Pernod Ricard Malaysia unveils ABSOLUT ELYX @ View, GTower

In a night reminiscent of the roaring and audacious 1920s, ABSOLUT ELYX was launched to Kuala Lumpur’s elite at View Rooftop Bar, nestled at the top of GTower.

I for one, being my usual lazy self, put on a black dress, went over to Burger Junkyard at The Strand and wolfed down 2 burgers before arriving at the launch totally underdressed.

Fortunately, accessories of the 1920s were provided! I added a nice pin to my hair and wrapped a feather boa over myself for an instant 20s’ glam. 🙂

Right after registration vodka was already free – flowing, starting with a series of blind vodka tasting.

Tasting blind compelled the invitees to concentrate on every tiny aspect of the vodka to formulate an unbiased opinion. Guests took the time to follow the five ‘S’ steps to tasting a vodka: see, swirl, sniff, sip and savour. On the table was ABSOLUT ELYX along with other premium vodkas. At the end of it all, we were told to rate our preference for the vodkas on the provided score cards.
I enjoyed this session as how I enjoyed the first vodka tasting I had was at an Absolut Masterclass back in May 2011 with Mr Matthew Pomeroy, Brand Ambassador of Absolut. Each of these tasting sessions truly helps to elevate my knowledge of spirits.

ABSOLUT ELYX, the Swedish vodka house’s latest, is an ode to traditional spirit- making techniques. The bottle itself, a stylishly square reinterpretation of ABSOLUT’s famous bottle design, is an immediate visual reference to the hand-operated distillation of this new premium spirit.

Inspired by 500 years of vodka making expertise, ABSOLUT has spent the last decade inventing a NEW vodka.
Crafted from hand-selected estate wheat, and blended with soft and naturally filtered water, ABSOLUT ELYX is a small-scale vodka, produced according to craft techniques, in an authentic 1929 copper rectification still. The result: a handcrafted super premium vodka with an elegant, silky texture.

The secret behind ABSOLUT ELYX’s superiority is recapitulated in its four point manifesto:

100% Hand-selected Estate Wheat

ABSOLUT ELYX is distilled exclusively from hand-selected wheat from Råbelöf, a neighbouring estate with a flawless instinct for quality. Every year, the master distiller walks the fields of Råbelöf to select wheat that meet the highest of standards. Råbelöf’s excellent wheat adds subtle fruity and floral tones to ABSOLUT ELYX, and is conducive to its elegant palate and texture.

Pristine Water Filtrated by Nature

The water quality is absolutely essential in vodka production. Luckily, the ABSOLUT distillery rests on its own pristine natural underground springs. Filtered through the boulder ridge and limestone bedrock for thousands of years, this water has never been exposed to modern day pollution. It is exceptionally pure, low in minerals and very soft, which is essential to the silky, smooth character of ABSOLUT ELYX.

Perfected with Copper Catalysation

Throughout the process, copper plays an integral part in the making of ABSOLUT ELYX. Its unique character is obtained from the vintage rectification still, with columns, pumps and hand-forged pipes all in copper. While the apparatus adds character, additional copper packets are used to purify the vodka in the crude spirit distillation. They react with any sulphur remnants, resulting in an absolutely pure spirit. This is basic chemistry, refined to perfection.

Authentic Craftsmanship

ABSOLUT ELYX is handcrafted in small volumes, according to the best craft techniques. No computers involved, ABSOLUT ELYX is the result of manual operation, old expertise and personal supervision through all details in the process. Each batch is made to the uncompromising standards of the master distiller and his sensory experts, who taste and approve of each batch before it is bottled.

Skol!
The Swedish term equivalent of “Cheers” or “Salut” said when toasting someone 🙂
Left to right: Colin Ng – Head of Corporate Investments of Goldis Berhad and Executive Director of GTower Sdn Bhd, Terence Ong, Sales and Marketing Director of Pernod Ricard Malaysia and The Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia. 

Aroma and flavour are the obvious and most immediately striking characteristics of vodka. ABSOLUT ELYX goes beyond that.
“It has a clean and fresh taste with subtle floral and fruity tones, but its most defining quality lies in the texture. Not detectable by the nose or taste buds, texture determines how the vodka feels in your mouth. ABSOLUT ELYX is elegant and incredibly soft, and leaves you with a silky feeling in your mouth. Try it on its own, and your mouth will know the difference,” said Terence Ong, Sales and Marketing Director of Pernod Ricard Malaysia.

Yes Terence, we will bottoms up to that! :DD

Till we meet again; skol!! 🙂

Thank you Pernod Ricard Malaysia. And yes, be in control, if you drink, don’t drive. :DD