Filliers crowns inaugural competition winner
Bart Capoen from Belgium bar Little Red Rooster won the first Filliers Bartender Competition with his cocktail called Then & Still.
The competition drew bartenders from all over Belgium, challenging them to create an original signature cocktail featuring Filliers Young & Pure Genever as the key ingredient.
It is the distillery’s only unaged jenever, offering subtle aromas of juniper berries and malt wine, and refined citrus notes.
Filliers Bartender Competition focused on creativity, technique, and storytelling, showcasing the versatility of Belgian genever in contemporary cocktail culture.
The winner was determined by a judging panel consisting of the distillery’s CEO, Benoit Filliers, alongside drinks expert Hannah Van Ongevalle, culinary ambassador Hendrik Dierendonck and food journalist Regula Ysewijn.
For the winning serve, Capoen, Little Red Rooster bartender and bar manager from Ghent, paired the Belgian distiller’s Young & Pure Genever with a hoppy, experimental IPA from local brewery Dok Brewing Company.
Capoen was awarded a 130-litre cask of eight-year-old Filliers Barrel Aged Genever and a €500 (US$570) cash prize.
Milan Wauters from Opius Distillery took second place with his contemporary interpretation of the classic Martini, called Meat My Martini. The serve was inspired by Flemish farm culture, crafted with a fat-washed gin infused with pork fat.
On joint third place came Hakan Sönmez from Fourth Wave in Ghent and Tineke De Duytsche from Carl’s Gastrobar in Aalter.
Benoit Filliers said: “With this first bartending competition, we want not only to support Belgian bartending talent, but also to show just how versatile genever can be today.
“Young & Pure is a perfect base for contemporary cocktails and proves that tradition and innovation go hand in hand.”
Earlier this year, Filliers Distillery released its oldest expression to date: a 34-year-old single grain whisky.
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