The world of liquor is filled with contests of all sorts. Many prizes offered are lame, while others range from valuable to pretty awesome. I of course have a special affinity for the Basement Bar-centered contests, and I have covered a few past ones here. Three Olives ran a pretty amazing contest a while back called Show Us Your O-Face where the grand prize was an actual modeling contract.

Just a quick note to contest organizers: A contest like O-Face is a great way to populate your webiste with photos of hairy douchebags and/(hopefully)or cleavage!

Bombay Sapphire holds a very serious contest for professional glass artists each year in which participants attempt to create the ultimate vessel from which to swill gin.
But Bushmills has topped the lot of them.
Entitled Can You Make It At Bushmills, it works like this: You write a short essay and produce a quick video in which you outline your whiskey chops, and why you deserve to become a part of the Bushmills legend. (Hint, for best results, do not spell whisky correctly, i.e without the ‘e’!) Entries will be screened, and the best will be put up on the web for public comment.
A winner will be chosen from each of the countries where the contest is running. The winners will all be flown to Bushmills in Ireland for a three day adventure with luxury accommodations, some sight-seeing, and “Bushcamp”. In Bushcamp, the campers will undergo tests set by Master Distiller Colum Egan to demonstrate and expand their whiskey knowledge.
Sounds awesome, but that is not even the real prize!
The winner of this Masters Challenge gets to go back to Bushmills, this time for thirty days! And bring a friend. If married, you have a choice: Bring them, or update your FaceBook relationship status…. While there, you will learn about whiskey, the Bushmills way. You’ll even get to create your own custom Bushmills blend. The £5,000 you receive will either pay for a lot of golf while there, or perhaps replace some wages lost while you’ve been in Ireland being awesome.
Needless to say, I ain’t winning this one. But if you have sufficient brown liquor power, visit Bushmills FaceBook page and sign up!
(Hat Tip to Adam at Bookblogger: Taking the Pretension Out of Liquor, One Dick Joke at a Time)