After a nine-year absence, Diageo’s World Class competition returns to Malaysia with a field of 15 finalists and a bar scene that looks nothing like the one it left behind.

In 2017, the last time Malaysia hosted a national round of Diageo’s World Class bartending competition, Coley was barely a year old. Penrose didn’t exist. Neither did Backdoor Bodega, Reka, Steep Social, or most of the bars that would go on to define what Malaysian cocktail culture looks like today. The landscape was promising, but the scene was still finding its voice. Nine years later, World Class Malaysia is back. And the industry it has returned to is barely recognisable.

The Return of World Class Malaysia

At the finalist announcement event at EQ Kuala Lumpur on 9 March 2026, hosted by Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia, General Manager Jason Cheah delivered the first significant signal of how much has changed: what was intended to be a field of ten finalists became fifteen. The judging panel, comprising Shawn Chong, Charmayne, and Nicholas Ng, found the quality of submissions “nothing short of spectacular” and unanimously agreed to expand the pool.

Diageo Marketing Director for Malaysia & Singapore, Madhan Ramasubramanian, echoed the sentiment. “Malaysia’s cocktail culture has grown significantly in recent years, with consumers becoming more curious and adventurous in their drinking experiences,” he said.

The 15 finalists represent ten venues across Kuala Lumpur and Penang — independent bars alongside hotel programmes, established names alongside newer ones still writing their chapter.

• Affie Adut — B.E.D. (Kuala Lumpur)
• Anna Koh — Reka (Kuala Lumpur)
• Caden Chua — Coley (Kuala Lumpur)
• Chang Yue Shuen — Coley (Kuala Lumpur)
• Chew Qing Ting — Steep Social (Penang)
• Ivon Soon — Ensō Izakaya & Bar (Kuala Lumpur)
• Justin Tay — JWC Cabinet 8 (Kuala Lumpur)
• Justin Ing — Good Friends Club (Penang)
• Lee Wei Lung — Cacao Mixology & Chocolate (Kuala Lumpur)
• Marcus Kwok — JWC Cabinet 8 (Kuala Lumpur)
• Maria Escobia — Penrose (Kuala Lumpur)
• Melvin Lim — Bar Trigona (Kuala Lumpur)
• Oh Chong Hau — The Nest Cocktail Bar (Penang)
• Rachel Hor — Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur)
• Thanesh Joel — Backdoor Bodega (Penang)

Malaysia’s Mixology Scene has evolved

The numbers tell the story of Malaysia’s mixology scene plainly.

Coley debuted on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2018. Bar Trigona became a regional benchmark for sustainability-driven mixology. By 2023, Penrose appeared on the list at No. 50 — then climbed 42 places in a single year to reach No. 8, winning the Nikka Highest Climber Award and the title of Best Bar in Malaysia. Reka and Backdoor Bodega followed. By 2025, six Malaysian bars held spots across the extended Asia’s 50 Best rankings.

Even Penang, a city with no meaningful cocktail scene as recently as 2016, now has internationally recognised bars and—this year—four World Class Malaysia finalists.

Even more exciting is that seven of the fifteen finalists are women. Nearly half the field, in a competition that has historically been male-dominated at every level. It is a genuine reflection of how the Malaysian bar scene has grown and who gets to lead it.

READ ALSO: These Are Malaysia’s Top Bars According to Asia’s 50 Best

World Class Cocktail Festival, the national & global Finals

Alongside the competition, Diageo will launch the World Class Cocktail Festival—a passport-based cocktail trail across participating bars, inviting the public to experience cocktails crafted with Johnnie Walker, Don Julio, Tanqueray, and Ron Zacapa. Stamps collected through the passport can be redeemed for merchandise, bottles, and dining vouchers.

The national finals will determine which bartender represents Malaysia at the World Class Global Finals in September 2026. Malaysia will arrive at the global stage with something it didn’t have the last time it competed at this level: a decade of proof behind it, and fifteen finalists who represent the full breadth of what this scene has become.

World Class Malaysia 2026 is presented by Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia (MHDM).

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