Malic is a leading bartender onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Millennium, he won with his American whiskey signature serve: ‘Old Spice Fashion’, featuring Bulleit bourbon.
He saw off competition from cruise line bartenders from three of the world’s leading cruise lines: Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises.
The 27-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Balkan Peninsula in south eastern Europe and the other competitor were judged on a range of elements of their craft, showmanship, creativity, bartending knowledge and the overall delivered drinking experience.
Malic will go on to represent Diageo Global Travel at Diageo’s World Class Bartender of the Year competition final in Miami on September 26-29, to battle it out against 59 of the world’s best bartenders for the ‘World Class Bartender of the Year’ title.
Malic said: “This is without doubt the best moment of my career to date. I’m hugely delighted and grateful to be recognised by Diageo Reserve’s World Class competition and to have won the Diageo Global Travel final.”
If Malic is successful at the global final, he will experience new and potentially exciting opportunities. Since winning last year’s competition, Michito Kaneko has travelled the world, judging the finals of top bartender competitions in places such as Japan, Korea and across Asia.
The heat was judged by a panel of industry experts including Julio Cabrera, master mixologist, David Molina, head mixologist for Diageo Bar 396 and Marcy Rudershausen, Diageo’s senior master of whisky.
