Following a record 425 entries from 50 countries, Jameson, the world’s best-selling Irish whiskey, has announced Matt Smith, Stefan Codrea and Yu Kajitani as the winners of this year’s annual Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series competition.
Competing at the Jameson HOSTS Global Summit in Cork, Ireland, on 1 September 2025, the top 10 finalists gathered to showcase their Jameson Black Barrel cocktails in front of 100+ industry guests, including the global judges, Jameson HOSTS Global Summit speakers & hosts.
Finalists cocktails were presented to a judging panel including Millie Tang (Devie Bar, France), Claudia Cabrera (Kaito del Valle, Mexico) and Danil Nevsky (Indie Bartender, Spain).
Judges and mentors assessed their anonymous entries, and submitted independent scores, ensuring a fair and transparent process.
Matt Smith from the UK impressed with Dead Bod, a cocktail inspired by Hull’s iconic piece of graffiti art; Stefan Codrea from Romania created Charred Rose, combining banana and fig leaf-infused wine, brown butter, coriander seed syrup and pickled beetroot brine; and Ireland’s Yu Kajitani won with Petrichor, inspired by the Irish weather and the freshness after rainfall.
Each of the three global winners wins a cash prize of €5,000, in addition to a special place on the Jameson HOSTS mentorship programme.
The winners will take part in a series of face-to-face and virtual mentorship sessions with Remy Savage (Shapes and Bar Nouveau, France), Eleni Nikoloulia (Bars & spirits journalist, Greece) and Danil Nevsky (Indie Bartender, Spain).
The programme is designed to support the next generation of bartending talent, and will focus on key areas including designing cohesive brand identity, establishing a brand on the global stage, and developing social media strategy and content creation.
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