Absolut Elyx

Vodka brand Absolut now has a super-premium drink in its stable, the Elyx.

Ready

Ready

It’s a new product that hasn’t been launched yet in all markets. It’s Malaysian intro went down at The View Bar in the city.

For Elyx, Absolut has moved away from it’s traditional roundies to create a squarish piece of work.

Funky

Funky

Elyx is a vodka made from hand-selected estate wheat, and blended with soft and naturally-filtered water. When taken neat, it’s soft and silk-like on the palate. Goes down easy.

It is a small-scale vodka, produced according to craft techniques in a 1929 copper still. Basically, an elegant and smooth handcrafted vodka.

The cool set-up at the bar

The set-up at the bar

The party was also the first anniversary of The View Bar, a cool rooftop bar at G Tower. View Bar is Pernod Ricard’s premier flagship outlet in Asia.

Guests were treated to several cocktails with Elyx as its base. Most were pretty good.

View's open air area is now closed unfortunately

View’s open air spot is now closed unfortunately

The suggested way to enjoy it is to drink it neat over a single ice cube.

The Elyx is brewed using wheat from Råbelöf, a neighbouring estate where every year, the master distiller walks the fields to select wheat that meet the highest of standards. Throughout the distillation process, copper plays an integral part in the making of this vodka. Its unique character is obtained from the vintage rectification still, with columns, pumps and hand-forged pipes all made from copper.

One highlight of Elyx is definitely the texture. It’s mouth-feel is delicate and pleasant.

The price has not been revealed, and is available at selected bars, including View Bar of course.

If there was ever a mega ice bucket i wanted to steal, it's this

If there was ever a mega ice bucket i wanted to steal, it’s this

 

Brain damage: 8/10

Share

Will new laws affect drinking industry?

A couple of major new laws by the Ministry of Domestic Trade might have an impact on drinkers.

The Competition Act 2010, which will be enforced from January 1st next year, is meant to protect free competition and promote a level playing field for businesses, primarily to benefit consumers, and make this country more open and competitive. More details in a feature by The Star.

Provisions include those against price-fixing, tie-ins and price-discrimination. One that is of interest is entitled “Exclusive Dealing”, which prohibits unfair trading terms such as exclusivity. Will that affect the main players here such as the Malaysian beer industry?

Right now, most bars are forced to sell either GAB or Carlsberg Malaysia’s brands on tap. So if an outlet serves drafts such as Carlsberg or Hoegaarden, there cant be Guinness or Tiger draft.

Draft beers are getting more popular, but limited in variety due to allegiance to particular breweries

Which limits a consumer’s outlet choice according to which beer he prefers. And bar owners too have to agree to those terms and shut out the competitor, and in return get rewarded by the brewery in various ways.

It doesnt affect the liquor guys so much i guess. Moet Hennessy Diageo and Pernod Ricard Malaysia are the biggest, so this law might help the little guys.

The other relevant law is the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2010, which has already kicked in this month. Besides making sure all outlets display prices for all products prominently, there is a new provision, which makes it illegal to make unreasonably high profits, or profiteer.

The law also controls prices increases. Say the tax on booze or whatever product is increased by 5%. If the retailer then increases price disproportionately, he can be guilty of an offence, with massive fines up to 100k for individuals and 500k for companies. Consumers themselves are the primary enforcers of this law, and can contact the Malaysian Competition Commission to make a complaint.

This is to control the unjustified price increases by businesses in this country, which has been sending our standard of living downhill.

About time i say.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Share