Let fly with American rye

BARTENDERS from across Scotland will battle it out this month for the chance to win a trip to Tennessee.

The 11 finalists in the Scottish leg of Jack Danielā€™s Tennessee Rivals cocktail competition will face off in Glasgow on July 8, with the triumphant bartender winning a trip for two to the Jack Danielā€™s distillery in Tennessee.

The finalists were selected after submitting a highball serve built around Jack Danielā€™s Tennessee Rye.

At the final ā€“ to be held at SWG3ā€™s Acid Bar ā€“ they will present a second serve to a judging panel that includes UK brand ambassador, Cam Dawson; Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands trade ambassador for Scotland, Mike McGinty; and Becky Maddison, senior brand manager for super-premium whiskies at Brown-Forman. Each serve must contain at least 25ml of Tennessee Rye and no more than six ingredients in total.

ā€œScotlandā€™s bar scene is one of the most exciting in the country, and we anticipate the Scottish final being a close contest,ā€ said Maddison.

ā€œWeā€™re looking forward to seeing how these talented finalists use their imagination to help bolster the rye category, with standout cocktails.ā€

The finalists are, from Aberdeen: Daniel Elphinstone of Orchid and Ross Fraser of Siberia; from Dundee: Amy Carmichael of King of Islington; from Edinburgh: Bradley Osborn of Hoot The Redeemer; Conor Drake of Panda & Sons; Joe Cobbe of The Register Club; and Murdo Maclever of Tigerlily; from Glasgow: Jehad Hatu of Grunting Growler; Liam Grogan of Tiki Bar; and Liam Scott of The Corinthian; and from Gleneagles: Gordon Rerink of the hotelā€™s American Bar.