The Far East Rum Diary - Le Journal du Rhum d'Extrême-Orient
The Far East Rum Diary (TFERD) is a collection of "rum worthy" news and events taking in place and beyond Asia written by Philippe K.A. Buchle, French Rum Ambassador based in Hong Kong.
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OZU Grand Opening Invitation.
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The crowd outside OZU on the opening night.
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Opening night of OZU on March 5th
Not exactly a rum event but nevertheless a reminder that in Hong Kong the nightlife scene is constantly changing.
A large crowd turned up for the grand opening of this new theme bar as seen in the photos above and below.
The bar features an impressive decoration, some interesting drinks and a friendly team. Congratulations!
A large crowd turned up for the grand opening of this new theme bar as seen in the photos above and below.
The bar features an impressive decoration, some interesting drinks and a friendly team. Congratulations!
The guests seen from the bar.
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Amazing wall painting behind us.
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A view of the bar far behind us.
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Bacardi Legacy Hong Kong & Macau 2013/14 FinalThe Hong Kong and Macau final of the Bacardi Legacy competition was held at Vibes one of the bar of the Mira Hotel in TST on March 10th. It was a long night but certainly worth it for the finalists supported by a friendly crowd of bartenders and other local personalities. For those who missed it here are the winners:
10th Havana Club Grand Prix Hong Kong Final
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Just a week after the Bacardi competition, a similar event was held by the rival company Havana Club (co-owned by Pernod Ricard and the Cuban government). The event took place in the afternoon at Origin in Central.
The atmosphere was very casual yet competitive and there was no lack of talents and creativity on show. I managed to guess the names of the winners later confirmed by the jury.
Eric Stephenson, bar manager at Lili & Bloom won the first prize and a trip to Cuba to dispute the final.Sharon Balzani from Fatty Crab and Timothee Becqueriaux a.k.a. Moustache from Bibo came 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Congratulations to Eric and all the participants.
The atmosphere was very casual yet competitive and there was no lack of talents and creativity on show. I managed to guess the names of the winners later confirmed by the jury.
Eric Stephenson, bar manager at Lili & Bloom won the first prize and a trip to Cuba to dispute the final.Sharon Balzani from Fatty Crab and Timothee Becqueriaux a.k.a. Moustache from Bibo came 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Congratulations to Eric and all the participants.
"Friends of Mauritius"
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As you may know, in August last year I was in Mauritius attending the first Mauritius Rum Festival. Back then we visited several distillers including Oxenham based in Phoenix. Dean-David Oxenham was recently in Hong Kong we took this opportunity to visit a few key venues around Lan Kwai Fong.
Philippe Buchle, Dean Oxenham and Fabian Marcault at Honi Honi.
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This month the 46th anniversary of the National of the Republic of Mauritius was held at the Grand Stanford InterContinental in TST in presence of his excellence the Ambassador of Mauritius in China.
We offered a bottle of Flamboyant since it is the national flower of Mauritius. 
Mauritius National Day celebration in Hong Kong.
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Recently Awarded Rums
Late last month the winners of the Paris "Concours General Agricole" 2014 were announced. Here are some of the winners in the Rum and Punch category.
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Rhum Agricole Martinique:
La Mauny, Dillon, JM, Trois Rivieres and Bally won a gold medal for their white Rhum Agricole. In the 3-4 years category, gold went to Neisson Reserve Speciale, HSE Black Sheriff and Dillon's Cuvee Des Planteurs. In the more than 4 years category, gold went to Depaz XO and JM 1996. |
Rhum Agricole ex Martinique:
Damoiseau Blanc (Guadeloupe) won two gold medals for their white Rhum Agricole. In the 3-4 years category, gold went to Reimonenq (Guadeloupe). In the more than 4 years category, gold went to Darbousier (Guadeloupe) and Bielle (Guadeloupe) both aged 5 years. |
Other Rums:
Rhum Charette 7 years (Reunion) and the Riviere Du Mat 2004 (Reunion) won a silver medal in the more than 4 years category.
Rhum Charette 7 years (Reunion) and the Riviere Du Mat 2004 (Reunion) won a silver medal in the more than 4 years category.
Punch:
In the Punch category, gold medals were awarded to Clement's Punch Coco (Martinique), Chatel's Rhum Arrange Secret d'Epices (Reunion), Isautier's Arrange Banane Flambee (Reunion) and Arrange Gingembre Citron (Reunion). Last but not least, the Ti'arranges Banane Cacao from newcomer CED based in Brittany (France) and the Punch Passion Pomme Liane from Les Delices Bourallais (New Caledonia) also won a gold award.
In the Punch category, gold medals were awarded to Clement's Punch Coco (Martinique), Chatel's Rhum Arrange Secret d'Epices (Reunion), Isautier's Arrange Banane Flambee (Reunion) and Arrange Gingembre Citron (Reunion). Last but not least, the Ti'arranges Banane Cacao from newcomer CED based in Brittany (France) and the Punch Passion Pomme Liane from Les Delices Bourallais (New Caledonia) also won a gold award.
Group photo of some of the CWSA judges.
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The Pink Pigeon award.
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Closer to home, I was invited to judge a number of spirits and liquors competing for the CWSA awards earlier this month.
The majority of drinks I tasted were liquors most likely destined to be used in cakes or perhaps cocktails.
Among the spirits I tried there was a vodka, a whisky and just one rum.
Apparently Alain Chatel's Pink Pigeon produced by Medine in Mauritius received a medal. Congratulations!
The majority of drinks I tasted were liquors most likely destined to be used in cakes or perhaps cocktails.
Among the spirits I tried there was a vodka, a whisky and just one rum.
Apparently Alain Chatel's Pink Pigeon produced by Medine in Mauritius received a medal. Congratulations!
Oak Aged Rum Cocktail Challenge
We have added a couple of extra prizes for the participants. We still have room for a few more entries (deadline for submission is April 5th). Presentations on April 7th and 8th. Among the challengers we have Austeen from Honi Honi, Jack from BlckBrd and Tim aka Moustache from Bibo who made a Damoiseau cocktail while others like Antonio from Barsmith and Alex from Brickhouse decided to make a Flamboyant cocktail. Now is your chance to make a unique premium cocktail. Contact us for details.
COMMUNITY - "That's The Spirit!"
"That's The Spirit!" is a Hong Kong lifestyle forum for amateurs, connoisseurs and professionals to meet, share knowledge, taste and experiment with the best distilled beverages currently available. To join visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thatsthespirithk/ Past Issue(s) of The Far East Rum Diary |
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