Three winners, Vladimir Reitenbakh, Josh Black, and Rohan Matmary, were announced at the Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series 2024 competition, held during the Jameson HOSTS Global Summit in Cork, Ireland, with each winning €5,000 and access to a new mentorship program.
The competition received over 380 entries, with the top 10 finalists showcasing innovative Jameson Black Barrel cocktails in front of industry judges and guests, employing an anonymous peer evaluation process for a fair judging experience.
Each finalist focused on championing their local cultures, using unique ingredients like fermented mare’s milk from Kazakhstan and local Malaysian coffee to craft cocktails inspired by their regional backgrounds.
Rohan Matmary’s winning cocktail ‘Day & Night’ highlighted Malaysian breakfast culture, while Vladimir Reitenbakh earned recognition for his use of fermented ingredients, showcasing the event’s commitment to celebrating global bartending creativity.
Rohan Matmary said: “The competition was amazing, very well divided in two parts. The first part was very visual on one hand, and on the other hand when we came to Ireland it was not about how your cocktail looked but how it tasted, so the competition tested both sides of being a bartender really well. Overall being at the distillery and seeing what Jameson does with whiskey is great. Winning means a lot, I am probably one of the only global Indian champions in the bartending community.”
