Refined Vices

Bacardi Wins the Battle for Havana

wine-searcher — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:38:00 +0000

U.S. courts allow Puerto Rican rum to be sold under Havana Club brand.

Rum producer Bacardi has won its battle to sell "Cuban" rum made in Puerto Rico in the United States.

On Monday (May 14) the Supreme Court refused to hear arguments from rival drinks company Pernod Ricard, concerning a bitter trademark war.

The court's decision to turn back an appeal means that Bacardi can continue selling its popular Havana Club brand of rum in the United States, while Pernod – which controls the original Cuba-made Havana Club – left the court empty-handed.

The two spirits behemoths have been battling over the Havana Club rum brand since the 1990s, when Bacardi launched its Puerto Rico-made version to sell in the United States, taking advantage of Washington's embargo on Cuban imports.

WIN a SIGNED bottle of Ron de Jeremy RUM!

Tatu Kaarlas — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:35:00 +0000

This competition is now over!

Yes! That's right we are giving away a bottle of Ron de Jeremy rum signed by Ron Jeremy himself during his recent visit to OZ!

Refined Vices had the pleasure to cruise around Sydney in his stretch hummer partying it up with Ron and his crew and we even managed to acquire one of these signed bottles that Ron wanted to give away in our competition for Australian Ron lovers!

So what's the catch? All you gotta do is LIKE the Ron de Jeremy and Refined Vices facebook pages and email us the right answer to the following question for your chance to enjoy the long, smooth taste of Ron:

What nickname is Ron Jeremy known as?
A) The Hedgehog
B) The Caterpillar
C) The Stallion

That's right it's that simple!

Make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before entry to make sure you are eligible to enter by clicking the read more link below.

Ron de Jeremy rum can be purchased from Dan Murphy's liquor shops accross Australia.

Competition has been extended by one day! The competition now ends on the 18th of May so those of you who have not entered yet, you still have time to do so!

Havana Club Añejo 3 Años Rum of the Month Winner

Tatu Kaarlas — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:27:00 +0000

The WINNER for the Havana Club Añejo 3 Años Rum of the Month and the first rum giveaway competition has been chosen by Pernod Ricard Australia!

Congratulations to Bradley Jolly with his winning answer being:

"I'd enjoy it with a few close friends, some citrus fruits, mint, plenty of ice and some nice conversation. A few snacks wouldn't hurt either."

The prize for this competition is a bottle of Havana Club Añejo 3 Años, enjoy!

Many thanks to Pernod Ricard Australia for sponsoring the competition.

Keep an eye out for this space for our next competition (announced shortly)!

Ardbeg whisky to be matured in Space!

BBC News — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:02:00 +0000

Bill Lumsden said the experiment would throw new light on the effect of gravity on the maturation process

An island distillery has taken to space in a bid to discover the taste of the future.

"We are all tremendously excited by this experiment - who knows where it will lead?”

- Bill Lumsden Ardbeg Distillery

Experiments using malt from the Ardbeg distillery on Islay are being carried out on the International Space Station to see how it matures without gravity.

Compounds of unmatured malt were sent to the station in an unmanned cargo spacecraft in October last year, along with particles of charred oak.

Scientists want to understand how they interact at close to zero gravity.

NanoRacks LLC, the US company behind the research, has said understanding the influence of gravity could help a number of industries, including the whisky industry, to develop new products in the future.

The experiment, unveiled at the Edinburgh International Science Centre, will last for at least two years.

Win a bottle of rum! - Havana Club Añejo 3 Años

Tatu Kaarlas — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:44:00 +0000

This competition is now over!

Want RUM? Enter the competition!

Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time ever Refined Vices is proud to present to you the Rum of The Month competition featuring the very special Havana Club 3 Años yet to be released in Australia!

Those of us who were lucky enough to make it to the last Rum Club session at the Golden Monkey were given an exclusive tasting of Havana Club 3 Años and here is your second chance for some more!

We are very happy to announce that Havana Club Australia will be giving away one bottle of Havana Club Añejo 3 Años to one very lucky person participating in this competition.

The Competition

In order to enter the competition all you have to do is "Like" the Refined Vices and Havana Club Australia facebook pages and tell us in 25 words or less how you would enjoy Havana Club 3 Años.

All entries will be submitted through the Contact Us page, before you do that please click read more and have a look at the Terms and Conditions.

The competition starts today, the 9th of March 2012, ends on the 6th of April 2012 and will be open to current Australian residents 18 years of age and over.

The person with the best answer will win a bottle of Havana Club Añejo 3 Años.

Read more to find out how to enter the competition for your chance to win a bottle of Havana Club Añejo 3 Años.

Master of Malt Secret Leap Year Cocktail Competition

Tatu Kaarlas — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:51:00 +0000

Our friends at Master of Malt have decided to celebrate the Leap Year (in case you haven't noticed there are 29 days this month) by creating a special bottled concoction - the Secret Leap Year Cocktail. Generous as they are Master of Malt are also giving away a prize! Here's what they've got to say:

On the 29th February, for one day only, you'll be able to buy 20cl bottles of our Secret Leap Year Cocktail. After you've tasted this marvellous concoction, your challenge is to name the five ingredients used to make it.

The first correct answer will not only win a 20cl bottle of each of the seven vintage cocktails in our current range, you'll also have the opportunity to name the Leap Year cocktail for its official release in full-sized bottles, later in the year.

The seven cocktails in the range include The Manhattan, the Gin Martini, the Old Fashioned, the World's Best Cocktail, the Negroni, the Rob Roy, and the brand new Martinez cocktail.

SMC January Whisky Comparison

Tatu Kaarlas — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:53:00 +0000

Monday last week at the SMC, Sean Baxter from Behind Bars walked us through a very tasty line-up of some beautiful Single Malt whiskies produced in different regions of Scotland to give us an idea of the different styles.

In the line up we had a total of 6 whiskies - Glenkinchie 10 and 12 year old from the Lowlands, Talisker Distillers Edition and Talisker 18 Year Old from the Islands and Lagavulin 12 and 16 Year Old from the Islay.

Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge

Tatu Kaarlas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:57:00 +0000

The Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge will come to an end after a select few bartenders, out of the hundreds of participants around the world, will be given the chance to compete in the final battle for the ultimate title in Trinidad next month.

The Champion of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge will win a grand prize of 10,000 US dollars and a contract as Angostura's Global Brand Ambassador for the next 12 months.

Bacardi Celebrates 150th Anniversary

Tatu Kaarlas — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:53:00 +0000

In 2010 Bacardi celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Bacardi Daiquiri, which also marked the launch of the Superior Heritage Limited Edition Rum produced to commemorate the event.

Now the spirits company has declared 2012 to be its most innovative year since the creation of BACARDI rum in 1862.

Throughout the year Bacardi will host one-of-a-kind birthday parties, launch special promotions around the world and introduce a $2,000 limited-edition bottling of Bacardi rum to celebrate the journey that has lasted for 150 years.

SMC Timboon Single Malt Whisky

Tatu Kaarlas — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Last month at Chez Regine we had the chance to try some pretty special locally produced small batch whiskey from Timboon Railway Shed Distillery.

The Timboon Railway Shed Distillery is located in a renovated railway goods shed dating from 1910 and is a short drive from the scenic Great Ocean Road and the famous 12 Apostles rock formation.

Not much was revealed about the whiskey when we began the tasting, in fact we did not even know where it came from or how it was produced. Instead we were given a Blind Tasting Questionnaire that were to be filled out as we were tasting the mystery whiskey.