes approximately 37 seconds of research to find the following quote on the WhistlePig website
With every step of the Whiskey making process we ask ourselves 3 questions:
How was this done in the past?
Have we learned anything since then that can make this better?
Is there another way to do this that’s worth exploring?
More often than not the answer is there’s always something worth exploring. We know the path forward isn’t always a straight line. So we push ourselves to innovate and we’re reassured by our mistakes. They’re what keep us great.
It is this core thinking that inspired the concept of the competition. WhistlePig is a relative newcomer on the American Whiskey scene starting back in 2009, but right from the off they started looking at things differently, attempting to push the limits of what Rye Whiskey could be as opposed to replicating what had been done in the past.
On their 500-acre farm and distillery they have set about reimagining what Rye Whiskey could be, from finishing their 12 year Old World Rye in a combination of wine casks, to having barrels custom made from their own Vermont oak trees to add depth of flavour to their 15 year old, WhistlePig have never been happy unless they are pushing boundaries.
It is this farm that houses the distillery and where you could be based for your trip to a state renowned for its natural beauty, majestic mountains and a rich history of great food and drink. You don’t need me to tell you that the winners trip there is going to be something very special. So special in fact that they didn’t want just one of you lucky lot to experience it. The top three from the UK final will be heading to Vermont for a trip of a lifetime, the winner will be getting something rather special as well in liquid form.
No History, No Rules
For your entry there are no rules. Well, there is one rule actually – you have to use at least 30ml of WhistlePig 10 year old in your drink. Only fair seeing as they’re forking out for the trip.
If you want to win (and we assume you do) then you will need to get into the mindset of the WhistlePig team. This isn’t the competition to do a twist on a classic, swapping out the cognac in a Corpse Revivor for WhistlePig 10 year old and calling it a Corpse Rye-vivor ain’t going to cut it.
WhistlePig Brand Ambassador Dan Priseman explains, ‘We don’t want people to think the drink automatically has to be stirred down because it’s a rye cocktail. If you have ever wondered what rye and Hubba Bubba tastes like, this is your chance to find out. Never heard of a rye and pink grapefruit liqueur cocktail? Why not? If anyone has ever told you ‘you can’t do that’ this is your chance to try it.’
This is your chance to push the boundaries. Those times people have said ‘that won’t work’, try it. When you ponder, ‘why has no-one done that before’ give it a go. This is a chance to let your creativity shine, think about the three questions above direct from the WhistlePig playbook and run with it.
You will see this reflected in the scoring breakdown below, originality is a higher percentage than pretty much any competition we have judged. Another of WhistlePig’s core beliefs is ‘we never release anything that has been done by someone else before’. It is this drive to be original that will see you stand out from the crowd (there are still 10 points for replicability to bear in mind).
40 points – taste/aroma/visual
20 points – bartender presentation/chat
20 points – originality
10 points – replicability
10 points – bar skills/time keeping
There will be 5 heats across the country, the exact locations will be picked dependent on entry numbers from areas but basically London, Scotland, North, South and Midlands. At the heat you will have 8 minutes to make 3 serves for the judges, and keep us entertained of course.
The top two from each regional heat will be heading to London for a two day final with lots of surprises in store and to battle it out for one of the 3 seats on that jet plane.
We will leave you to get your inspiration on. When you are ready the form below is there for your creation and the full T&C’s are beneath that for your considerations. One final note, you will have to be 21 or over by the 1stAugust 2022 to enter this competition, simply as going to America on a rye whiskey trip when you legally can’t drink isn’t any fun. Don’t panic if you have extra youth though, we have a feeling this comp will be back next year.
Moet Hennessy U.K. Limited
WhistlePig 2022 Bartender Competition Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice
Introduction
- Your entry in to this competition is governed by these terms and conditions (the “Terms and Conditions”). Promotional materials relating to the competition, including all entry instructions, also form part of these Terms and Conditions. In the event of any conflict between any terms referred to in such promotional materials and these Terms and Conditions, these Terms and Conditions take precedence.
- The promoter is Moët Hennessy U.K. Limited, with company number 00371236 and its registered office at 18 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH (“MHUK”).
- To find out how MHUK processes your personal data in relation to this competition, please see the Data Protection Notice at the end of these Terms and Conditions.
Eligibility
- This competition is open to professional bartenders who are legal residents of the United Kingdom and who are aged 21 or over, other than employees of MHUK or companies associated with MHUK and their immediate families and anyone else professionally connected with the competition.
- MHUK reserves the right to verify the eligibility of participants in this competition. MHUK may require such information as it considers reasonably necessary for this purpose and a Prize may be withheld until MHUK is satisfied with the verification. If a winner is found to be ineligible, MHUK may award the Prize to another participant and may require the return of any Prize already awarded.
Entry
- You will require internet access to enter the competition.
- To enter the competition, you must visit the competition webpage at barlifeuk.com and submit the following:
- your name, age and contact details;
- details of the cocktail you would make using WhistlePig 10 Year Old;
- the name of the bar at which you work (if any);
- your location;
- a brief description of how you would market the cocktail in your bar and what makes it unique.
- The competition starts when the competition webpage goes live on 1 April 2022. All entries must be received by MHUK by 23:59 on 15 May 2022 (the “First Round Closing Time”). MHUK accepts no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, corrupted or not received by the First Round Closing Time for any reason. Proof of sending shall not be deemed proof of receipt.
- Only one entry per person.
- Your entry must:
- feature WhistlePig 10 Year Old in your own, original cocktail;
- not promote irresponsible consumption or handling of alcohol;
- not infringe any copyright or other intellectual property rights of a third party;
- not promote illegal activity.
- Entries not complying with these Terms and Conditions will be invalid.
Prize
- There are three prizes, one each for the entrants who finish in first, second and third place respectively. Each prize (“Prize”) consists of a trip to the Whistle Pig distillery in Vermont, United States of America. Each Prize includes flights from any UK airport, transfers from and to the airport in the USA, three nights’ accommodation at the farmhouse at the distillery in Vermont and one night accommodation in a four-star bed and breakfast hotel in New York City. MHUK will notify the winners of the dates of the Prize, which will be before 30 June 2023. The first place Prize winner will also receive a bottle of The Boss Hog VIII.
- It is the responsibility of each winner to ensure that they are able to lawfully travel to the USA. This includes obtaining any necessary visa and complying with any travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Unless otherwise stated, any expenses incurred by each winner in the enjoyment of their Prize are the sole responsibility of that winner.
- Any further Prize details will be confirmed when the winners are contacted.
- MHUK reserves the right to substitute the Prize with another prize of equal or greater value if circumstances make this necessary.
- If the Prize is declined, or a winner cannot take up the Prize or does not claim the Prize following notification from MHUK that they have won, the Prize will be forfeited, and MHUK reserves the right to offer the Prize to the next eligible entrant at MHUK’s sole discretion. MHUK will not be responsible for any inability of a winner to take up the specified prize.
- The Prize is as stated and is non-exchangeable and non-transferable. No cash or other alternative will be offered.
- MHUK shall not be responsible for any cancellation, curtailment or alteration of the trip to which the Prize relates, for any reason.
The winner(s)
- The first round competition entries will be judged by a panel of judges (which shall include at least one independent judge). The judges will select up to 14 entrants from all eligible first round entries from each of the following regions, who will be invited to participate in a regional heat: Scotland, the North, Midlands, the South and London. The winners of the first round will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Creativity;
- Originality of the cocktail;
- Ability to express something unique about WhistlePig;
- Ability to express something unique about the cocktail;
- The quality of the proposed marketing plan;
- How the entrant has captured the WhistlePig ethos in their entry.
For the avoidance of doubt, MHUK reserves the right to select less than 14 entries where there are not sufficient entries which meet the criteria set out in this paragraph.
- The exact date and location of the regional heats will be communicated to the successful entrants after the First Round Closing Time, but the regional heats will take place in the relevant region between 23 May 2022 and 19 June 2022.
- The regional heats will take place in one day. Participants will have 8 minutes to make and serve 3 portions of their drink to the judges. The entries will be judged by a panel of judges (which shall include at least one independent judge) and will be based on the following criteria:
- up to 40 points – taste/aroma/appearance;
- up to 20 points – presentation/story telling;
- up to 20 points – originality;
- up to 10 points – replicability;
- up to 10 points – bar skills/ time keeping.
- There will be two winners from each of the regional heats, and two wildcards, who will be invited to participate in the final stage of the competition in London. The wildcards will be the two individuals with the next best scores after the heat winners’ scores from across the UK.
- The final will take place on 3 and 4 July 2022 at a location in central London and will consist of a brand education and brand immersion session hosted by the Steward of the Brand which may include products outside of the core range or new products from WhistlePig. Entrants will present their winning drink from the regional heats but may also be asked to develop a new serve for the finals using another product from the WhistlePig range. The entries will be judged by a panel of judges (which shall include at least one independent judge) and will be based on the following criteria:
- up to 40 points – taste/aroma/appearance;
- up to 20 points – presentation/story telling;
- up to 20 points – originality;
- up to 10 points – replicability;
- up to 10 points – bar skills/ time keeping.
- The first, second and third place winners will be the entrants with the three highest scores in the final round of the competition. The winners will be announced at the final.
- Unless otherwise stated, any expenses incurred by the entrants in their participation in any stage of the competition are the sole responsibility of the entrant.
- The decision of the panel of judges at each stage of the competition will be final.
- To receive the full names of the judges, please send a stamped addressed envelope to Marketing Department, Moet Hennessy UK Limited, 18 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH within one month of the final round of the competition.
- MHUK is required to make available the surname and county of the winners of the competition. To find out the surname and county of the winners, please send a stamped addressed envelope to Marketing Department, Moet Hennessy UK Limited, 18 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH within one month of the Closing Time. If you object to your information being made available, please contact MHUK. In such circumstances, MHUK must still provide the information to the Advertising Standards Authority on request.
Intellectual property rights
- MHUK does not claim any rights of ownership in your competition entry.
- You agree that MHUK may, but is not required to, make your entry available on any media, whether now known or invented in the future, in connection with any publicity of the competition and in order to promote the WhistlePig brand. You agree to grant MHUK a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, sublicensable licence, for the full period of any intellectual property rights in the competition entry and any accompanying materials, to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, edit, alter, store, re-format and sub-licence the competition entry and any accompanying materials for such purposes.
General
- If you win a Prize, then MHUK may ask you to sign a competition release so that MHUK may use your name, county and photographs or other recordings of you in connection with the Prize in MHUK’s publicity concerning the competition and its products including on (or in) MHUK’s social media pages, websites, press releases and advertising.
- MHUK reserves the right to suspend, cancel or amend the competition and / or revise these Terms and Conditions at any time without giving prior notice and, by continuing to take part in the competition subsequent to any revision, entrants shall be deemed to have agreed to the amended terms.
- MHUK may, in its sole discretion disqualify entries deemed to be non-compliant with these Terms and Conditions or if it has any reason to believe that efforts have been made to distort the competitive process or the spirit of the competition.
- All decisions of MHUK in relation to the competition are final and MHUK is not obliged to enter into any correspondence with participants. No message whether written or electronic, will be sent to non-winning participants.
- The unauthorised reproduction, representation or use in any way of all or part of elements relating directly or indirectly to the competition, and any brands, logotypes or trade marks is strictly prohibited. All trade marks, logos and any other intellectual property rights are and shall remain the property of their respective owners.
- The Terms and Conditions may be sent by mail free of charge to any person who requests them from MHUK in writing at any time before the Closing Date and for a period of one month thereafter.
- If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the enforceability of any other provisions not held to be invalid.
- All disputes, claims, issues and questions concerning the competition and these Terms and Conditions, or the rights and obligations of the participants and MHUK in connection with the competition, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the English law. Each participant agrees that the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with the competition or these Terms and Conditions.
Data Protection Notice
- MHUK will process your personal data (and if you win a prize for more than one person, the personal data of your guest(s)) to administer this competition and publicise the winner in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. The personal data may include your, or if you are a winner, your guest’s, name, contact details and any other information you provide to MHUK as part of this competition. MHUK will use this personal data for its own legitimate interests, such as to administer and manage the competition, or when required by law.
- MHUK will keep the personal data for as long as is necessary to administer this competition and a reasonable period thereafter to deliver prizes, resolve disputes and comply with legal requirements.
- MHUK will not share your personal data, or if you are a winner, the personal data of your guest(s), with any third party other than those engaged by MHUK to administer the competition and fulfil the prizes. MHUK will transfer and store personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
- You have the right to be removed from this competition at any time or to object to any use of your personal data not required to administer the competition, unless MHUK has compelling legitimate interests. However, this may result in the removal of your entry from the competition, and if you are a winner or a guest of a winner, will mean that you cannot receive or take up a prize. You, and if you are a winner, your guest(s), also have the right to access, amend, erase or receive a copy of the personal data in a portable form, to the extent permitted by law. If participants or guests of winners wish to exercise these rights in relation to the competition, they may contact Privacy-UK@moethennessy.com and they have the right to contact a data protection authority if they have any unresolved complaints.
- These terms relate solely to the use of your personal data (and if applicable, your guest’s personal data) in relation to the competition.