The UK Bartenders’ Guild is delighted to announce that Miley Kendrick, from The Domino Club in Leeds, is the winner of The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest 2026. Miley connected well with the judges and impressed them with her whole performance; the drink itself was excellent and the story behind it was meaningful and well delivered. Held on 9th March at The Caley Bar in Edinburgh, in partnership with Japanese Sake and Shochu Makers Association, the event brought together some of the UK’s most innovative bartenders in a celebration of culture, connection and creativity, all channeled into outstanding mixology.
For five years, both UKBG and Japanese Sake and Shochu Makers Association have worked together to grow national awareness for Japan’s most distinctive spirits, by educating and inspiring bartenders across the UK, with cocktail competitions judged by leading industry talent. This year, UK bartenders were invited to dive into the Honkaku Shochu and Awamori category.
The contest began in January with three live seminars in some of the UK’s most dynamic cities, Edinburgh, Birmingham, London. The seminars were led by Samuel Boulton, a Japan Sake and Shochu educator and previous competitor. He shared his knowledge and cultural insights on the category for bartenders taking part in the competition, and the recordings of the seminars are available on the UKBG website.
“Congratulations to Miley for securing first place, an incredible achievement in a competition where the level of talent was truly outstanding,” said Claudia Carozzi, UKBG president. “We are honoured to continue our collaboration with the JSS in growing awareness and appreciation of this category in the Western world. Every year, we see the standards rise, the bartenders’ knowledge deepen, and the level of interaction during the classes increase. The number of entries this year was remarkable, and the overall standard was exceptionally high. So much so that selecting only ten finalists became impossible. For this reason, we decided to extend the shortlist to twelve. The creativity, passion, and commitment demonstrated across all entries were truly inspiring. For me, everyone who took part is a winner.”
The event was hosted by Zach Sapato, named Scotland’s National Hospitality Hero of the Year in 2023. Zach is a widely decorated cocktail competitor winning three US National titles and four UK National titles. The judging panel included renowned industry names, Kaitlin Wilkes, co-founder of The Ada Coleman Project, and recognised for her work as a Brand & Beverage Consultant across top London venues. She was joined on the panel by Nicky Craig, General Manager at Award Winning Bar, Panda & Sons in Edinburgh and Hiroyasu Kayama, mixologist, master bartender, owner of the Bar Benfiddich (number 18 in World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 and number 9 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars), and YouTube sensation.
The finalists presented their cocktail in front of the judging panel and were assessed on name, technique, look and appearance, aroma and taste, and their ability to showcase their knowledge of Honkaku Shochu and Awamori category. There was an exceptionally high standard of serves presented, which was a true reflection of the insight delivered during the seminars earlier this year and the efforts of the competitors.
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Winner, Miley Kendrick, from The Domino Club in Leeds, impressed the judging panel with her cocktail, ‘What’s The Story with Awamori?’ As part of his prize, Miley will attend an educational trip to Japan. Miley comments, “It was an absolute honour to present at the UKBG The Great Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Contest, even better to take home the win when being judged by three of my personal industry inspirations. The best competitions are ones that form connections, and I’m glad to have fostered old and new connections with my fellow bartenders and can’t wait to meet more people in Japan and, of course, drink more Shochu.”
By combining a blend of education, connection, and category elevation, UKBG and JSS continue to shape the UK bar landscape. In partnership, the two businesses have inspired hundreds of bartenders, expanded long-term education opportunities, and elevated national awareness of Japan’s spirits.
