2020 BOURBON BRAWL RULES AND REGULATIONS
Presented by Garrison Brothers + Texas Monthly, benefitting Good Bourbon for a Good Cause
OVERVIEW
This is a search for the 2020 Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year. This person will display total breadth and aptitude in their abilities as a professional bartender. Over the course of the 4 stages of the competition and across multiple varying challenges, these bartenders will display (for example) creativity and innovation:
Knowledge of Garrison Brothers Distillery
Ability to understand and create balanced cocktails
Technical skill, cleanliness and bar-side manner
Presentation style
Genuine hospitality
THE CHALLENGE
There are 4 stages of the Bourbon Brawl Bartender Competition.
1. Online submission of a Garrison Brothers Bourbon cocktail (bartenders and consumers). These recipes will then be blindly judged by a panel of experts.
2. The 75 qualifying bartenders from online submissions will move on to The Bourbon Takeover of Texas where Garrison Brothers Distillery employees and members of The Bourbon Brotherhood will be visiting the bartenders at their establishments across Texas to try their Garrison Brothers cocktail. In addition, 5 consumers or at home bartenders will also be chosen to have the opportunity to showcase their cocktails throughout the semi-finals and finals competitions.
3. From the 75 locations participating in The Bourbon Takeover of Texas, 25 bartenders will be chosen based on the judging criteria provided under “Selection Process” to compete in the semi-final round of the bartender competition. The semi-final round will take place in five cities across Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth and San Antonio).
4. A first place winner will be chosen at each semi-final and will advance to the finals and win $500. The final competition will be held in Austin on May 7th. 5 bartenders will compete head to head for the chance to be crowned the 2020 Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year, $10,000, their very own Single Barrel (for personal consumption only) and a complete Texas Luxury experience (TBD).
JUDGING CRITERIA
Demonstrate the following traits to become a member of the Garrison Brothers family.
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
SPIRITS KNOWLEDGE
GENUINE HOSPITALITY
TIME AND EFFICIENCY
PRESENTATION
STYLE
PRIZING
Semifinals Prizes:
First-Place Prize (provided by Texas Monthly):
$500
Lodging accommodation for 2 nights in Austin for the Finals (May 6th and 7th 2020)
A chance to be crowned the 2020 Garrison Brothers Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year
*All other participants in the semi-final competitions will receive a gift TBD by Texas Monthly.
Finals Prizes:
One bartender will be chosen as the overall winner of the 2020 Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year Competition. The winner will receive:
Cash prize of $10,000
Single Barrel (15-gallon) for personal use only
Texas Luxury Experience
Judging position in the 2021 Bourbon Brawl Bartender Competition
Taxes are the sole responsibility of prize winner. No substitution/transfer of prize permitted.
All prizes and accommodations provided by Texas Monthly.
TIMELINE
October 15th, 2019 – January 19th, 2020 – Online Submissions
February 17th, 2020- February 28th, 2020 – Bourbon Takeover of Texas
March 26th, 2020 – Houston Bourbon Brawl Semi-finals
April 2nd, 2020 – San Antonio Bourbon Brawl Semi-finals
April 9th, 2020 – Dallas Bourbon Brawl Semi-finals
April 16th, 2020 – Fort Worth Bourbon Brawl Semi-finals
April 23rd, 2020 – Austin Bourbon Brawl Semi-finals
May 7th, 2020 – Bourbon Brawl Finals
GENERAL RULES
All entrants that want to compete in The 2020 Bourbon Brawl must be professional working bartenders at an establishment that is a part of the Bourbon Takeover of Texas week with the MINIMUM of a cocktail feature.
Competitors must be at least 21 years of age.
Competitors must be legal residents of Texas.
Competitors may not be working on behalf of any other spirit supplier or brand at the time of the start of the Bourbon Takeover of Texas in February 2020.
PUBLICITY
By entering this program, you are giving Good Bourbon for a Good Cause, Garrison Brothers Distillery, Texas Monthly and their affiliates explicit rights to use your photo, an image of your drink, drink recipe name and your drink recipe for publicity purposes, including but not limited to: press, social media, recipe book inclusion, digital activation and promotional activation.
This rule does NOT apply to consumers or at home bartenders that wish to be a part of The Bourbon Brawl as they will not directly compete against working bartenders for prizes provided by Texas Monthly. They will only be chosen to have their cocktails showcased at the semi-finals and finals competitions.
SELECTION PROCESS
Phase 1—Online Submissions (Bartenders and Consumers):
For promotional purposes and selecting bartenders, recipes for cocktails MUST be submitted online no later than January 19th, 2020.
Bartender Entry:
Professional working bartenders at an establishment are asked to submit an original recipe on the online submission form. For the purposes of determining the bartenders that will advance on to The Bourbon Takeover of Texas, entries will be assigned to the closest applicable market, as determined by the sponsor. All COMPLETE entries will be judged against the below criteria based on the perceived qualities of the written recipes and essay/video entry. The top 75 entries will be chosen to advance on to The Bourbon Takeover of Texas.
Judges will not take into consideration current employer, time spent bartending or any other personal information in the selection of The Bourbon Takeover of Texas qualifiers.
Consumer Entry:
Consumers and at-home bartenders who are not employed at an establishment are also encouraged to submit an online entry. HOWEVER, these entries will not be judged against the recipes from professional working bartenders at an establishment. Instead, consumer entries will be judged separately and against the below criteria based on the perceived qualities of the written recipes and essay/video entry. For the purposes of determining which recipes will be showcased at the semi-finals and finals, entries will be assigned to the closest applicable market, as determined by the sponsor. The top 5 recipes (1 per market- Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Houston) will be asked to attend their respective markets semi-final competition (2 complimentary tickets provided by Texas Monthly) where their cocktail will be served at the beer and wine bar during the competition. Each markets consumer entry winner will also be invited to attend the finals competition in Austin, TX where they will have the opportunity to make their cocktail in front of Garrison Brothers Distillery employees, industry professionals and the top 5 Bourbon Brawl bartenders (2 complimentary tickets and accomodations provided by Texas Monthly).
Scoring:
Online Submission Cocktail (50 overall points):
Cocktail name (5 points)
Appearance and presentation (perceived based on description) (10 points)
Balance of flavors, aromas and character (10 points)
Written description (or video explanation) of inspiration and concept – (5 points)
Use of spirit (how much GB can be tasted) (10 points)
Creativity (10 points)
Entry Criteria:
Each competitor MUST serve their Garrison Brothers cocktail they submitted online during the Bourbon Takeover of Texas week.
Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon is the ONLY expression eligible to be used in the bartenders cocktail of choice.
Recipes must be original. An original recipe is the product of one’s own mind and is not a copy or imitation.
Recipes must contain no more than 2 1/2 ounces (at 40 percent ABV) total combined alcoholic ingredients, and the total volume of the ingredients shall not exceed 6 ounces.
Recipes must not exceed 7 ingredients including drops, dashes. (This does not include garnishes.)
Homemade ingredients are allowed but must be easy to reproduce.
Ingredients must be expressed in fluid ounces (1/2 oz., 1 oz., 2 oz., etc.), with dashes and drops being the smallest quantities.
Preparation and mixing instructions must be included with your recipe.
Limit 1 full entry per person.
The judging panel of experts will review and score all online entries. Initial scores will be based on the interpretation of the written description submitted. In some cases, the judging panel may recreate the cocktails to settle closely ranked submissions.
Any entries attempted through the use of agencies or robotic, repetitive, automatic, programmed or similar methods will be void. Any attempt by a person to use multiple email accounts or identities to gain more entries than permitted by these official rules shall result in disqualification at the sole discretion of sponsor. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting an entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the “authorized account holder” associated with the email address at the time of entry, which must comply with these official rules. The authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who’s assigned an email address by the service provider or other organization that’s responsible for assigning email addresses. Potential winners may be required to provide evidence (to the sponsor’s satisfaction) that they’re the authorized account holder of the email address associated with a winning entry. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the person who actually submitted an entry cannot be resolved to the sponsor’s satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible. Entries and other submitted material become the property of sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Refer to the additional requirements below for more details regarding the rules for your entry.
Phase 2— The Bourbon Takeover of Texas:
The Bourbon Takeover of Texas is a week long event across the state of Texas that showcases the top 75 bartenders from online submissions. They are asked to feature their recipe at their place of employment for the duration of this week. During this time, members from the Garrison Brothers Distillery sales, marketing and production team with the help of Good Bourbon for a Good Cause and The Bourbon Brotherhood will be visiting these locations to sample said cocktails. By participating in the Bourbon Takeover of Texas with a cocktail recipe, the bar or restaurant will automatically qualify the bartender who created the cocktail to be considered for the semi-final round of the 2020 Garrison Brothers Bourbon Brawl Bartender Competition.
Phase 3— Semifinal:
Garrison Brothers Distillery, The Bourbon Brotherhood, and industry experts will visit all accounts and judge The Bourbon Takeover of Texas cocktails. The top 25 cocktails will advance to the semi-finals round of the bartender competition. Homemade ingredients are acceptable, but cocktails must be able to be reproduced easily. The bartender MUST be available on the date of the semi-final competition. The layout of the actual semi-final competition will be created by Texas Monthly and Good Bourbon for a Good Cause and is TBD, but will be communicated to semi-finalists no less than two weeks prior to the competition.
The winner of the consumer entry will be asked to attend their respective markets semi-final competition (2 complimentary tickets provided by Texas Monthly) where their cocktail will be served at the beer and wine bar during the competition.
Scoring:
Bourbon Takeover of Texas Cocktail (50 overall points):
Cocktail name (5 points)
Appearance and presentation (perceived based on description) (10 points)
Balance of flavors, aromas and character (15 points)
Use of spirit (how much GB can be tasted) (10 points)
Creativity (10 points)
Semi-final Competition Dates:
Semi-final competitions will be held in March through April of 2020 in 5 markets:
San Antonio- March 26th, 2020
Houston- April 2nd, 2020
Fort Worth- April 9th, 2020
Dallas- April 16th, 2020
Austin- April 23rd, 2020
Phase 4—Final:
A total of 5 finalists will be selected from the semi-final competitions (1 semi-final winner per market) and will compete at the finale event on May 7th, 2020 in Austin, TX. For the purposes of selecting the winner of 2020 Garrison Brothers Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year, a panel of well-respected industry experts selected by Texas Monthly and Good Bourbon for a Good Cause will judge the competition. Rules and judging criteria will be created by Texas Monthly and Good Bourbon for a Good Cause and shared with all finalists no less than 2 weeks prior to the final competition.
The top 5 consumer entries from the online submission in Phase 1 will also be invited to attend the final competition with 1 guest. They will be given the opportunity to create their cocktail in front of Garrison Brothers Distillery team members, industry experts and the top 5 finalists prior to the competition. Accommodations will be provided by Texas Monthly.
POST-FINALS— WINNER REQUIREMENTS
2020 Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year must be available the day after the finals for internal interviews and with reasonable accommodations make time to be available in the following week for media interviews. Travel accommodations will be made for all finalists to accommodate this requirement.
The Winner of the 2020 Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year competition will participate in at least 3 Garrison Brothers Distillery promotions and/or events as the 2020 Bourbon Brawl Bartender of the Year.
These appearances are subject to availability.
Garrison Brothers Distillery will provide a minimum of 4 weeks notice prior to any request to attend an event.
All costs associated with travel and accommodation for these events will be provided for the winner.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY
Entries must be in English. Entries must not allude to the overconsumption or irresponsible consumption of beverage alcohol. Entries that do not include all required information and do not adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be considered in the judging of this contest. Entries that are deemed by the sponsor in its sole discretion to be illegal, obscene, profane or not in keeping with the sponsor’s image will be disqualified.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
By submitting an entry, you warrant that:
You are the creator of the entry.
The entry is wholly original.
The entry does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, publicity rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party, including any current or former employer, and does not defame any person or identify any person by name or other identifying information.
The entry has not previously been entered in any other contest.
The entry has not been previously published in any medium.
The entry does not violate any law or regulation.
The sponsor’s determination as to whether any entry potentially violates the rights of any third party is final.
ELIGIBILITY
2019 Bourbon Brawl finalists are not eligible. Employees of Good Bourbon for a Good Cause, Garrison Brothers Distillery, Texas Monthly, their affiliates, liquor wholesale licensees, as well as advertising/promotion agencies and their immediate family members and household members of each and retail license holders are not eligible. This promotion is void wherever prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. In the event that the contest is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, Sponsor or Administrator reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Contest, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, Sponsor and Administrator shall have no liability to any entrants who are disqualified due to such an action. You must be a resident of Texas and at least 21 years of age to be eligible. Contest void wherever prohibited or restricted by law.
By accepting a prize, any winner (a) releases Good Bourbon for a Good Cause, Garrison Brothers Distillery, Texas Monthly and their affiliated companies and licensed alcohol wholesalers and retailers from any and all liability claims, action or proceedings arising out of or for injuries or damages sustained while involved in any promotion activity or connection with the use of the prizes, as well as (b) consents to the use by Good Bourbon for a Good Cause, Garrison Brothers Distillery and Texas Monthly for promotional purposes in connection with this promotion of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice without further compensation where permitted.
Good Bourbon for a Good Cause, Garrison Brothers Distillery and Texas Monthly reserve the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this contest should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the contest. The sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel terminate or suspend the contest. The sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. CAUTION: Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the game is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such attempt.
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I acknowledge that I have read and understand the rules and regulations pertaining to 2020 Bourbon Brawl Presented by Garrison Brothers Distillery + Texas Monthly, benefitting Good Bourbon for a Good Cause.
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