Chad Hanson is congratulated on being announced the winner.
On Monday, after a tough competition — and after a jet boat ride and a seaplane flight — the winners of the Glenfiddich Pioneers compeitition were announced at an event at new Sydney bar, The Push.
Winner, Chad Hanson
South Australia’s Chad Hanson won the overall Glenfiddich Pioneers title, with Chanel Liquori of Melbourne’s Eau de Vie scoring second place. Hanson wins a trip to the distilleries of Scotland while Liquori picks up a jet-skiing adventure in the Whitsundays.
Runner-up, Chanel Liquori
Joining her there is the winner of the Future Pioneers division of the competition, Will Sleeman from Melbourne’s Black Pearl. This part of the comp was for bartenders who hadn’t been in the national finals of a cocktail competition before, with the aim of giving them experience and the chance to cut their teeth alongside some of the country’s best bartending talent.
Future Pioneer winner, Will Sleeman
The brief for the competition was to create drinks that paid homage to pioneers of the competitors family. Hanson’s elaborate Glenfiddich 14 Year Old cocktail — titled simply 1876 — drew inspiration from his great-great-grandfather William Hanson (and his fob watch, which has been passed down through six generations to Chad) and his grandfather’s habit of burning toast so as to avoid having to ever cook for himself.
Liquori’s drinks were based on the experience of her great-great-grandfather Alfred Francis Graham, who played a role in uniting two Maori tribes in Parihaka, a prosperous — and pacifist — village which staged a peaceful resistance to some 1600 British militia. Her drink Velveteen Swill combined Glenfiddich 15 Year Old, Kahlua, Punt e Mes and a little porter with a side garnish of potato ice cream (potato being a staple food for the Maori people, acording to Liquori).
Future Pioneer winner Sleeman’s drink drew upon his grandmother’s pioneering role in hospitality — and her legendary family status as a cook — to create his Sandra’s Glen-cuterie, a mix of Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, quince liqueur, lime cordial, and dry sherry, served with charcuterie.
All the Glenfiddich Pioneers finalists after a somewhat wet and wild jet boat ride.