- A real passion for hospitality and a commitment to excellent service standards;
- Evidence that the bartender continues to develop their skills and knowledge;
- 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 2026 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.
Bartender of the Year
in association with FUNKIN PRO COCKTAILS
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 hospitality, who has the skills, knowledge and desire to make a real difference to enhance the experience of their customers.
Judges will look for:
Beer Quality Award
in association with Tennent's Lager
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 with processes in place to maintain these. Good staff knowledge of how best to receive, store, rotate and change kegs;
- A full range of appropriate glassware for every beer type stocked. Must be able to demonstrate a 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.
Best Outdoor Area
in association with Kopparberg
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.
Best Venue to Watch the Match
in association with Sky Business
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 look for:
- A venue that uses live televised sport to attract customers and build an outlet’s reputation as a sports-viewing destination;
- The promotion of live sport through a range of marketing activity;
- Evidence of commercial success gained through promoting live sport, and providing food and drink tailored to match-day customers.
Cocktail Bar of the Year
in association with Absolut
Judging Criteria
The market for cocktails has exploded in the past decade, and Scotland punches well above its weight in the quality of its mixed drinks. The SLTN Cocktail Bar of the Year will be a venue that offers its customers a selection of excellent, well-presented cocktails designed around current trends and the venue’s unique customer base.
Judges will look for:
- A menu with a diverse range of drinks, which has been designed to be inclusive and easy for customers to understand;
- A motivated and knowledgeable bar team with the skills to create a wide range of drinks;
- A venue that has been designed for the optimum creation and serving of cocktails, from the layout behind the bar to the décor and ambience of the public spaces.
Community Pub of the Year
in association with AG Barr
Judging Criteria
Communities across Scotland rely on their local pub, and the SLTN Community Pub of the Year will be a business with that community spirit at its heart. We’ll be looking for a venue that attracts most of its customers from the local area and has tailored its offer to the local clientele.
Judges will look for:
- A pub with a strong role in the community – is the pub a recognised hub for community activity?
- An offer – both food and drink and entertainment and activities – designed to attract and retain customers;
- Involvement with local organisations (for example, charities or sports teams).
Entrepreneur of the Year
in association with Modelo Especial
Judging Criteria
This award is for the hospitality industry’s most inspiring and successful entrepreneur.
Judges will look for:
- Evidence of consumer insight – The Entrepreneur of the Year will have identified a genuine gap in the market and turned it into commercial reality;
- Examples of 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 – the award-winner will be able to demonstrate sound decision-making, even when they’ve been under intense pressure. A clear leader, they will be able to inspire others and delegate effectively.
Family-Owned Business of the Year
in association with Matheson Lawson Solicitors
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.
Gastropub of the Year
in association with Deanston Whisky
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.
Independent Multiple Operator of the Year
in association with Diageo
Judging Criteria
The Independent Multiple Operator of the Year awards will go to well-run hospitality groups that are experts in multi-site management. Two awards will be handed out: one to a company operating between four and seven units and the other to a company operating more than eight units.
Judges will look for:
- Operators with a clear vision for their business, as well as in-depth knowledge of the marketplace they are operating in;
- Evidence of a commercially-successful business, with a strong use of promotional campaigns to help drive revenue;
- A commitment to staff training and development.
Independent Pub/Bar of the Year
in association with Molson Coors
Judging Criteria
Independent pubs and bars make up a major part of Scotland’s on trade sector, and the SLTN Independent Pub/Bar of the Year award recognises the essential contribution these free-trade venues make to Scottish life. This category seeks an outlet that thrives in its locality — a pub or bar that listens to its customers, adapts to their needs, and achieves both popularity and commercial success.
For this award, an independent pub or bar is defined as a licensed premises owned and operated by a free trader with no more than three venues in total.
Judges will look for:
- A strong operational foundation, including well-trained staff and food and drink menus that evolve with the seasons;
- Operators and teams who actively engage with their local community, building meaningful relationships and contributing positively to the area;
- Independent venues with a vibrant programme of events and a dynamic social media presence, helping to create a distinctive identity and loyal following.
Industry Achievement Award
in association with Glenmorangie
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Industry Achievement Award 2026 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.
Late-Night Venue of the Year
Judging Criteria
The SLTN Late-Night Venue of the Year will be a late-opening premises that offers its customers a great atmosphere, excellent customer service and a range of drinks tailored to its target market.
Judges will look for:
- A venue with atmosphere and ambience, and which has been designed with a clear target market in mind;
- A range of drinks appropriate to the venue’s clientele;
- Evidence of successful marketing and promotional activity.
Licensee of the Year
in association with Sazerac UK
Judging Criteria
Could you – or someone you know – be the Licensee of the Year?
SLTN and Sazerac UK are looking for a licensee who champions hospitality, raises standards and runs a first-class outlet. The category is open to any owner/operator in the Scottish on-trade that holds a personal licence.
Judges will look for:
- Evidence of business success;
- An in-depth knowledge of their marketplace;
- A commitment to developing their staff.
Mixologist of the Year
in association with Marie Brizard
Judging Criteria
The title of SLTN Mixologist of the Year will go to a bartender who can demonstrate unparalleled creativity behind the bar, with a keen grasp of premium spirits and liqueurs as well as current drinks trends.
Judges will look for:
- Evidence of creativity and a passion for experimenting with different products and flavours;
- Extensive and up-to-date knowledge of spirits categories and cocktail trends;
- Excellent technical skills and appreciation for factors such as glassware, ice, garnishes etc in the presentation of cocktails.
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 great 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.
Judges will look for:
- Evidence music has been embraced by the venue and been successfully made into a key part of the business;
- The ways 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;
- Effective marketing and social media activity, which promotes the music offer in order to reach customers and drive footfall.
New Business of the Year
in association with Pepsi MAX
Judging Criteria
New businesses and business ideas are the wellspring 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.
Restaurant of the Year
in association with Tennent's
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.
Spirits Bar of the Year
in association with Schweppes
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.
The Wine Award
in association with Inverarity Morton
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.
Whisky Bar of the Year
in association with Whyte & Mackay
Judging Criteria
Scotch whisky is loved all over the world – but Scotland’s own hospitality venues remain a vital route to market. SLTN’s Whisky Bar of the Year will be a venue that stocks an outstanding range of whiskies and is staffed by a knowledgeable and passionate team.
Judges will look for:
- A broad range of malts, blends and other whiskies that cater to a spectrum of budgets and tastes;
- A commitment to staff training, with a particular focus on helping staff develop their whisky knowledge;
- Any innovative or unusual ideas to help broaden the appeal of whisky or make it more accessible to new customers.
