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DRAM Awards 2011

The crème de la crème of the Scottish licensed trade gathered in Glasgow on Monday 20th to find out who were the winners of the 2011 DRAM Scottish Licensed Trade Awards.

The special bespoke crystal trophies, the industries equivalent of the Oscars, were handed out to bars and pubs from Fraserburgh to Stirling, from Aberdeen to Ayrshire at the ceremony which was held at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.

Said DRAM Editor, Susan Young, “It was a great night, and it was a real testament to the success story that is the Scottish licensed trade. This industry is dynamic, professional and forward thinking, and the people picking up the awards, and the finalists, are a credit to the industry.”

 2011 AWARDS TESTIMONIALS

Fiona Brown, Chilli Marketing
“The evening was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it and ended up dancing until 2am! I couldn’t have faulted the evening in any way.  The band outside was also brilliant. It added the carnival twist. It started the night off right by lifting everyone’s spirits. The DRAM awards are the highlight of the year for the trade. Susan manages to mix the serious business of recognising the best in the business, with a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Everyone I spoke to thought the venue was fab and, as always, it’s the best place to hear about what your competitors are up to. Well done on pulling it out of the bag.”

Gemma Valance, Birds and the Bees
“What an outstanding night. We were all absolutely over the moon to win, and I have to say that this was one of the best nights I’ve ever had.  Everyone was in such high spirits, even the losers. Peter Martin put everybody at ease, which was no mean feat, as everybody at our table was so nervous on the run up to our award category.”

Neil Connolly, Moskito
“I get quite embarrassed at these things but I thoroughly enjoyed the awards – and what an amazing atmosphere. And with the calibre of people in the category, I genuinely didn’t expect to win. Peter Martin managed to control the crowd superbly, which is not always easy at trade events. I had five or six staff at the table and they were all still talking about it well into the next day. The food at this type of thing can be a bit of a miss – but it was a definite coup for Susan and her team. The whole table were agreed on that.”

David Taylor, Hotel Indigo/Limelight
“The cuisine and the service were first class. I take my hat off to Susan and her team, and the staff at the Grand Central Hotel.  And to be recognised as a winner for our interior design in such a competitive industry is a fabulous honour. I particularly enjoyed Peter Martin’s hosting style, and his comment about my attire as I left the stage was very funny indeed.  He said, ‘let that be a lesson to us all to hold onto our old suits.”

Colin Beattie, OranMor
“It was absolutely mighty. Although I’ve been to other events at this hotel, this was the best. The room looked great, I don’t know what you did, but seemed much warmer in atmosphere.  I was absolutely stunned to get the Lifetime Achievement Award and delighted to pick up the Sunday Mail Pub of the year mirrow. We did work hard to get the votes. We all had a terrific time. Thank you so much.”

Rab Orr, Attraction Inns
“The food, ambience and setting were all superb, and the Grand Central renovation was certainly amazing. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more events hosted there in in the next few years. It was terrific to see so many old faces. I couldn’t tear myself away – in fact, I didn’t stagger out until the back of one.”

Colin Blair, Buzzworks
“The DRAM awards are a vanguard in the industry – as they represent glamour and aspiration. If we as operators don’t look forward and put more emphasis on quality and delivering extra-special outlets, we are all dead in the water. The DRAM awards represent the future of the trade, and we are immensely proud to have won in two categories.”

Duncan Stewart, Manager, WHISKI Rooms
“We (WHISKI Bar and Restaurant) are absolutely ecstatic on winning the Glenmorangie Whisky Bar of the Year. Seriously, over the moon. We have been up for a few awards with SLTN and DRAM in the past, but to win this year is testament to Gary, Anne and the rest of the team’s hard work across the board. It’s even more special when you look at the quality of the other finalists in the category. No offence to last years event, but I feel this years was that little bit more special, given the fantastic show put on at the Grand Central. The overall aesthetics added to the event and the food was superb.”

Louise Maclean, Tennents
“It was absolutely fantastic. I had guests who had never been and they to a man, had a great night. They enjoyed it massively. There were so many people there, and so many big hitters. We were even taking pictures of the food, it looked so good.  The compere hit is spot on, and the number of awards was just right too. This wasn’t a Glasgow centric event, which surprised me.”

Dennis Forsyth, Director, Cheers Café Bar and Tavern
“I was more that impressed with the whole setup, from the Mardi Gras theme straight through to the awards presentation itself. Very professionally run. We were absolutely delighted to win the Repertoire Best Outside Area Award in what was the first awards ceremony we had entered and myself and the girls were in our element throughout the whole night. The pre-awards entertainment, such as the Samba band, jugglers and stilt walkers, certainly got everyone in the mood, and it added to the Oscar-esque feel of the event. Susan and her team at DRAM know what they are doing! Their 16 years of experience running this event, was definitely evident. Once again, very professional.”

Pat Ross, Navan Taverns
“A thoroughly enjoyable evening. I’ve been raving about the food from the first mouthful as it wasn’t the standard fare you get at these events and it was great to see my daughter pick up the Manager of the Year award along with Denis (Laird). It’s really down to the teamwork they have together and not forgetting the staff that work with them. A fantastic night was had by all at Navan Taverns.”

Carole Wright, The Ubiquitous Chip Ltd
“It was a great result for us to win the Benromach Award for Success, and I really believe it comes down to the staff when it comes to making a company or a stand alone venue work and stand the test of time. The staff at the Grand Central did a fantastic job, considering the amount of covers they had. I’ve been to a few nights on this scale and I thought it was very good I have to admit though, that I was one of the more sensible people and left just after the awards presentation!”

Phil Kilpatrick, COS Brands
“It’s rare that you go to a function and it’s pretty much faultless. The DRAM awards came pretty close to this. The compere, food and venue all came up to scratch and there was a chilled out element to it. The awards section wasn’t too drawn out, either.”

Kara Anderson, Bond No.9
“A lovely night – and can I say that it was a lot better than last year. I thought the room looked amazing. The candelabra, beads and coins were a great touch. The staff were great at topping up drinks too. The food was tasty and imaginative and different. And I have to take my hat off to Peter Martin. That is one tough job and I think that he did a terrific job keeping everyone entertained. We had to leave at 12.30 but the place was still full and there were no shortage of people on the dance floor. I only wish we could have stayed into the wee small hours, but we had to get back to Edinburgh.”

 

Full List of 2011 Award Winners.

Benromach Award for Success
Owner/Operator: Neil Connolly, Moskito, Glasgow.
Multiple Independent Operator: Ubiquitous Chip Ltd, Glasgow

BII Training Award
The Balmoral, Edinburgh

Community Spirit Award
Lisini Pub Company, Uddingston

DRAM Gastro Pub of the Year
The Birds and the Bees, Stirling

Glenmorangie Whisky Bar of the Year
WHISKI, Edinburgh

The Kraken Rum Cocktail Bar of the Year
Bath Street Pony, Glasgow

Mixxit Bar Apprentice of the Year
Niall Webster, Bramble, Edinburgh

Molson Coors Champion in Industry
Colin and Kenny Blair, Buzzworks

Captain Morgan’s Spiced Best Late Night Venue
The Loft, Perth

Rekorderlig Cider New Bar of the Year
Scotts, Largs

Repertoire Best Outside Area
Cheers Cafe Bar and Tavern, Fraserburgh

Strongbow Manager of the Year
Denis Laird/Gemma Ross, The Mint, Coatbridge

Tennent’s Quality Award
The Illicit Still, Aberdeen

Urban Realm Award for Best Design
Limelight, Glasgow

DRAM Lifetime Achievement Award
Colin Beattie, OranMor

Sunday Mail Pub of the Year
OranMor, Glasgow

 

 

The DRAM Scottish Licensed Trade Awards are the highlight of the on-trade calendar.

Recognising and rewarding the very best of Scotland’s licensed trade, the DRAM Awards has been pivotal in promoting the Talent and appreciating the Innovation that drives Scotland’s licensed trade.

2010 AWARDS TESTIMONIALS

Hunters Moon, Deborah Watt

What a Spectacular night! Karen Dunbar was just fantastic, and I think she really suited the crowd that were there!  Here at the Hunters Moon we were just so delighted to have been considered for 2 awards, and of course to have Won the Foster’s Perfect Pint.  Considering we are a small rural pub, we have had an amazing few months, and such great support from our customers.  The staff here are all quite young, so it was great to share the success of the awards with them, on what would have been their first ever trade event.  Moving forward we are excited about the year ahead, and believe that the time that we invest into listening to our customers in key to a successful business.  I’m looking forward to next year’s Dram awards already!

David Cowan, Cyan

We have all just about recovered here!! I couldn’t believe how many complimentary drinks were on offer, I’ve never seen such a huge drinks reception at any other trade event.  The staff all had a great night, which was well deserved as they all work very hard and it was great to be able to take them along. I thoroughly enjoyed the Awards Ceremony and it was great to be recognised as a finalist, considering we have only been open a short time.  The menu was a very unusual choice I thought, but in saying that I really enjoyed it! Karen Dunbar and the dancers were fantastic, and added to what was overall a brilliant atmosphere amongst a real mix of people from the trade which was great to see!

Ian Norman

The Dram Awards is noticeably different from any other trade awards and really embraces the trade in Scotland. It is always a bold evening that is designed to deliver , and it does.  The whole night always feels right, and is very much an industry event instead of a manufactured event.  You can see that the force behind DRAM are  genuinely trying to recognise all that is good within the trade in Scotland.  I thought this year’s awards had the same effective impact as in previous years, whilst making you feel relaxed but in a fun way.   You can see that people go to enjoy themselves, as it is always brilliant fun!  The menu this year was brave, but seemed to go down well with everyone.  I thought the different dance entertainment in between courses was a real nice touch, and Karen Dunbar was enjoyable although risky at times.  This year more than ever I felt that all the finalists were much more geographically spread, and it was great to see the winners getting the recognition they deserve.  The whole night is a real credit to the DRAM, and definitely a night not to be missed.

Michelle Montague, Molson Coors

The Dram Awards is always a good fun event, and I thought that Karen did an amazing Job, she was a “total hoot” with some “scary facial expressions” she was absolutely brilliant!  I thought the dancers were great, the food was good and my only negative point would be the long gap between the last course and the start of the awards, just felt much longer this year.  However the meal was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy the brave menu at our table.  Overall a really good night!!