Friday, 27 August 2010 13:44 Dine & Cook Staff Report

A 28 year old lifeguard from Bulgaria has won an Irish whiskey lover's ultimate dream.

Ivan Ivanov was chosen by Bushmills Irish Whiskey as the winner of the Make it at Bushmills challenge. Ivanov was crowned the winner at a gala dinner Thursday night in the village of Bushmills on Ireland's north coast. The historic area has been producing whiskey for more than 400 years.

Ivanov will now spend 30 days working alongside Bushmills' Master Distiller Colum Egan with the aim of becoming the first ever person outside the distillery to create their own blend of Bushmills Whiskey. The prize also includes a month's luxury penthouse accommodation in Ireland and nearly $7,800 in spending money.

"[T]o be the overall winner is just incredible - I still can't believe I'll spend a month making whiskey with the world's best," said Ivanov. "It's the whiskey lover's ultimate dream."

The Bushmills challenge was launched at the New York Stock Exchange on St. Patrick's Day. Nine finalists came to Ireland this week to compete for the final prize. The contestants came from Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Northern Ireland, South Africa, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria. All were chosen by a public vote to represent their countries in this week's two-day finale.

The contestants included a head sommelier from a French three-star Michelin restaurant, a former Wall Street broker and a drumming world record holder.

Following a series of mental, physical and skills-based challenges, the performance of the individual contenders was assessed by a judging panel that included Irish rugby legend, Keith Wood, Foy Vance, one of Ireland's most respected singer-songwriters and Joel Harrison, a regular contributor to a number of leading whiskey publications.

"Throughout the competition, Ivan has shown that he has the passion and personality to make it at Bushmills," said Egan. "This is a fantastic opportunity for him to learn how great whiskey is made and I know he'll grasp this opportunity with both hands."