At Torres Brandy, we are reaffirming our commitment to the environment, promoting low-environmental-impact alternatives in the world of cocktails, projects that help to reduce CO2 emissions and waste generated, because the cocktail industry can also do its small part to make this world a more sustainable place. Said and done.

The United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Lithuania, Finland and Italy were the countries represented by the 7 finalists who traveled to Barcelona for the competition’s finals. Each one presented their bar management project to the panel, striving to be as sustainable as possible. This was a challenge that could only have one winner: whoever convinced the jury with their project would get the €30,000 prize to make it a reality.

Months earlier, each finalist had won the competition in their home country. So, at the finals in Barcelona each had to prove to the panel why they deserved to be the global winner.

On the day of the finals a panel of specialists, six influential figures from the cocktail and sustainability sector, evaluated the projects of each finalist.

The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge finals experience was not limited to a single day, as the 7 finalists from different countries around the world enjoyed a 4-day trip, visiting Mas Rabell, where Torres Brandy has its roots, in Vilafranca del Penedès, and the recently inaugurated Brandy House, cellar, and soleras, where we make the magic happen, ageing our brandy. Over the course of these four days they also enjoyed the Mediterranean city, its cuisine, and its cocktail bars, because if there is one thing Barcelona can boast about is that it has two of the three best in the world.

The panel was comprised of experts with very different profiles, such as Maria Garcia La Fuente, a journalist specialized in environmental journalism; Lucas Groglio, entrepreneur and founder of “Coctelería Consciente;” and Christian Visalli, global director of the Juan Torres Master Distillers’ distillates division. They were charged with scoring the sustainable bar projects of each finalist, positively assessing those ideas that prioritized reduced environmental impact through the use of renewable energies, waste management, innovation and social responsibility.

The finalists not only had to present their sustainable bar projects, but we also put them to the test in the creation of an eco-cocktail using market ingredients, an against-the- clock task in which they had to choose those local and seasonal products that would enhance their cocktail idea, and then prepare it in front of the panel.  Just like that, no pressure. Quite a challenge.

A second specialized panel, formed by Julie Reiner, co-founder of the world-renowned cocktail bars Clover Club and Leyenda in New York; David Cordoba, an authority in the sector and, specifically, in the rum industry; and Javier Reynoso, Global Brand Ambassador of Torres Brandy, evaluated each cocktail, taking into consideration not only flavor and creativity, but also the selection of ingredients, the technique used, and the waste management in their production.

After the panel’s deliberations, the big moment came: the announcement of who the winner would be, claiming the prize to make their sustainable project a reality. And the winner was… Giacommo Gianotti, the representative from Spain! It was very close, coming down to Giacomo and Sergio Martinez (the representative and finalist from Mexico), with only 2 points separating first from second place. Moreover, the level of all the participants was very high, making it hard for the panel to choose. But life is about making decisions, and there could only be one winner.

At Torres Brandy, we would like to thank all the finalists for their participation. We are already excited thinking about what awaits us at the 2nd Edition of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge… stay tuned!