The Scottish Bar & Pub Awards 2020 finalists represent Scottish Hospitality Industry excellence across the board as well as being beacons of its fighting spirit as pubs, bars and restaurants face the single worst crisis in living memory because of COVID-19.
With finalists from as far north as The Station Hotel in Aberlour, via Haddington’s Tyneside Tavern in the east and Macgochan’s on the Isle of Mull in the west, to The Townhead Hotel in Lockerbie in the south, this year’s extra-special ceremony will stream virtually into Scotland’s pubs, bars and restaurants for the first time in its 25-year history all being well on Tuesday 10th November.
There’s a full list of all the finalists below and as in previous years, 1000s of you nominated in the longest-running awards of its kind in Scotland.
The categories are as diverse as Antos Dog-Friendly Pub of the Year, BII Customer Service Award, Carling Community Pub of the Year, and Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Whisky Bar of the Year.
Then there’s the Cellar Trends Independent Pub Group of the Year gong and an award for Kopparberg Best and Most Improved Outside Area too. Our Sea Change Evolution Award winner will be recognised for its green credentials.
Deanston Whisky Guru of the Year is a brand new category this year, likewise COVID-19 Best Practice award, 2020 Licensed Trade Hero, and Employer of the Year – and these finalists will be revealed shortly.
Montpeliers and Buzzworks are on the hunt for Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, the finalists for which are still being considered. The William Grant & Sons finalists Bar Apprentice of the Year are also yet to be announced and they’ll receive a mentoring programme in January 2021.
And not forgetting the coveted Sunday Mail Pub of the Year accolade too of course.
Recognising these shining stars has never been as crucial because as well as standards improving year on year sending out a clear message that these businesses continually strive for excellence, they also underline how much heart and soul the owners have invested in their businesses and how this is a career choice for the many thousands of highly skilled individuals they employ.
Said organiser and DRAM publisher Susan Young, “The Scottish public and sales reps and others have been voting for bars, pubs, restaurants, and hotels that they think deserve recognition. Mystery shoppers managed to get out and about before the current restrictions came in and social media channels are being scrutinised for positive reviews.
“It may be challenging circumstances but those in the trade who are operating to the best standards and practices deserve a huge pat on the back and our awards aim to recognise the endeavours that they have all made.”
List of Finalists
Antos Dog-Friendly Pub of the Year
Barras Art & Design , Glasgow
Brewhemia , Edinburgh
The Brig and the Barrel, Dunbar
Church on the Hill, Glasgow
The Douglas Arms, Dumfries
The Eagle Tavern, Prestwick
BII Customer Service award
The Auldhouse , East Kilbride
The Bank Cafe Bar, Glasgow
Buck’s Bar , Glasgow
The Corner House, Kilwinning
Roebank hotel, Beith
Siberia Bar & Grill, Aberdeen
Carling Community Pub of the Year
The Adamson Hotel, Public Bar, Crossford
Finsbay, Milngavie
The Hillend Tavern, Hillend
Hugo’s Cafe Bar, Dalgety Bay
The Townhead Hotel, Lockerbie
The West End Bar, Blantyre
Cellar Trends Independent Group of the Year
Buzzworks, Ayrshire
Caledonian Heritable, Edinburgh
The Corte Leisure Group, Edinburgh
Signature Pubs, Edinburgh
Cocktail Bar/Initiative of the Year
House of Gods, Edinburgh
The Cocktail Collective, Glasgow
Decanter, Edinburgh
The Gate, Glasgow
Deanston Whisky Guru of the Year
Rob Beaton, The Malt Room, Inverness
Emma Dunbar, The Station Hotel Bar, Aberlour
David Howie, Buzzworks, Ayrshire
Gillian Kirkland, The Piper Whisky Bar, Glasgow
Flora Grant/Marion Mckinnon, The Ardshiel Hotel, Campbeltown
Frank/Geraldine Murphy, The Pot Still, Glasgow
Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Whisky Bar of the Year
The Ardshiel Hotel, Campbeltown
The Craigellachie Hotel, Craigellachie
The Pot Still, Glasgow
The Piper Whisky Bar, Glasgow
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Glasgow
Scotch, Edinburgh
Kopparberg Best and Most Improved Outside Area
Angels, Uddingston
Cranside, Glasgow
The Fort, Broughty Ferry
The Brig & Barrel, Dunbar
Smiths, Ayr
Word up, Greenock
The Sea Change Evolution Award
Applecross Inn, Applecross
Buzzworks, Ayrshire
Du vin Bouchers, Linlithgow
Flatiron, Glasgow
Macgochan’s, Isle of Mull
Vesta, Edinburgh
Wee Guide Restaurant of the Year
Cafe St Honore, Edinburgh
The Cairn Lodge, Auchterarder
The Kirkton Inn Dalrymple
Two Fat Ladies, Glasgow
Sunday Mail Pub of the Year
The Black Bull, Moffat
The Brig & Barrel, Dunbar
The Piper Whisky Bar, Glasgow
The Pot Still, Glasgow
The Railway Tavern, Motherwell
The Smoking Goat, Ayr
The Swan, Eaglesham
The Thornwood, Glasgow
The Townhead Hotel, Lockerbie
The Tyneside Tavern, Haddington