Rums are complex, unique spirits, but there tends to be very limited variety here. Everybody seems to only know Bacardi of course, which actually is a very basic, commercial rum. There ‘re shitloads of styles and varieties that come from the Caribbean islands, the home of rum.

Left view...

...Right view

My favourite are the aged ones. Superb.

The shootout took place courtesy of Flavours magazine, who needed my ‘expertise’ as one of the tasters for its drinking article on a dozen popular rums. A dozen! Nice.

The last one i did with them was this tasting for wines below $80, which was fun! Coz i tasted 28 wines.

In session

I was a lil late, so had to catch up on the first few rums, which were white. All taken neat of course, and blind.

Numbers 1 to 3 were pretty straight. Low on flavours, not very complex. The Angostura Reserva was pretty vodka-like, and i scored it 8/20 (points – max 2 for colour, 6 for nose, and 12 for overall taste, for a max score of 20).

Dats one bowl i sure would never use, except to park stuff

The Havana Club Anejo Blanco (Cuba) scored 8 as well, with a sweetish finish. The first white that i downed was number 3, Matusalem Platino, well-rounded and a 10/20 for me.

Then come the gold rums, starting with the Mount Gay (Barbados, scored it 12/20), which has a sweet start but is harsh later. With a nose of tequila and a sweet-spicy taste, the Bundaberg (Aust) is a little more complex.

Nose the dose. The man, Junior, mixologist from View Bar

By now, am starting to buzz. Just to make sure, the next rum is the Bundaberg Overproof. I didnt know that of course, and wrote “Boom! on the tongue, strong alco flavour start to finish. Smells better than it tastes!” Haha. Waddya expect from an an ass-kicker at 57.7%.

Rum number 7 turns out to be Captain Morgan Spiced, which i used to like. Its got a nose of caramely-spice, with tastes of cinnamon & spice, vanilla, fruit, but with a harsh n boring finish. These days i dig Captain Morgan Black Label. Killa.

Come here!

Out come my highlight, the dark rums. Yea!

Obvious bias there.

It began with the Matusalem Reserva, which gave me hints of tobacco n spice, and was a lil harsh (12/20).

Sweet ass

Then i hit the Ron Zacapa Centenario, a rum from the high altitudes in Guatemala. It’s from rums aged between 6 and 23 years. Taken neat, it’s almost honey-like sweet, consistent throughout, some woodiness, good vanilla too. Fruity, velvety and well-rounded, it would be great on the rocks. Scored it 17/20.

Followed by the Angostura 1824, which is from Trinidad. A nose of leather, spice and oak. Taste: chocolaty spice, very smooth, silky even. This is a rum with depth, spiciness, and some complexity. Extremely smooth taken neat, like a good Cognac. It got a high score from me, 18/20.

The 1824 is aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels for a minimum of 12 years.

Yums

Rum number 11 was the Angostura 1919, with a nose of leathery musky cologne, and taste-wise, it’s very spicy, roasty caramel; oaky n spicy finish. Not the smoothest, but an interesting complexity. Would drink it again (17/20).

The final rum – Angostura 7 Years. I found the start to be very harsh, and too goddam spicy for me. Might be good with ice n water (14/20).

'Hard work'

It was probably the most exciting tasting i’ve been to. Rums are fun, and many of the aged, premium ones are as interesting as cognacs and whiskies. It aint just for pirates.

But u can get your pirate name here. Mine’s Wayward Dizzy-Eyed Pignut. Watdefuck’s a pignut?

The best part of the session is, i got to keep a bottle of my favourite rum, the 18/20 Angostura 1824 baby!

Man, these things should happen monthly! Or i should just live in the Caribbean.

Brain damage: 8/10

Blue Label. Nice job.

Met up with him when he hit town recently – he was around to launch the brand new Blue Label bottle. He’s a travelling man, on da road for most of the year.

Jonathan sure loves his job. His enthusiasm when talking about his job and product is real obvious.

Can u blame him?

The man enjoying his product

He introduces the new bottle, saying that “the Blue Label bottle aesthetics is definitely younger. It would fit in nicely at a nightclub, it would fit in a restaurant.”
I was a fan of the previous bottle; classic style. But the new bottle? Refreshing, trendy and classy at the same time. A beautiful piece, so it’s time I upgrade mine!

Ta daa!

Although Jonathan himself represents the Blue Label, it’s not a drink he consumes daily. “I do enjoy Tanqueray and tonic.” He also enjoys Black Label over ice. And a cup of tea!

Amazingly, he’s a qualified and certified sake brewer, after having spent some years in Japan. “Part of the training included spending a week brewing sake during winter in a temple in the mountains!” Obviously he’s a big sake fan, adding that he’s amazed by the sophistication of sake.

Jonathan showing us the origins of Scotch on his pimped map

He’s been on the job now with Johnnie Walker for 18 years. “These days, I’ve become more than a travelling showman, I also help develop the liquid, and work with the master blender.”

Envious? Good.

(If u know of a candidate, u can lemme know).

It’s been a long time since i did the Boozepimp thing! Got a few more lined up.

Shawn

The Boozepimp of the month is bartender Chong Yi Shawn, 25.

He’s the local champ of the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartending Competition 2011, and represented Malaysia this year, where he performed in New Delhi last month (It was won by Manabu Ohtake, from Tower’s Bar Bellovisto, Tokyo, whittled down from 10,000 around the world).

Winning the local competition gave  Shawn three months training. He’s won it twice so far.

He was a hospitality student who worked with Hilton KL in a restaurant before moving to the bar. Shawn is basically self-taught, learning on the job and via YouTube.

He might not look like one, with the specs n all, but he is a bartender. Shawn is currently freelancing.

1. So why did u become a bartender?

I enjoy it as it’s not a static job. You meet different people, make different drinks. Everyday is different. I like making drinks and making guests happy. Communication is important.

2. Yea man, communication and service. How was the event in New Delhi?

It was awesome. Four days. They treated the 34 of us like superstars.

3. Nice. If it was me, i wouldnt remember a damn thing. What were u judged on?

It was challenging. There were six challenges in total. Some of the criteria were the drinks we made, communication skills, product knowledge, technical skills, grooming and presentation.

4. So wadya think are your strengths and weaknesses as a barman

I think i’m very willing to learn, and i’m a fast learner. Weakness, maybe a lack of experience.

In competition

5. What kinds of cocktails do u like to drink and make?

Thus far i’ve created about 15-20. I like something i call Ignited Passion – Ron Zacapa rum, Grand Marnier, blackberry jam, home-made syrup, and lime and cranberry juice.

6. And you fave drinks?

Rum n Coke, Cuba Libre, Margharita, and cider.

7. Cider eh? Will let u try my brew sometime. And what cocktail would you recommend if someone wants something that tastes good, light-tasting on the alcohol, and gets them high in a hurry?

Hmm. I think Mai Tai, tho the recipe has been bastardized. The original is rum, lime juice, triple sec, and almond syrup. Or the Zombie.

8. How often do you drink and how many?

About once a month, with other bartenders.

9. What do u like about alcohol?

It’s unlimited what you can do with it.

10. Yea man. So many varieties. And what are the global trends for cocktails at the mo?

Looks like the Classic Cocktails are making a comeback.

Thanks!

Long way to go, but it’s a start. We all know service levels in Malaysia are going down, as i commented on once.

Pay attention now..

The event was attended by employees from various outlets. Taylor’s University is involved to improve bar operation skills and customer service. Since it was done in English, i assume the foreign staff didnt understand much.

I sat out the training module as it was only for outlet staff. (sorry, all pix by camera phone.)

Brands distributed by Carlsberg Malaysia via Luen Heng

The highlight that day was the attendance of George Reisch, the main man, aka Brewmaster of Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns brands like Becks, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Budweiser and 200 others. Its the world’s largest global brewer, with 25% of the market, revenue of more than 100 billion a year, and staff of 116,000.

He gave a presentation about beer as well. One memorable statement from him – when storing your beer, keep it in a dark spot so it dont get ‘light-struck’ – light affects beer quality. Hence beer bottles tend to be dark.

Lightstruck! Haha!

We also got to taste half-made lager.

Shady-lookin brews

The oldest was a 20-day (with added wood chips for flavour as is done with Bud), which tastes as good as regular lager. The 5-day End of Aplha is pretty raw, with a nose of cider. Taste is quite bland.

Like Jaz Beer.

The cold wort is very young, and smells to me like Guinness Malta. Its cloudy, and tastes bitter-sweet.

That's George

George enlightened us that 400 different compounds / molecules have been found in wine, and 1,200 in beer. More complicated that you think.

Hmmm. Tough choice. I'd probably go for some Leffe

Also met Carlsberg Malaysia's new marketing director, York Spencer

The program went on for a day. Let’s hope there’re some better-educated bar staff out there now!

Brain damage: 5/10

However, there’s also a video out.

He’s pretty quick with his lines, and his booze. Within a minute, he’s almost half pint down. Good form.

Well, when ur the most powerful man in the world, u obviously cant be no lightweight (like that loser George Bush), and u better be able to drink hard!

The looks on the faces of the Irish officials - priceless

I wonder what the White House bar is like. Must be stacked. Couldnt find any info on it tho.

Would definitely be worth a raid.

The beer battle is pretty hot

Surprisingly, to me at least, Carlsberg (the Green Label beer) is still the number one-selling brand of beer in Malaysia. They’re still doin ok in small towns n villages. Tiger (GAB) would be second. When it comes to stout, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (bottle/can) is definitely ahead of the other brand, Danish Royal Stout (CBMB), which is virtually unknown to the urban crowd.

And in draught, Guinness trashes Connors (CBMB). I dont even know why Connors is around. Nothing seems to have been done to market it, or even introduce it.

Tiger’s doin well here, with a growth rate of 20% a year. So is Heineken. Put together, these two GAB brands are outselling Carlsberg Green Label now.

(Graphic from Star Online)

But i gotta say i really like some of the beers Carlsberg Malaysia imports, especially Franziskaner and Konig Ludwig. Great stuff. These bottled beers are getting more common, and outlets are starting to have ‘em on tap as well.

I foresee more Malaysians going for non-lager beers like these. When Hoegaarden was still being sold mostly in bottles and not draft a few years ago, i foresaw that it had potential to go mainstream. And it has in quite a big way, tho its highly over-priced. I did make such a suggestion to Carlsberg’s assistant brand manager at that time, and also said that the female market is a huge one that should be attacked via Hoegaarden.

No idea if i’ll be right bout these other brands. In my opinion, by far the only obstacle they face is the high pricing.

But after having lager virtually forced down our throats for years, it’s time for a breakout.

To be frank, i’m jelak with lager. Bored of it too.

This also affects where people like me hang out, coz GAB-aligned outlets cant sell Carlsberg Malaysia products, and vice-versa. Its silly, but dats d situation we as consumers face.

However, the new laws coming in effect in 2012 could change all this forever.

Unlike Carlsberg Malaysia, GAB is however banking too heavily on lager and stout. But I really hope there’ll be more variety in their range soon.

New players. With potential, i feel

I have always seen Carlsberg as ol skool. Not really in tune with young Malaysians. Pretty much non-existent in social media. (And the same dance track has been playing on their flash-heavy website for two years.)  However, with these new brands, i think CBMB is  making some headway with younger drinkers.

New brands that CBMB introduced over the past coupla years include Blackthorn (cider), Kronenbourg 1664 (lager), Tetley’s (bitter), Savannah (cider), Skol (lager), Asahi (lager), Leffe (ale), Franziskaner and Konig (weissbier aka wheatbeer) – all by CBMB or its subsidiary / importer / distributor Luen Heng Sdn Bhd.

GAB meanwhile came up with Strongbow (cider), Guinness Black (lager), Paulaner (weissbier) and the latest, Newcastle (brown ale).

There was an article in The Star today featuring their financial results and market share. GAB claims 59% of market share and is obviously ahead of Carlsberg, which is estimated to be at 41%. Carlsberg lost the lead five years ago. While it used to battle with Anchor a long time ago, it now faces Tiger (now a Singaporean brand, which is actually a Malayan brand as it began brewing in 1933, before Singapore was a country.)

Carlsberg has been diversifying

Personally i think GAB has done a much better and a more engaging job at marketing compared to CBMB. I foresee their market share increasing, and Tiger overtaking Carlsberg as the best-selling beer pretty soon. And once Carlsberg drinkers die-off in a coupla decades or so, as many of them are the older crowd, Tiger will probably dominate the scene. But there are many variables, including the fact that lager might not be the favoured beer in 20 years. Who knows.

GAB is doin real well

GAB posted a 47% increase in net profit to RM64.6mil from the same quarter a year ago. It’s the biggest first quarter it has ever produced in its history. Thanks mainly to its huge Oktoberfest campaign.

CBMB saw net profit climb 51.7% to RM30.5mil. Its profit was dominated by the performance of Carlsberg Singapore (CBMB acquired it in late 2009). Excluding Carlsberg Singapore, net profit grew 2%.

Both Charles Ireland (MD, GAB) and Soren Ravn (MD, CBMB) are against any excise duty/tax increase for awhile. Maybe they should talk to Alcon then on how best we should approach this issue. I feel all parties should cooperate for long-term advantage and mutual benefit.

GAB kicked ass since 2006 (graphic from Star Online)

Speaking of GAB, their St Patrick’s Festival this year will be KL, in Changkat Bukit Bintang at 6pm next week Thursday (17th). Details here. Might have been better to do it on Saturday evening. It’s a working day and they doin it downtown? Considering the possible traffic chaos, i dont know wattup with that.

(I actually wrote a feature article against this foreign takeover of Malaysia’s cooking & food in The Star a few years back, entitled  Fight for Your Food. And in June 2011, my ex-colleague did a similiar piece about service standards, where i gave my thoughts.)

Well, food quality has definitely dropped, especially at stalls. Foreigners are trying to cook Malaysian food, when fact is they have no connection with our great cuisine heritage.

I had a chat with a guy who’s been in the F&B scene for 15 years. He owns a restaurant-bar, and admits service standards have dropped all-round. He says it’s due to the hiring of foreigners.

Hell, we can tell that for ourselves.

Bars are being hit now

Now we’re getting freaks who dont even drink, trying to serve us drinks. How ridiculous is that? Sorry, whatever the justification, I would never trust a bartender who doesnt drink.

I mean, would you trust a chef that dont eat??

Fuckdatshit.

As usual, Malaysians get blamed for being “choosy” about their jobs. So? Watz wrong with that? Dont we all choose the jobs we want? Problem is, salaries have remained unreasonable for years.

Its not easy work, sacrificing your nights, and weekends, and new years, and Christmas, and etc on da job. Dealing daily with drunks. And pukers. And obnoxious pricks. And dont forget the bodies. After a few months/weeks, ur bound to think twice, and probably look elsewhere. Unless of course the money is good, which it isnt!

No one can be expected to accept 1,000-1,500 bucks and be content about it. Or give their UNDYING loyalty to the outlet. Bartenders should get at least 2k+ a month. Then u’ll attract some quality.

U pay peanuts, u’ll get monkeys.

That amount might be a fortune to foreigners, who are only here temporarily and normally dont have to pay for lodging, transport, etc, but its peanuts to Malaysians. Also many of these foreigner are without permits, meaning outlet owners can exploit them even more.

At a bar staffed by foreigners, try not to order anything complicated

Malaysian staff are more “difficult” coz sometimes they dont show up for work – sick, emergency leave, grandma died, etc. Of course foreigners wont do that, coz they’re desperate, and employers can feed on that desperation. Some employers dont even allow them days off.

Many have families back home who are struggling, and surviving on whatever little money these workers send back every month.

So they’re more ideal. More robot-like.

That’s definitely one advantage of hiring foreigners. Advantage to employers that is. Not to consumers.

Some of these guys dont even know what a goddam mojito is! Those places, i end up not goin again. What kind of training are they getting? What recipes do they know?

Many drink requests by a customer has the waiter/bartender reacting like the customer just dropped a fat rhyme in Martian. You gotta waste your own time n effort ‘training’ them about what you want.

Sometimes i just keep quiet, shake my head and ask them to call the manager, who thank God is usually a Malaysian. Being Asians, these foreigners are usually genuinely nice and good-hearted people (at least when they arrive here), but thats not d point.

Multi-award-winning former bartender and Barfight champ Mark ‘Maverick’Robert feels salaries are not keeping up with the times and trends. “U cant survive on 1k a month. That’s why u get MCs, no-shows, etc. A staff would jump to another job even for an extra 100 bucks a month. They’re desperate.”

“Also, u expect a foreigner to try n recommend to us local boyz what to drink?? Come on buddy!”

Are service standards at bars up to mark?

I dont blame these guys, being thrown into a situation they dont belong in. Its ok if the workers are sent for good F&B n hospitality training, but most employers wont do that.

I definitely have a lotta respect for bars that hire competent Malaysians. Salud to u guys! If they could do it before d foreign invasion and do well, they can sure do it now.

Though it inconveniences customers, as an employer, its more convenient and less of a hassle to hire foreigners, and they can have full staff-strength all d time.

But in my opinion, foreigners have to stay out of the drinking industry. They’re spoiling it for us Malaysians. There needs to be a major revamp in the industry. A college is needed to train Malaysians to be at least semi-professional F&B employees, with good career prospects and a decent salary.

Bottomline: As a consumer, all i know is service standards have never been worse.

In this day and age, that’s just embarrassing.

It’s a battle between two personalities. The winner is the one that’s most hardcore.

He/she will win bragging rights, and a bottle of my special strong cider, Baad Apples™ .

Today’s first barfight contender is Ben Ng, 26, a well-known professional mixologist who runs his own gig called Fluid Alchemy, whose services are used by most international alcohol brands for training, events and cocktail creations. I’ve had his stuff. Good shit.

He’s constantly working with various drinks brand such as Glenmorangie, Hennessy, Belvedere, Sagatiba, Cuervo, Boiron and a few others to develop their product & brand through trainings, masterclasses and other campaigns around Asia.

Feed me Ben!

He’s up against Mark ‘Maverick’ Robert, 35, who used to bartend all over the city. He won a national flaring competition years ago when i was one of the judges, and the reward was a trip to compete in Australia.

He was national flair champ twice! (Among other competition wins, including Southeast Asia champ.) He’s now the Operations Manager for Sids Pubs.

Nice choice

Here we go. Points are out of 5.

Whats your favourite drink?

Ben: I’ve no particular favourite. I like variety so Guinness, Campari, Single Malts & Cognacs are on the to drink list whenever i go out – 3

Mark: Strongbow cider- 3

What do u drink on a regular basis?

Ben: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban – 3
Mark:  Strongbow cider – 3

How often do you drink, and how many drinks per session?

Ben: Depending on the company and occasion…usually I’ll do 2-4 drinks per session on weekdays and probably a tad bit more on the occasional partying night – 2
Mark: Quite regularly, and ’bout 8 pints of Strongbow Cider – 5

What drink would you give your gerl if she wanna get real high?

Ben: I usually like them sober!…but then again ‘shagging cocktails’ do come in handy! – 2. (Ok that’s a new one!)
Mark: Absinthe or Submarine (Drambuie & beer or tequila & beer ) – 4

What would you give an alco who wants to get smashed in a hurry?

Ben: A pint of Guinness, a shot of Wray & Nephew overproof rum and a double espresso to finish! It only takes no more than 2 minutes to prepare – 3
Mark: Half Tequila n half Sambuca – 3

What is your fave cocktail u’ve created, and what’s the recipe?

Ben: I did one with light rum, ginger flower, lime, pineapples and some mangoes. It reminds me of the abundance of local produce and reminds me of flavours from my childhood – 5
Mark: Sexy Eyes: 1oz vodka, 1/2oz Peach Schnapps, 1/2oz Malibu, 1/2oz Blue Curacao, 1oz pineapple juice, float 2oz orange juice – 4

Score is currently Ben 18, Mark 22. Pretty close.

What is your opinion about alcohol?

Ben: One of the most under-rated nation-building resource – 4
Mark: Soothing to the soul, body & mind and does get you lucky sometimes. Hahaha! – 4

What do u think of Night Train Express, and when’s the last time u had a large dose?

Ben: College student’s source of inspiration – 2
Mark: Night Train Express is the bomb! Last I had it was maybe a few years ago – 3

What’s the goddam nastiest drink you’ve had?

Ben: Haven’t really had anything that bad that i did call it nasty, but I did try a really unpleasant home made moonshine from East Malaysia – 1
Mark: Stout and toddy mixed – 2

Have u been involved in bar fights?

Ben: Nope! – 1
Mark: Yes a few times – 5

Your most drunk incident?

Ben: It’s beyond what i can recall – 2
Mark: Ran around naked at the bar – 5

Your most embarrassing incident?

Ben: Its embarassing enough not to reveal it here – 2
Mark: As above – 5

What do u have to say to Malaysian drinkers?

Ben: Take time to understand what you’re drinking and explore beyond the norm. You’ll find a whole new world of flavours that you never thought possible. And of course… yuuuuuuummmm sengg!! – 3
Mark: Drink responsibly and please be open to new cocktails or even new alcohol beverages – 2

.

OK fight’s over boys. Break it up!

Mark's a dirty fighter

Mark whoops Ben’s ass. Totalled it. He’s obviously more rowdy, as he scored a few fives in ‘inappropriate behaviour’. Haha! Ben didnt do too well when he dissed Sarawakian booze.

Mark scores a good 48 points against Ben’s 33. Looks like u da man Maverick!

Salud boyz!

Salud!

He’s sort of a pioneer for creating trendy and reasonably-priced outlets, where drinkers can hang out regularly. He’s also done many fun events where beers are either free or cost from five bucks! That’s why drinkers love him, and that’s why he’s the Boozepimp of the Year! Well done.

The readers poll also voted Geoff from the other candidates. Geoff wins a certificate and five litres of kick-ass, home-made, Baad Apples cider.

It’s been an exciting year, with lots of new products and countless events. Malaysians are also getting more demanding as consumers. About time!

Would like to hear your opinion on who mattered the most in 2010 in the drinking industry here. You can vote at the poll on the right sidebar or add a comment below.

Take your pick from the six boozepimps featured since June:

1. Geoff Siddle, owner of Sid’s Pubs

2. Kennhyn, beer blogger

3. Michelle & Vincent Loh, Tong Woh Enterprise

4. Mark Jenner, marketing director, GAB

5. Nanoo Raghavan, partner-manager, Celsius KL

The big pimp will be announced in a few days.