Dayonel Duenas has worked in upscale bars, hotels, and restaurants for more than ten years, making him an accomplished mixologist. His journey started in 2012 when he fell in love with spirits at a bartending school in Colombia. After working in hotels, nightclubs, and bars, he joined Royal Caribbean and began around the world to discover the local booze. Returning to Colombia, he joined Diageo as a Brand Ambassador, delving deeply into the manufacturing of spirits and serving as a judge for the World Class Competition.

Dayonel joined Carnival Cruise Lines in 2016 as an assistant bar manager, where she oversaw several bars and managed a varied staff. He placed among the top three finalists in the Bacardi Legacy Competition in 2018. He relocated to the United States later that year and started working with luxury spirits and honing his craft at the Michelin-starred Plumed Horse.

Dayonel is a judge for USA Spirits Ratings and places importance on quality, value for money, and packaging. He mentions low-ABV alternatives and agave spirits as trends. His input enables brands to connect with both consumers and business professionals. See the entire interview in our "Behind the Scenes" series to have a deeper understanding of Dayonel's journey and insights.

Can you share a bit about your journey into the world of spirits?

Started in 2012 going to bartender school in Colombia trying to pursue a job opportunity working for cruise lines and wanting to learn more about wine and spirits, then I fell in love with the profession and started working in different setups like pubs, hotels, and nightclubs. After I joined Royal Caribbean and traveled around the world always looking for new expressions of local spirits around the world, when I came back to my home country I joined the team of Brand Ambassadors of one of the biggest companies in the world of Spirits (Diageo) and dived into the world of Spirits production and more detail knowledge about all the different processes of each different spirit, harvesting, fermentation, distillation, and maturation, alongside with taking part of the biggest more prestigious Mixologist competition in the world (world-class competition) as a co-host and local judge being able to use that platform to share the stage with some of the best mixologist from Colombia and the whole world, having worldwide renowned bar gurus, experts and also master distillers and master blenders from the different labels of the company sharing the inside of their craft. Then in 2016, I joined Carnival Cruise Lines as Assistant Bar manager having the opportunity to lead a team. of 70 people from 15 different nationalities and supervise 14 different bars, then in 2018 I was part of the top 3 finalists for the Bacardi Legacy Competition, representing Carnival as a master mixologist. Later that year I moved to the United States and went into fine dining now being part of a renowned Iconic Michelin-rated restaurant having the opportunity to work with high luxury expressions of cognac, whisky, scotch, tequila, and others the journey still has the same goal as the beginning and it is to keep learning and enjoying the craft of different cultures and flavors from around the world

The USA Spirits Ratings are known for their holistic judging criteria. In your opinion, what sets these criteria apart, and how do they align with what today's trade and consumers are looking for?

As Hospitality professionals, we know firsthand what our customers are looking for in spirits and are able to identify the Brands that convey the message or align with the personality of the establishment and extend the experience to our guests based on flavor, quality, history, or sustainability practices is a major impact in bar programs around the country 

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Considering the diverse aspects of Spirits assessment—such as quality, value for money, and packaging—how do you balance these elements during judging, and which do you find most challenging to evaluate?

Quality is one of the most important factors for me, and it's not related to packaging or presentation but more aligned with flavor (balance, complexity, alcohol perception, residual sugar) value is attached to that perception of flavor, and it is important to identify of your specific demographics will enjoy that spirit based on price point as well, and packaging it's the first impression for most customers and it's an introduction factor to the experience. Being attractive to the eye is key.

Competitions often highlight trends within the spirits industry. Based on your experience as a judge, can you identify any emerging trends that are gaining traction?

Agave spirits have been trending for many years now, not just tequila but mezcal, sotobananaora, and American whiskey as well, with low ABVs and overall organic and no additives.

Feedback from judges is a crucial component of the USA Spirits Ratings. How do you approach giving constructive feedback to entrants, and why do you believe this feedback is valuable for them?

Is valuable to be able to see the perspective of the industry when it comes to the judging criteria, flavor, packaging, and price, being able to engage and position your brand in restaurants and bars, and having the staff suggesting your expressions because the brand tells a story that industry professionals feel identified with is important.

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