Woodford Reserve brings back Global Bar Exchange
Brown-Forman-owned Woodford Reserve has revived its international advocacy programme, Global Bar Exchange.
The programme aims to ‘celebrate the creativity, skill, community and shared spirit of the hospitality industry’. It will run from September 2025 to April 2026, bringing together emerging bar talent and some of the world’s most respected venues.
The 2025/26 Global Bar Exchange will span 12 markets: Australia, Brazil, Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.
Visiting bartenders will be ‘fully immersed’ in the host city’s flavour culture, exploring regional ingredients and culinary techniques as well as engaging with hospitality experiences.
Each stop will culminate in a collaborative bar event, where visiting and host bartenders will showcase serves made with Woodford Reserve.
In previous iterations of the Global Bar Exchange, these cocktails have made it onto permanent bar menus, such as Line’s Old Fashioned, which blended Woodford Reserve, Metaxa 12 Stars, cotton mead and bitters.
The first event will take place from 7 to 12 September and will see London’s Nightjar – which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year – travel to Brisbane, Australia. The team will visit Death & Taxes, with a return visit to London taking place from 13 to 18 October.
Meanwhile, on 18-20 November, Seoul’s Bar Cham will take up residence at Amsterdam’s Sin of Sal. The collaboration will continue in Seoul on 26-28 November.
More dates will be released in due course.
This year’s programme will be accompanied by a global campaign called ‘A Travelling Spectacle’, which aims to bring to life the stories, talent and cities behind the exchange.
Nidal Ramini, director of advocacy at Brown-Forman, said: “We are now in our third year of the Woodford Reserve Global Bar Exchange and cannot wait to kick off the new edition.
“This year will see a dynamic mix of partners and exciting new markets, and we’re building on the momentum of our previous Exchanges to deliver something truly global in scale and spirit.
“The programme continues to deepen our connections with the bartending community, creating meaningful collaborations and connections that reflect the heart of modern hospitality.”
Earlier this month, Woodford Reserve entered the American single malt whiskey space.
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