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Intercontinental Sydney has announced John Toubia as its new Bars Manager. Toubia comes with past experience from Magazin, Grasshopper and Zeta Bar and will be responsible for overseeing the beverage agenda across its city outlets, as well as driving the InterContinental’s new Supper Club. On his appointment, InterContinental Sydney said: “John will bring great skills and new disciplines to the role and the hotel with his experience in cocktail innovation, engineering, ...

Four Pillars has officially opened the doors to its own, brand new distillery in the Yarra Valley. The distillery has been opened to help meet growing demand for the gin, first launched through crowd-funding in December 2013. A former timber yard, the Four Pillars Distillery spans across 700 square metres and features Four Pillars’ two German sister-stills, Jude (600L) and Eileen (50L). The stills will increase production capacity for Four ...

In 2010, the Royal Oak Hotel in Clarendon, SA registered to become an U.G.L.Y. venue; bartender Gavin Alcoe had recently lost a close friend to Leukaemia and wanted to help make a difference in the lives of people suffering from this insidious disease. Raising $7,000 in their first year of U.G.L.Y. Bartender, Royal Oak Hotel staff and patrons got behind the campaign, taking out the state winner title in 2012 ...

Western Australia won the top awards at this year’s Craft Beer Awards, taking the title of Champion Craft Beer from 2014 NSW winner, Modus Operandi Brewing Company. It was the family-owned microbrewery, Feral Brewing Co. that won this year’s Champion Craft Beer award, as well as Champion Wheat Beer with its sour beer, Watermelon Warhead. The winning brew is a light sour German wheat beer that has been infused with half a tonne ...

Coopers Brewery has rereleased Coopers Clear with a new look for this summer. Featuring striking tones of blue and silver, the new look aims to highlight the beer’s freshness and sessionability, and low carbohydrate credentials. Coopers Clear is Coopers’ fourth largest selling beer behind Coopers Original Pale Ale, Sparkling Ale and Mild Ale 3.5%. After five years since its release, Cam Pearce, National Sales and Marketing Director for the brewery said it ...

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a new app that can calculate the size and density of the vine canopy through an image. The VitiCanopy app is free, with the aim to help users monitor their vines and manage the required balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. As opposed to the traditional, often time consuming ways of measuring leaf area, the iPad and iPhone app uses the devices’ camera and ...

From this November, trade will be able to create their own personalised vodka, gin or whisky at Archie Rose Distilling Co. The distillery, which opened earlier this year, prides itself on being able to bring members of the public face-to-face with the world of distilling at its Sydney location and  hopes the new initiative will take that one step further. Through an online custom application, trade will be able to create their own vodkas, ...

Visitors to The Drinks Industry Show at Luna Park in three weeks’ time, are invited to join an inaugural forum hosted by show partner, Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA). R&CA is a national association that leads and represents the interests of the 35,000 restaurants and catering businesses across Australia. The forum is titled ‘The Business of On-Premise Distribution: Drivers and Challenges’ and is designed to raise discussion around on-premise distribution ...

Bombay Sapphire’s Project Botanicals is back again this year and, for the first time since its launch, the initiative is being held in Sydney. Project Botanicals, a five course degustation inspired by and designed to match Bombay’s ten botanicals, roped in five of Sydney’s top bars to help design the 2015 menu. The Barber Shop, Eau-de-Vie, The Rook, This Must Be The Place and The Pocket Group partnered with distributor, ...

For the first time this week, William Grant & Sons has released a 23 Year Old whisky from the Kininvie distillery to retail in Australia. Opened in 1990 in Dufftown, Scotland, Kininvie is one of the most reserved distilleries in the world; only released when it is at its very best and even then, just to a select few. The 23 Year Old retails for $210 (350ml bottle) and is ...