winner announcement
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The Master of Malt Trade Clubman Trophy.
Spending time in Trade as we do on a regular basis, we get to meet so many incredible people. People who are willing to give us their time to talk about spirits, answer stupid questions, pass on important messages, share useful insight and of course serve us incredible drinks!
We wanted to celebrate those unsung heroes who keep the wheels of hospitality turning; to give a platform to those who might have previously avoided the allure of shiny industry awards, who graft every day and ask for nothing more than a pat on the back at the end of a shift. So we created the Clubman Award to take a pause and say thank you for all of the effort. So, to everyone that entered, and all the absolute legends nominated (and all that weren't but deserved to be)... Thank you.
For our very first Clubman, we partnered with the amazing Copper Rivet Distillery in Kent, to give the winner an unforgettable experience; blending their own whisky and then dinner at their picturesque Pumproom restaurant.
Copper Rivet is located at the heart of Chatham’s Historic Naval Dockyard, Copper Rivet Distillery is a family-founded business which has been creating only the finest gin, vodka, whisky and liqueurs since its opening in 2016. Situated inside the Grade II listed Pumphouse No5, the distillery’s innovation reflects that of the local craftsmen who once built world-class ships there.
Our shortlist selection committee was made up of Liam Belton, our trade lead, Adrian Lugg, head of marketing, Melita Kiely, editor of Spirits Business and Stephen Russell, the MD of the Copper Rivet Distillery in Kent. We then turned to our passionate sales team to choose their winner.
Nick Collier, bar supervisor at Brighton Rocks
“Nick is, in our 7 years here at Brighton Rocks, is the hardest working member of staff we have ever had. He always helps out, even when not on shift, comes in when asked, does things out of hours to promote the bar, we can not speak highly enough of him. His mother went through cancer treatment last year and he never wavered in his work ethic or commitment to the cause through this tricky economic times and emotional times for him. Never off ill, never late, always willing to work extra hours if needed, and has held the fort perfectly when the manager and myself have been away.
From not having any cocktail experience, he has learnt so well and now produces excellent quality drinks consistently and received many great reviews. His knowledge of our extensive back bar has increased and always researched new ideas. Always helping others, and putting himself first, we can't think of anyone better suited to such an award and would be richly deserved. From making top quality cocktails to clearing out drains, Nick really is the absolute definition of an unsung hero."
“Incredibly loyal and hard working. Always looking to help others and never expecting anything in return. Couldn’t do my job without him.”
Highly Commended
With nominations coming from every corner of the industry, we had so many strong contenders that we decided to create a highly commended section as well.
Reading through these entries genuinely touched so many people at Trade Towers, it reminded us what an incredible industry we work in, and why we wanted to create this award in the first place.
No matter which corner of the industry you work in, next time you cross the threshold of your favourite venue, hopefully you get the opportunity to put forward some small form of thanks or acknowledgment for those at the coal face bringing us joy.
Some of our highly commended;
- Jack Taylor, The Great British Beer Co
- Tina Kelly, Be At One Liverpool
- Andy McPhate, Stenhousemuir Football Club
- Vicky Ilankovan, Equal Measures
Copper Rivet Distillery
Copper Rivet is Kent's only Grain to Glass Distillery in the heart of Chatham's Royal Dockyard. Home of Vela Vodka, Dockyard Gin and Son of a Gun Spirit
From a Dockyard in Chatham
The Copper Rivet Distillery is an exciting and dynamic Medway based craft distillery. Drawing upon the area's rich tradition of innovation and craft, the team toil together to produce small batches of exceptional gins, whiskies and vodkas from scratch in bespoke stills, with the same skill that local craftsmen once fashioned world-class ships.
Set in the historic and magnificent Victorian Pump House No. 5, the distillery is open for tours. Go and meet the team to see how they produce their range of spirits. Explore and see first hand the distilling process in action, play and experiment with flavour profiling in their laboratory and sup and savour some of their spirits for yourselves.
Black Owned Brands
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Young Brands
We're big believers in giving young brand owners a spotlight that we know is often hard to come by. We're sure these will become big, established names in no time!
Bar toolkit (carousel)
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