Auchentoshan® Three Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky is happy to announce the winners of the 2nd Auchentoshan Switch global bartender competition that literally has the winners ‘switching’ continents for two weeks to work in acclaimed bars in New York City and London. The Auchentoshan Switch North American winner is Michael Webster from Bar Isabel in Toronto, Canada and the European winner is Aidan Bowie from The Blysthswood Square Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland. The winners will be ‘switching’ continents sometime in early 2014, with Canadian Webster working at the acclaimed NightJar Bar in London and Glaswegian Bowie heading to the prestigious Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in New York City.
The Auchentoshan Switch was open to all bartenders in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Sweden in 2013. Regional heats took place in each of these countries this past summer to determine the group of semi-finalists (12 from each continent) to compete in the Finals. The Auchentoshan Switch Finals were held in London on Oct 1 and in New York City on Oct 27.
The North American final was held at the Dead Rabbit in New York City, where bartenders had to demonstrate their skill and creativity in front of judges and guests in three knockout rounds. In the final round, Michael Webster was pitted against the Dead Rabbit’s own Pam Wiznitzer for the win: ·
Round 1/Creativity and Presentation – 12 finalists present their Three Wood drink from the heats ·
Round 2/Your Spin – Six finalists create a spin on a Classic Three Wood cocktail chosen at random ·
Round 3/Working Under Pressure – TWO FINALISTS create a drink from a basic pantry of ingredients plus all three ingredients from a ‘mystery bag’
“I was honored to be here to compete with these people,” said Michael Webster after his win. “Everyone was super-pro, totally dialed in. I am stoked to go to NightJar, it’s an incredible dream come true and I’m really excited. I want to send my respects to everyone involved in creating this competition.”
Says Auchentoshan Brand Manager Jennifer Meenan, “The bartender talent on both sides of the pond was incredible and made the competition so intense! We congratulate Michael and Aidan on their win and wish them the best of luck in the actual switch. The creative and delicious cocktails proved to us that Auchentoshan Three Wood is truly a darling of the cocktail community. The Auchentoshan Switch is a unique bartender competition that allows the winners to learn about cocktail culture in other parts of the world and they can share their own tricks of the trade with the host bar.”
Michael Webster’s winning cocktail: The Mixed Bag
1.5 oz Auchentoshan Three Wood
.5 oz French Muscatel
.25 oz. Amer Picon
1 heaping barspoon apricot preserve
1 egg white
7 drops Burlesque Bitters
3 drops Orinoco Bitters
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Judges for the North American Final were:
Iain McCallum – Master of Malts at Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd
• Charles Joly – Head Bartender at the Aviary, Chicago and 2011 winner of The Auchentoshan Switch
• Allan Katz – Owner of the New York Distilling co. and Master Mixologist for Southern Wine and Spirits
• Sean Muldoon – Owner of The Dead Rabbit, where the European winner will be based
• Jack McGarry – Bar Manager/Owner, The Dead Rabbit
Judges for the European Final were:
Rachel Barrie – Auchentoshan Master Blender ·
Edmund Weil – Co-owner, Nightjar ·
Ryan Chetiyawardana <https://www.facebook.com/ryan.chetiyawardana?hc_location=timeline> (AKA Mr Lyan) – Cocktail genius
Award winning Auchentoshan Three Wood is the chosen expression for all Auchentoshan Switch entries, as its complex flavors add tremendous dimension to whisky cocktails. As with all Auchentoshan whisky, Three Wood is triple distilled, which produces an immensely smooth spirit. It is matured in three different types of casks – first in North American Bourbon casks, then in Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks and finally in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks, a wood famed for drama and darkness. This triple cask maturation produces a rich whisky with deep toffee and sherry oak influences, a touch of hazelnut with hints of cinnamon and lemon and a butterscotch sweetness that adds to the overall complexity. It is produced at the Auchentoshan Distillery which was established in 1823 and has made triple distilled whisky since this time. It is located in the Lowland region of Scotland, on the outskirts of Glasgow and is the city’s only distillery. Its name, pronounced “ock-un-tosh-un”, means “corner of the field” which is evident to visitors as the distillery sits near farmland on the banks of the River Clyde, in the shadow of the Old Kilpatrick hills between Glasgow and Loch Lomond.
For more information about Auchentoshan Switch, please go to www.auchentoshanswitch.com #auchentoshanswitch
