Spain’s most famous sherry brand asked me to judge the Belgian leg of their cocktail competition, the Tio Pepe Challenge. This competition took place inside the spheres of the renowned Atomium monument in Brussels. An incredible venue!

The competition consisted of 3 challenges. First a blind tasting of 4 sherries, after which the participants had to name the which 4 different sherries they had tasted. Secondly, the dreaded venencia challenge, where the participants had to show off their skills with the venencia, the famous sampling tool of sherry wines. Lastly, the actual cocktail competition where all participants had to create a cocktail using at least 30 ml of sherry.

Competition winner: Andres Claeys (Tapabar, Antwerp)

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