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Aidan Bowie crowned Diageo Reserve’s GB World Class Bartender of the Year 2016
Last night at Rosewood London, Aidan Bowie was crowned Diageo Reserve’s GB World Class Bartender of the Year 2016.
A three day final event spanned venues including Fanhams Hall, Diageo’s Global Innovation R&D Centre, London’s Blixen and Rosewood London, where 11 of the UK’s most talented bartenders battled it out for the esteemed title and to secure a place at the global final event, to be held in Miami in September.
The final round of the year-long competition was themed ‘Into the Unknown’ and saw bartenders challenged to experiment with a number of ingredients and flavours, before being tasked with creating their own bitters. The final 11 were asked to craft their unique liquid, establish a brand and a signature serve.
The GB final was split into challenges and was judged throughout by the Diageo Reserve team of Brand Ambassadors, flavour chemists and industry experts, including Alex Kratena and last year’s winner, Ali Reynolds.
Day One at Fanhams Hall
The first day at Fanhams Hall provided competitors with an overview of the theme and what to expect from the days to come, followed by an inspiration session hosted by Penny Willson, Principal Liquid Scientist and Stephen Hart Principal Flavourist at IFF. The session was designed to spark curiosity and creativity and introduced competitors to a selection of unknown ingredients which formed the basis of their signature cocktail.
The first challenge, The Art of Umami, tasked bartenders to create and present judges with a long and short serve that showcased and highlighted the largely unexplored flavour of the hotly debated fifth basic taste.
Day Two at Diageo’s Global Innovation R&D Centre
The second day of the competition was spent at Diageo’s Global Innovation R&D Centre. Each bartender was supported by a team of Diageo scientists and flavour specialists to develop their own bitters, using state of the art equipment, before bottling and branding their product. Bartenders then worked to design a signature cocktail and paired the bitters with a brand from the Diageo Reserve luxury spirits portfolio.
Day Three at Blixen and Rosewood London
Following an overnight stay at London’s Mondrian Hotel, bartenders started at London’s Blixen where they undertook a three-part Deconstruct – Reconstruct task with a focus on classic cocktails. The bartenders were then tasked over a two hour period, to source their own vessel and garnish with a budget of £100. The final 11 then moved to Rosewood London and prepared to unveil their final bitters alongside their signature cocktail. The finale event was opened to guests, including 30 consumers who formed a public vote, which was added to the judges’ final scores – a first in the UK competition’s history.
Aidan Bowie was revealed as the winner after an outstanding three days of successes, and was credited by the judges for his true knowledge and understanding of flavour, coupled with innovative and forward thinking ideas.
Head of Diageo Reserve World Class GB, Dan Dove commented: "Aidan Bowie’s World Class journey has been remarkable. Throughout both the semi-final event and this week’s final, he has consistently impressed the judging team with broad thinking, incredible knowledge base, and pioneering ideas. World Class Bitters Series #4 is an exceptional product and the signature serve, Vetiver Woodland Martini brought the flavour make up to life perfectly alongside his choice of Tanqueray No. TEN.
"Aidan Bowie epitomises a Diageo Reserve World Class bartender and we are extremely proud to have him now represent Great Britain at the global final in September."
Aidan Bowie added: "I am so proud to have earned my place at the World Class global final. This year’s competition has been beyond tough in terms of the challenges but also the level of skill and talent I have witnessed amongst the other competitors. I am very pleased and honoured to go through to the next stage of Diageo Reserve World Class."
Nick Temperley, Head of Diageo Reserve GB, commented: "We have witnessed world class bartending throughout this year’s competition and my congratulations and thanks go out to all of the competitors who make the Diageo Reserve World Class competition what it is today. The UK is a leader in drinks innovation and quality and we will be supporting Aidan Bowie in the run up to the global final competition later this year."
Dandelyan, where Aidan Bowie has worked since its opening in October 2014 will now be awarded with a one-off £10,000 marketing fund to create its own World Class drink to celebrate Aidan Bowie’s success.
The final 11 competitors included: Liam Broom (Callooh Callay), Tim Laferla (City Social), Sean Fennelly (Milk & Honey), Kyle Wilkinson (Beaufort Bar), Scott Gavin (Rosewood London), Lorenzo Antinori (Dandelyan), Aidan Bowie (Dandelyan), Dominic Whisson (The American Bar at The Savoy) James Bowker (The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel & Cocktail Lounge), Jerome Allaguillemette (Sexy Fish) and Gordon Purnell (Panda & Sons).
The global Diageo World Class competition final will be held in Miami in September 2016.
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