Themed, ‘Future Legacy’, this year’s event took place in Shanghai as McGregor competed against finalists from 44 regions around the world.
From Highwayman Bar, McGregor stood out by showcasing how Scotch Whisky can come alive and elevate a new generation of serves using technology, with a bespoke Johnnie Walker Blue Label serve.
The finalists took part in a series of challenges, most notably, McGregor was challenged to create a duo of drinks reimagining both his home city and Shanghai featuring indigenous ingredients alongside Don Julio tequila. For his home city, Halifax, Nova Scotia, he showcased his take on a dish called Hodge Podge – a stew with local harvested vegetables – and took elements of that to create a twist on a classic eggnog.
The Shanghai Showdown final challenge saw McGregor along with seven other finalists create an immersive bar pop-up experience.
World Class’s international cohort of industry experts, as well as judging, participated in the first-ever World Class Mentorship program and contributed to Industry Forum.
On the win, McGregor said: “My World Class journey started six years ago, so it’s a really special experience to be recognized as the World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2024. The camaraderie amongst the competitors this week has been both inspiring and has kept me going. The biggest piece of advice I was given was to be myself and that’s exactly what I did.”
