Dennis Sadovyak wins UK leg of High West cocktail contest
Bartender Dennis Sadovyak triumphed in the UK heat of High West Whiskey’s cocktail competition and will go on to compete in the European final next year.
Sadovyak, of The Wolseley Club in London, competed against 10 other finalists on 3 November at Odyssey in London.
As the UK champion, Sadovyak will head to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France in January to compete in the European final of the High West Mountain Bartender Experience Cocktail Competition.
High West Whiskey aims to bring the flavour of its mountain location in the US to Europe via its annual cocktail contest.
For the competition, entrants had to incorporate at least one of four flagship whiskeys into their drinks: High West Double Rye, High West Bourbon, High West Rendezvous, and High West Campfire.
The judges of this year’s UK final were: Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The Spirits Business magazine; Tony Vega, co-founder of Odyssey; Vitek Melichar, local brand ambassador for High West Whiskey; and Will Barker, bar manager and the winner of the competition’s London final 2024.
Sadovyak said: “I was honoured to be joined by such high-calibre bartenders. I am thrilled to be representing the UK in Chamonix for the European final and, with the words of wisdom from the judges, I’m preparing for what will be a great showdown of talent.”
Given the high calibre of the competition, joint second place was awarded to Josh McCaffery from 3 Greek Street and Jacques Quinn from The Alchemist in Edinburgh.
Kiely commented: “What I always enjoy about cocktail competitions is seeing how differently and creatively bartenders interpret the same brief. The standard we saw for the UK heat was extremely high.
“Dennis proved that ‘less is more’ with his classic cocktail with a bold twist. This impressed me in its elegance and complexity – all of which was topped off with the warmth of his presentation; it made me want to have a seat at his bar. A genuine example of excellent hospitality.”
High West became Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870 when opened in 2006.
Founded by David and Jane Perkins, the whiskey distillery is located in Park City and sits 7,000 feet above sea level in the Wasatch Mountains.
Constellation Brands acquired High West Whiskey in 2016.
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