Refined Vices

Brooklyn meets Woodford at Whisky and Alement

Tatu Kaarlas — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 05:39:00 +0000

May 25, it is a Saturday afternoon at the newly renovated Whisky and Alement, formerly known as Chez Regine, with the staff busy preparing glasses and snacks for the Whiskey and Beer pairing about to start. I've arrived a little early with Linus Schaxmann setting up his laptop for the presentation, we're still waiting for everyone else to show up.

Meanwhile I have a look around the new bar and it really looks fantastic with

Whisky enthusiasts gather in Adelaide

Tatu Kaarlas — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:11:00 +0000

Sunday 2nd June between late morning and late afternoon hours at the Hilton on Victoria Square in Adelaide, gathered a number of Whisky enthusiasts to sip and savour whiskies from beyond the sea and some from closer home.

The Great Whisky Exposition marked the 4th Malt Whisky Society Convention showcasing around 80 different whiskies from around the world including Scotland, Taiwan, New Zealand and of course Australia.

Some notable products in addition to the usual suspects were whiskies produced in Tasmania such as

Rum Review: Mount Gilboa (Barbados)

Tatu Kaarlas — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:38:00 +0000

Buy from Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange

Mount Gilboa is an interesting rum for many reasons, the most noticeable detail being the fact that the rum is triple distilled, more importantly a triple distilled pot still rum. As far as I know there are only a handful of rums in the world that are produced this way, at least many are not advertised as such. However, finding rums distilled more than once in column stills are far

Inner Circle Rum Masterclass

Tatu Kaarlas — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:29:00 +0000

Last Friday I decided to check out Cushdy, one of Adelaide’s premier cocktail lounges owned and operated by Shaun Pattison on Hindley street since 2008. Cushdy is also the home of the Adelaide Rum Club that had its first rum tasting in 2009 with Flor de Caña rum.

This time the rum in question was a little bit closer home than Nicaragua and is an interesting blend of rums produced in Australia at the Beenleigh distillery and the other half coming

Ask The Rum Expert at Miami Rum Festival

Tatu Kaarlas — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 09:14:00 +0000

The International Rum Expert Panel announced a staff of notable experts will be on hand at the Miami Rum Festival to answer attendee's questions about rum.

The Miami Rum Festival takes place in mid-April with hundreds of fine rums on display in a 40,000 square foot exhibit hall at the Doubletree Miami Airport Hotel. It's also an annual gathering of major proportions now a tradition for many of the world's most experienced rum experts.

Spirits Professionals Launch International Rum Council

International Rum Council — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 05:05:00 +0000

Five well known spirits professionals have come together to form the International Rum Council (IRC). Their mission is simple: Promote, advocate and champion the diverse and wonderful world of rum by engaging consumers through events, seminars and focus groups and by producing and distributing one-of-a-kind material on the topic.

The IRC founding members are Dave Russell (RumGallery.com), Bob Davies (Rumelier.com, OldBahamas.com), Mike Streeter (RumConnection.com, Bahama Street Promotions), Nicholas Feris (RumCollective.com) and Carlton Grooms (RumCuisine.com,

World's First Antarctic Rumshack to Pop Up soon!

Tatu Kaarlas — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:40:00 +0000

We first heard of Ian's plans to conquer Antarctica quite a while ago but it's not only recently until the plans were really locked in and confirmed and as a matter of fact Ian is almost ready to set sail towards Antarctica, after a few good drinks at his first port of call in Ushuaia Tierra del Duego Argentina. We should soon expect him to start making some super cold cocktails at what is to be the world's first Pop Up Rum Shack in Antarctica!

El Dorado 12 Rum of the Month Winner

Tatu Kaarlas — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:18:00 +0000

Congratulations to Adam Richardson, the WINNER of the El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum of the Month Competition! We hope you enjoy the rum!

Many thanks to all who participated and a big thank you goes to the sponsors of the competition at Quittin' Time.

And remember you can always buy El Dorado 12 and other rums in the range direct from Quittin' Time!

The Golden Rum Barrel Awards 2012 Nominations

Tatu Kaarlas — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:31:00 +0000

The nominations for this year's Golden Rum Barrel Awards have finally been revealed and we're absolutely thrilled to announce that Refined Vices has been nominated second time in a row for Rum Blogger of the Year!

It is truly an honour being recognized this way and being part of all the nominees.

The third annual Golden Rum Barrel Awards recognizes the achievements of individuals and brands working in the Rum industry and is the first award

Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Prime Ministers Reserve

Tatu Kaarlas — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 09:40:00 +0000

Kingston, Jamaica. J. Wray & Nephew Limited, on Wednesday September 19, held the barrelling ceremony for the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Prime Ministers’ Reserve – a very special and unique rum blend which will be used to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence.

The Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Prime Ministers’ Reserve barrelling ceremony, held at J. Wray & Nephew Limited’s head office on Kingston’s Spanish Town Road, saw Independent Jamaica’s nine Prime Ministers or their representatives, led by