- Global bartenders are now invited to submit their entry for the 2025 competition; with each entry championing their local culture and community
- Prizes for 2025’s competition include a 3-day trip to Ireland for 24 winners to connect and collaborate with 100+ bar community guests at Jameson HOSTS Global Summit. 3 Global winners, chosen at the final will win access to industry icon mentors and €5000 cash prize
- Jameson Irish Whiskey – a famously smooth whiskey from a famously big family – is committed to expanding the Jameson community, with the return of Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series mentorship programme as part of the 2025 prize
- Launching in January, this year’s judges have shared their 2025 industry and cocktail trend predictions, expecting to see bioluminescence and 3D printed ingredients appear across the industry this year
Jameson, the world’s most awarded Irish whiskey*, is delighted to announce the return of its annual Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series 2025 competition for its fourth year, open for entries from 13th January to 17th February 2025.
Following a wildly successful 2024 Series, which saw 355 video entries (+130% compared to 2023) across 46 countries, this year’s competition encourages Jameson’s global bartender family to once again submit a unique cocktail creation featuring Jameson Black Barrel Irish whiskey, championing their local cultures and communities through processes, ingredients and beyond.
Industry giant’s industry trends for 2025
The Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series offers a platform for uncovering and sharing emerging cocktail trends from across the globe, with entrants encouraged to explore the most exciting flavours in their unique geography. Last year’s competition saw the growing trend of localised flavours taking on a global stage. Entrants submitted cocktails featuring some of the most diverse regional ingredients, from fermented mare’s milk (Kumiss) to Smyliyan Beans, Mangosteen from Indonesia and walnut tree leaves from New Zealand.
Speaking on what they expect to see for 2025, judge Claudia Cabrera of Kaito Del Valle anticipates that weird and wonderful ingredients are set to disrupt the industry, explaining,
I expect to see bartenders looking backwards in time, using plants and herbology to make cocktails – from tree saps to herbs and roots and beyond. Additionally, I predict we will see cocktails that will bring ancient ritualistic beverages and their ingredients, such as Tejate (prehispanic maize and cacao ‘drink of the gods’) and Pulque (2,000+ year old Mesoamerican fermented agave drink), to the wider world, shining a light on regional culture.
Umami flavours will be dialled up, with algae and tomatoes being key players, and also using ingredients to create rare visual experiences – I expect to see concepts like bioluminescence, colour shifting and 3d printed ingredients pop up on menus soon.
A focus on dessert techniques is judge Millie Tang’s prediction for an exciting 2025, commenting,
Culinary techniques in drink production will intensify – with a focus on methods and technology used by expert pâtissiers.
In addition, Danil Nevsky, returning judge and hospitality consultant commented that extremes and maximalism is likely to be the major industry shift of 2025, commenting
Minimalism is out, and extremes are in! ‘Samey’ will be very much passé with bartenders exploring extremes. Expect to see unseen ingredient combinations in drinks pushed further, like parmesan and espresso, as well as extreme savoury ingredients, such as mushrooms, anchovies and even root vegetables, used to push classics like the dirty martini to the very edge. Drama won’t just come to cocktails in the ingredients. Dramatic garnishes and presentation will continue to get bigger and better across the year, whilst still being refined.
An Exceptional Prize
Applicants for 2025 will be competing to win one of three €5000 cash prize, a once in a lifetime trip to Cork, Ireland to attend the Jameson HOSTS Global Summit and access to leading industry figures for the Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series Mentorship Programme.
Uploading a video entry of their serve, cocktail submissions will use Jameson Black Barrel, an exceptional blend of expertly aged select batch whiskeys with smooth notes of toasted oak, caramel and vanilla spice.
The top 24 entries chosen by the judging panel for the ‘Regional Winners’, announced on 10th March 2025 on @jamesonHOSTS, will win a three-day, all expenses paid trip to Midleton Distillery, Ireland to attend the ‘Jameson HOSTS Global Summit’ curated in collaboration with award-winning bartender Remy Savage. An event where winners will gain access to 100+ members of the bar industry from across the globe, the summit offers unrivalled networking, inspirational seminars and community building, celebrating the ‘Must Be A Jameson’ spirit of community and bringing people together.
From this extended Jameson family of 24 Regional Winners, a ‘Top 10’ will be selected to compete in the live final at the Jameson HOSTS Global Summit, where 3 Global Champions will be identified through a unique blind tasting judging process. Here, two groups consisting of three judges and three mentors will adjudicate in isolation with their combined scores deciding 2025’s 3 Global Champions.
The global final, taking place in Cork, Ireland, will then crown the top 3 ‘Global Champions’, with each Global Champion earning €5000 and access to an innovative Jameson mentoring programme that includes in-person and virtual sessions with industry giants.
This year’s judges will see the return of Danil Nevsky of Indie Bartender, and the new additions of Millie Tang of De Vie and Claudia Cabrera of Kaito Del Valle. Additionally, returning mentors Remy Savage & Danil Nevsky will be joined by Eleni Nikoloulia, an accomplished journalist from Difford’s Guide Greece, World’s 50 Best Bars Academy Chair, educator and drinks festival organiser.
Mentorship Programme
Jameson Irish Whiskey – a famously smooth whiskey from a famously big family – is committed to expanding the Jameson family and community, with the Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series mentorship programme aiming to provide guidance and support to aspiring bar professionals seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge personally and professionally in the wider bar community.
Commencing at the Jameson HOSTS Summit, the mentors will include summit curator Remy Savage, drinks industry journalist Eleni Nikoloulia and hospitality consultant Danil Nevsky. Each mentor, selected for their unique expertise on topics ranging from creative ideation and concept design right through to global marketing and social media branding, will be at the disposal of the 3 Global Winners, allowing them to pick their brain and ask for their expertise, such as exploring their very own bar concept or discussing professional development questions.
Speaking on the return of the mentorship programme, Tony O’Brien, Jameson Global Advocacy Manager, commented:
Following the runaway success of the Mentorship Programme in last year’s Series, we are excited to bring this back better and stronger this year. A true highlight of last year’s winners, they discussed their own bar concepts and got to pick the brain of true experts and get that element of support that is so essential in our bartending community. An addition to the cash prize, the mentorship offers that element of giving back to the industry which we and our mentors are so passionate about, and we look forward to that again this year!


Entry details:
- Film yourself presenting your cocktail in a 30 – 60 seconds (portrait) video and post it to your Instagram account, using our competition hashtags: #JamesonBartenderSeries2025 #Competition #Bartenders #JamesonBlackBarrel
Note: Ensure your Instagram account is public so we can see your video until judging is finalised and Regional Winners announced on 10th March 2025.
- Upload your high-quality video to a file sharing site (e.g. com) and share the link with us via the entry form (for further information, visit the website HERE) from 13th January 2025 to February 17th, 2025, so that we can download and view your video.
- Complete the entry form below, ensuring you include a link to your downloadable video and agree to the terms & conditions.
- Follow @JamesonHOSTS(IG) for all competition updates
For further information, visit the website HERE
Competition Timeline:
- Open for entries from 13th January 2025 – 17th February 2025.
- ‘Regional Winners’ will be announced on 10th March 2025.
- ‘Top 10’ finalists will be announced on 21st June 2025.
- Regional Winners, including the ‘Top 10’, will be transported to ‘Jameson HOSTS Global Summit’ in September 2025.
- 3 ‘Global Champions’ will be selected based on anonymous votes
- Mentoring sessions to commence at the Global Summit and continue after the event, starting from September 2025. Note: Exact timings and sessions currently being finalised
‘Regional Winners’ prize details:
Financial: ‘Regional Winners’ will receive €500 cash prize
Cork trip: ‘Regional Winners’ (including the ‘Top 10’ who move on to the in person final) will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Cork, to attend the Jameson HOSTS Summit. There they will experience unique opportunities to network with 100+ of their peers and leading members of the bartending industry attending the Summit, attend seminars hosted by some of the best and brightest in the industry and partake in money-can’t-buy Jameson experiences.
Guests will also be guided by Midleton’s Masters of Distillation, Coopering and Blending as they take a behind-the-scenes tour of Midleton Distillery. The once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cork will allow guests to taste whiskey straight from the cask in one of the distillery’s 16,800 cask Maturation Warehouses, as well as visiting the Garden Stillhouse to experience the worlds six largest copper pot stills.
Within the ‘Regional Winners’ the ‘Top 10’ will be chosen, who will recreate their cocktail live at the Summit, to be tasted by the remaining 15 Regional Winners and judges. The peer-judging process will then culminate in an anonymous vote, which will pick the Top 3 ‘Global Champions’.
Top 3 ‘Global Champions’ prize details:
Financial: The winners of the competition will each receive a €5000 cash prize
Mentorship: The mentorship element of the prize is part of Jameson’s ongoing commitment to the industry, which continues to grow as an inclusive space for creative expression worldwide.
The mentoring sessions, completed in person and virtually, will be offer the winners unique access to leaders in the industry, to ask questions, pick their brain and more. Each session will be structured and designed around topics inspired by areas of the bartending world that are of interest to up-and-coming bartenders, curated by Jameson HOSTS, and include:
- Brand building and creative identity
- Social media strategy
- Bar operations and logistics
Full details of the mentorship part of the prize will be confirmed closer to the final.
Further information about the Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series 2025:
- Entrants must be a professional bartender or have been within the last 5 years.
- Judging criteria on participant’s submitted video entries will be focused on the following areas:
- Drink concept and presentation (40%)
- Brand Integration (30%)
- Video Production (30%)
- This competition is open to all entrants globally, including those who work on cruise ships, (excluding the USA), subject to our Terms & Conditions on our website here. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to our US friends.
- ‘Regional Winners’ will be selected according to the following market breakdown:
- Australia x 2
- Bulgaria x 2
- China x 1
- Cruise Ships x 2
- Estonia x 1
- Indonesia x 1
- Italy x 1
- Ireland x 1
- Kazakhstan x 1
- Malaysia x 1
- New Zealand x 1
- Nigeria x 1
- Norway x 2
- Spain x 2
- Turkey x 1
- UK x 1
- Rest of world (excl US) x 3.
- Monetary cash prize will be in EUR/€
- Participants must ensure their Instagram account is not private and is set to public during the judging period
*Based on the tasting results of the nine most influential tasting competitions in 2024, including; The Irish Whiskey Masters, International Wine & Spirit Competition, International Spirits Competition, Beverage Testing Institute, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, New York World Wine and Spirits Competitions, Singapore World Spirits Competition, The Luxury Masters and the World Whiskies Awards