Monkey Shoulder Kicks Off the 8th Edition of the Ultimate Bartender Championship in Pune

Pune: After seven successful editions, Monkey Shoulder, the free- spirited blended malt by William Grant & Sons, kicked off the eighth edition of the ‘Ultimate Bartender Championship (UBC). The fifthcity-round of this year’s championship took place in Pune, culminating at Pimlico.

The Pune leg saw a high-energy turnout with over 135 talented bartenders showcasing their skill, speed, and craft across five mixology challenges. Despite an orange alert in Pune due to heavy rains, the community’s unwavering spirit and passion for the craft shone through, underscoring the strong love for the brand. With the Bartender Rumble format, participants were tested on essential bartending skills—from pouring and nosing to mixing techniques, product understanding, and crafting the perfect serve—all designed to evaluate real-world agility and bar expertise. The top 2 finalists from Pune, Tanish from Cobbler & Crew and Dinesh from Quora, emerged with flying colors and will now compete with other city-round finalists at the India finale.

This year, the championship is being hosted by Pankaj Balachandran, a respected name in India’s bar community and a friend of the brand. Pankaj brings deep industry insight and energy to the UBC stage as this edition’s special guest host.

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