By Amy Looker, editor National Liquor News
The five Australian finalists of the Diageo Reserve World Class bartending competition have been named ahead of the national finals taking place later this month.
Representing Australia’s top bartenders, the five finalists will compete in the final stage of the competition for a place at the global championships which will take place in the UK.
Before the winner packs their bags to face off against bartenders from around the globe, the top five will meet at the national finals, held at Bondi’s Icebergs Dining Room and Bar on Monday 23 June.
The 2013 Australian champion Luke Ashton, and World Class ambassador Darren Robertson of Bronte’s Three Blue Ducks will set the finalists three challenges specifically created to showcase their skills and creativity.
The winner of this year’s Diageo Reserve World Class Australia competition will win a once in a lifetime tailor-made experience that will see them travel to Scotland to learn the art of blending at the Johnnie Walker distillery; master the craft of maturation at the George Dickel distillery in Tennessee; hone their knowledge of rum at the Ron Zacapa distillery in Guatemala; and the opportunity to blend their own small-batch rum at the iconic Bundaberg Distilling Company.
Australia’s Top 5 World Class bartenders are as follows:
• Andy Griffiths – Rum Diaries, Melbourne
• Charlie Ainsbury – Ananas, Sydney
• Jenna Hemsworth – Thomas Olive, Melbourne
• Ben Blair – The Crossing, Sydney
• Oscar Eastman – 1806, Melbourne