SABMiller, the brewing giant, has announced that a British bartender, Danny Walker, has won its Pilsner Urquell International Master Bartender of the Year.
Walker, who works in The Square private members club in Bristol, beat fifteen finalists from different countries during a three-day competition held in Prague, Czech Republic.
The company said that the 2008 competition, which is in its third year, had seen an increased level of participation from bartenders across the world, with finalists from countries including South Africa, Spain, Finland and Belarus.
Nick Miller, who has just taken over as the new managing director of Miller Brands, SABMiller’s UK subsidiary, replacing Gary Whittle, attended the awards ceremony held at Prague Castle.
Miller said: “We’re all really pleased for Danny – he’s a great guy and just what we are looking for as an ambassador for Pilsner Urquell.
“He was up against some really tough competition, but his professionalism and work ethic really shone through. When Danny was awarded the title of UK Master Bartender of the Year we expected great things from him and so to be crowned as International Master Bartender is just tremendous.”
Miller Brands launched the Master Bartender programme following research showing that only 6% of bartenders said that they had received training from a beer brand, compared to 49% from other drinks brands.
Pilsner Urquell, a Czech clear lager, is one of the flagship brands of SABMiller’s international brand portfolio.
