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Johnnie Walker announces winners of Global Bartender Challenge
Diageo-owned Johnnie Walker has announced the winners of its Black Label Global Bartender Challenge, which asked mixologists to share their best Black Label-based creations on Instagram.
Blended whisky giant Johnnie Walker has revealed the winners of its Black Label Global Bartender Challenge, with four winners being chosen to embark on an immersive trip to Scotland.
In total, more than 200 bartenders from 47 countries entered the competition, before the winners were finally announced.
Bartenders were asked to publish an Instagram post of their own signature Johnnie Walker Black Label cocktail, alongside an explanation of why Johnnie Walker Black Label worked perfectly in the drink.
The winners were:
- Thabisó Molonyama from South Africa with Nimbus Moon
- Sampath Rathnayake from Dubai with Signatures Collector
- Anna Postnikova from Czech Republic with Johnnie, Wine & Fruits
- Ariel Todeschini da Motta from Brazil with A Foot in Brasil.
Thabisó Molonyama commented: “I still can’t believe I won – I’m still waiting for someone to tell me it’s a prank! As for the cocktail, I was hoping to capture exactly how the judging panel described the drink, which makes me glad. The aim was to showcase the versatility of Johnnie Walker Black Label; keeping it simple and yet complex in experience”.
Anna Postnikova, winner of the Europe region, added: “I got very excited about this challenge from the very first moment it appeared on Instagram, as it had a completely different concept than online challenges usually have. Not the one who gets the most likes wins, but the actual judging panel, considering many aspects of the cocktail, presentation, and recipe. That was the exact moment I knew that I wanted to give it a shot and post my submission. And now, knowing who judged the cocktails, I am even more excited that I’m the winner for the Europe region and can’t wait to meet everyone else in Edinburgh! Thank you for this amazing challenge for bartenders”.
The winners were selected by a judging panel that included Johnnie Walker Global Brand Ambassador Tim Philips-Johansson, World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2022 Adrián Michalčík, and winner of the World Class Johnnie Walker challenge Nick Tesar.