J. Rieger & Co. has named five regional winners in its inaugural Road to Jerez cocktail competition, a nationwide challenge centered on the Kansas City distillery's whiskey finished in Oloroso sherry casks. The finalists will compete June 8th at Bar Convent Brooklyn, with the winner earning a trip to Jerez, Spain.
The regional champions are Zachary Snyder (Hooch Aspen, Aspen, CO) for Kansas City, Parker Jochum (The Edison at Disney Springs, Orlando, FL) for Orlando, Delsin Richardson (Dutch Courage & Traveling Libations, Baltimore, MD) for D.C., AJ Barbosa (Bisous Chicago, Chicago, IL) for Chicago, and Aleka K. Ross (Kona's Street Market, San Francisco, CA) for Los Angeles.
Snyder's A Dame to Kill For showcased balance and structure that judges found compelling. Jochum's Heartland Solera mirrored the solera aging system through layered fermentation techniques. Richardson's Venecia's Tribute incorporated Manchego and honey-stuffed olives as a Spanish homage. Barbosa's The Southwest Chief riffed on the classic Revolver with regional ingredients, while Ross's Sherry Beneath My Wings deconstructed the grape across multiple cocktail elements with force-carbonation.
"It takes extraordinary skill to stand out in this field," said Ryan Maybee, co-founder of J. Rieger & Co. "At Rieger, we celebrate the independence, creativity, and hospitality that define the American bartending spirit."
The competition targets bartenders working with Kansas City Whiskey, a pre-Prohibition-era brand the distillery revived. The sherry-finished expression provides a technical challenge that separates craft bartenders from recipe followers—judges want to see how competitors handle the spirit's unique profile rather than mask it.
Brand-sponsored cocktail competitions have become recruiting and education tools for distilleries looking to build relationships with high-volume accounts. The winner's trip to Jerez offers education on sherry production and brand storytelling ammunition for future menu placements. For Rieger, a regional player competing against national spirits portfolios, this kind of direct engagement matters.
