- A real passion for hospitality and a dedication to the continual improvement of the standards and service offered;
- A commitment to their own training and development and a willingness to share their knowledge with colleagues;
- A thorough understanding of – and the ability to talk confidently about – the brands and products stocked.
Award Categories
There's plenty of opportunities to win at the 2025 SLTN Awards, with a broad range of categories for businesses, operators and staff.
Discover the full list of award categories and criteria below to find out what the judges will be looking for.
In association with Barr Soft Drinks
Bartender of the Year
Judging Criteria
Open to all bar staff across Scotland, the SLTN Bartender of the Year award seeks to recognise the knowledge and passion of the country’s best all-round bartender. This award will go to a bartender with a real passion for pubs, who has the skills, knowledge and desire to make a real difference to enhance the experience of their customers.
Judges will look for:
In association with Tennent's Lager
Beer Quality Award
Judging Criteria
For the Beer Quality Award, Tennent’s Lager and SLTN are looking for outlets that
store, dispense and present the perfect pint to the highest quality standard.
Judges will look for:
- Excellent cellar management, in terms of cleanliness and temperature control, including evidence of the processes in place to maintain these, and good staff knowledge of how best to receive, store, rotate and change kegs;
- A full range of appropriate glassware for every beer type stocked and a good, well understood system for glass cleaning, storage and replenishment;
- Excellence in dispense with good staff knowledge of pouring and presentation techniques for a range of beers delivering the perfectly poured pint every time.
In association with Outcider
Best Outdoor Area
Judging Criteria
Does your bar, restaurant or hotel deliver a quality al fresco experience?
If so, we want to hear from you. The SLTN Best Outdoor Area award will
go to a venue with an outdoor space, which makes a real impact on
both business performance and customer experience.
Judges will look for:
- Design and function of an outdoor area that demonstrates good use of space; is clean, tidy and well-maintained; and is able to comfortably accommodate al fresco customers;
- Innovative use of the al fresco area for marketing and promotion through branded equipment or outdoor TV screens;
- Successful use of outdoor space to make a real positive impact on the business.
In association with Sky Business
Best Venue to Watch the Match
Judging Criteria
On the day of the big match, what venue do sports fans in your area think
of first? This award is for those on-trade outlets where live sports coverage
is a central part of their customer appeal, and business is maximised by
providing the best possible experience.
Judges will assess:
- How live televised sports are used to attract customers and build an outlet’s reputation as a sports viewing destination;
- The promotion of live sport through marketing activity, including social media platforms;
- Evidence of commercial success gained through promoting live sport, and providing food and drink tailored to match-day customers.
In association with Absolut and Barnomadics
Cocktail Bar of the Year
Judging Criteria
Cocktails provide an excellent opportunity to build on the benefits of
premium drinks brands, helping increase both profitability and consumer
appeal. SLTN’s Cocktail Bar of the Year will make great use of cocktails,
and their presentation, to draw a crowd and drive its business.
The winner will have:
- A bar team with strong knowledge of a broad range of ingredients – spirits, modifiers, mixers and garnishes – and the skills to use them in delivery of both classic and innovative mixes;
- A venue with design and atmosphere conducive to mixing and presenting cocktails with a focus on impeccable service, and an eye to ever-changing social trends;
- A menu which is diverse and inclusive, and clearly communicated to customers both in venue and through promotion online.
In association with Tennent's Direct
Community Pub of the Year
Judging Criteria
SLTN is looking to find Scotland’s very best community pub, and judges will consider all aspects of a pub’s offer and the efforts it has made to build community spirit within the outlet.
The Community Pub of the Year will be a pub of any type which attracts most of its customers from the local
area. It will play a significant role within its community, have a relevant drinks range and knowledgeable,
friendly staff.
Judges will assess:
- Role in the community – is the pub a recognised focal point for community activity? Does the pub help support the wider community?
- The offer – what is provided to attract and retain customers, both in terms of food and drink, and entertainment and activities?
- Loyalty and service – does the pub encourage customer loyalty by its involvement with local organisations and activities (e.g charities and sports), and does it offer services to those organisations?
In association with San Miguel UK, part of Budweiser Brewing Group UK
Entrepreneur of the Year
Judging Criteria
This award is for the hospitality industry’s most inspiring and successful entrepreneur.
Judges will consider:
- Consumer insight – The Entrepreneur of the Year will have identified a genuine gap in the market and turned it into commercial reality;
- Risk taking – The winner’s approach to risk will represent a balance between intelligent and grounded commercial insight and a willingness to take bold steps to realise goals;
- Decision-making – Our successful entrepreneur will demonstrate sound decision-making qualities, even under intense pressure. A clear leader, they will be a good communicator who is able to inspire others and delegate effectively.
Family-Owned Business of the Year
Judging Criteria
Family businesses are one of the backbones of Scotland’s hospitality scene, from multi-generational dynasties to newer entrants. The SLTN Family-Owned Business of the Year will be a thriving hospitality business that is owned and operated by a single family.
Judges will look for:
- A clear management structure, with multiple family members playing an active role in the running of the business;
- Evidence that the owning family has put systems in place to ensure the wider team feel included and valued;
- A financially successful business with a strong offer and a solid balance sheet.
In association with Deanston Whisky
Gastropub of the Year
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Gastropub of the Year award will go to a venue that delivers high-end pub food and a quality drinks range to match, with first-rate friendly
service in a welcoming pub environment.
Judges will look for:
- A menu which brings a contemporary flavour to pub classics and displays a commitment to quality and the use of fresh, local, sustainable produce;
- A comprehensive drinks range designed to match the food offer, including suggested pairings;
- A commitment to deliver first-class customer service, in surroundings and an ambience to match the quality food and drink on offer.
In association with Diageo
Independent Multiple Operator of the Year
Judging Criteria
The Independent Multiple Operator of the Year will be a business that consists of four or more bars,
restaurants, hotels or nightclubs. Handling all the complexities of multiple site management and fostering
strong team spirit will be the key characteristics of the winner of this award.
Judges will look for:
- An operator with a clear understanding of the marketplace, competitor activity and food and drink trends, with a clear vision for their multi-site operation;
- Evidence of a successful, thriving and sustainable business, as well as evidence of how marketing campaigns drive commercial success;
- A well-trained, highly engaged team who understand the business and have a passion for hospitality.
In association with Madri Excepcional
Independent Pub/Bar of the Year
Judging Criteria
Independent pubs and bars account for a significant proportion of Scotland’s on-trade, and the SLTN Independent Pub/Bar of the Year award celebrates the vital role
which that free trade holds in Scottish society. We are looking for an outlet which
relishes its independence – a pub or bar which is responsive to its customers’ needs,
and is both popular and commercially successful. For the purposes of this award
independent pubs and bars are classified as licensed premises belonging to a free
trader who owns and operates no more than three outlets.
Judges will consider:
- Outlets with a solid operating model, encompassing staff training and seasonally developed food and drinks menus;
- Operators and teams who strive within their local communities;
- Independent bars known for their programme of events and social media content.
In association with Glenmorangie
Industry Achievement Award
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Industry Achievement Award 2025 will recognise an individual member of Scotland’s hospitality industry who has made a very special contribution.
The most important influences on Scotland’s licensed trade are the people who play their part in it – as owners and entrepreneurs, managers and educators, activists and innovators. This Award will recognise one of these outstanding individuals, whether their achievements came through a lifetime spent at the forefront of the industry, or work in a single community. You may propose anyone in the industry who has, in your opinion, made a significant difference – over a full career or over a shorter time. By making a nomination, you will play your part in ensuring such individuals receive the recognition they deserve.
In association with Sazerac UK
Late-Night Venue of the Year
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Late-Night Venue of the Year award will go to a late-opening premises that successfully combines
a late-night ambience with top quality drinks and excellent customer service. The winning venue will
demonstrate business innovation, drinks retail and customer service excellence and an impactful
marketing strategy.
Judges will look for:
- Ambience, atmosphere and a stylish design which conveys a late-night vibe;
- A range of quality drinks appropriate to the late-night venue’s clientele served by knowledgeable staff;
- Evidence of successful marketing and promotion activity undertaken to communicate with a late-night clientele, coupled with a sound knowledge of legislation covering late-opening premises.
In association with BrewDog
Licensee of the Year
Judging Criteria
Licensee of the Year is a category open to owner/operators who hold a personal licence in the Scottish on-trade.
Are you – or do you know – a licensee who has worked hard, with the best interests of the Scottish hospitality
sector at heart, improving standards and service and running a first-class outlet?
The winner will be able to show:
- Evidence of their ongoing business success;
- An in-depth knowledge of marketplace trends and challenges, and an understanding of what these mean for their own operation;
- Professionalism in their business and commitment to the training and wellbeing of their staff.
Mixologist of the Year
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Mixologist of the Year award will recognise the bartender who displays the best overall knowledge of the premium spirits category and demonstrates innovation and creativity when making cocktails.
Judges will look for:
- An extensive knowledge of spirits categories, the premium brands within them and the heritage and development of the cocktails sector;
- Good mixology skills, involving the correct use of glassware, premium mixers, fresh fruit, garnishes and ice;
- An innovative approach to developing new cocktails and signature drinks, with a willingness to work with new products, pushing the boundaries in mixology with confidence and style.
In association with Favela
Music-led Venue of the Year
Judging Criteria
Music is the heartbeat of many of Scotland’s pubs, bars and clubs and can bring real benefits to a business – from greater footfall to added ambience and increased sales. The SLTN Music-led Venue of the Year award will go to an outlet with music at its heart and which makes the most of all the opportunities a strong music offer can bring.
The winning venue will be able to show:
- How it has embraced music and successfully made it a key part of the business strategy;
- How music has been incorporated into the design and/or layout of the venue, including the tailoring of a drinks offer to suit people enjoying music;
- How effective marketing and social media activity has been used to promote the music offer in order to reach customers and drive footfall.
In association with The London Essence Co.
New Business of the Year
Judging Criteria
New businesses and business ideas are the bedrock of Scotland’s vibrant hospitality industry. For the New
Business of the Year award, we are looking for an outlet that has launched in Scotland in the last 12 months –
including new venues launched from scratch as well as existing premises relaunched in an entirely new style.
Judges will look for:
- A strong business concept, including the outlet’s food and drink offer and design, and clear identification of a market opportunity;
- Thorough market research and sound business and financial planning, followed by good project management throughout the development of the plan from concept to completion;
- An innovative and impactful marketing strategy ahead of the launch/relaunch, and evidence of commercial success since.
In association with Matthew Clark Ltd
Restaurant of the Year
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Restaurant of the Year awards will go to venues that demonstrate the highest quality of food and service together with an excellent range of perfectly-served drinks. This category is split into two divisions: Fine Dining, where a typical meal (without drinks) would cost £75 or more; and Casual Dining where a typical meal (without drinks) would cost less than £75.
Judges will look for:
- An absolute commitment to the preparation of high quality food, paired with consistently high standards of service;
- A comprehensive and relevant drinks range, with attention to detail in how they are served to complement a meal;
- Flair, character, ambience – call it what you will – a good restaurant will have it.
In association with Schweppes
Spirits Bar of the Year
Judging Criteria
Spirits, the backbone of the back-bar, are crucial to the success of any on-trade outlet. The Spirits Bar of the
Year will be a venue that stocks a well thought-out range of spirits that has been tailored to its customer base.
Judges will look for:
- A broad range of spirits, encompassing important categories (gin, rum, vodka, whisky etc), or specialising in a particular category, that has been constructed with thought to pricing and the venue’s customer base;
- A strong selection of mixers and serves;
- Well-trained and knowledgeable staff, with a passion for spirits and the ability to speak confidently to customers about different spirits categories (or a venue’s specialist category) and products.
In association with Inverarity Morton
The Wine Award
Judging Criteria
Wine is essential to the offer in hospitality outlets the length and breadth of Scotland, from specialist wine bars to gastropubs.
The SLTN Wine Award will go to a venue with an exceptional wine list and a knowledgeable and engaged team.
Judges will look for:
- An outstanding selection of wines, put together with careful consideration of the venue’s customer base;
- A detailed but easy to understand wine list, with thought given to pricing brackets and wines by the glass;
- A well trained and engaged team, with an obvious passion for wine.
In association with Whyte & Mackay
Whisky Bar of the Year
Judging Criteria
Scotch whisky is enjoying unprecedented success around the world
– but the Scottish on-trade remains a vital route to market for the
country’s national drink. SLTN’s Whisky Bar of the Year will be an
outstanding dealer in drams, in terms of the range on offer, the
knowledge of its staff and the quality of its service.
The winner will have:
- A balanced range of malts, blends and other Scotch and international whiskies that meets a broad spectrum of budgets and tastes;
- A strong commitment to staff training, with particular emphasis on developing whisky knowledge;
- Innovative ideas and strategies to use whisky in the development of their venue’s reputation, design and overall food and drink offer.
