HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Star Academy hosted its Guinness Perfect Pour 2022 grand finale celebration, rewarding the best Guinness bartenders with an all-expenses paid trip to Dublin, Ireland
KUALA LUMPUR, 20 October 2022 – HEINEKEN Malaysia Berhad’s (HEINEKEN Malaysia) Star Academy today celebrated the Guinness Perfect Pour grand finale at Makhan by Kitchen Mafia. From August to October, the Guinness Perfect Pour programme successfully trained bartenders nationwide to uphold the standards of serving Guinness while in search of the number one Guinness bartender. Upon completion, the celebration event gathered the best of the best bartenders across Malaysia for an award ceremony to crown the 2022 champion. This year, Richard Jugie from The Sarawak Club has earned his place as the nation’s top Guinness bartender, walking away with an all-expenses paid trip to the Home of Guinness in Dublin, Ireland.
Launched in 2017, the Guinness Perfect Pour programme aims to elevate the standards of service in the food and beverage industry by training bartenders nationwide to uphold the serving quality of Guinness. This year, 670 bartenders from 233 bar outlets participated in the Guinness Perfect Pour training programme that was held in six states across Peninsular and East Malaysia. During the training, participants with stellar performances stood a chance to earn their place as the nation’s best Guinness bartender. Participants who joined the programme also underwent a theory and physical test, with their product knowledge and bartending skills put to the test and graded accordingly. Upon completion, two finalists from Kuala Lumpur and one finalist from Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, Penang, and Ipoh respectively joined the award ceremony at the grand finale celebration.
In the opening remarks, Roland Bala, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia said “We at HEINEKEN Malaysia take pride in the distinct taste of our premium brands. Our commitment to serving the best quality beer goes beyond the brewery, as we believe that bartenders too play an important role in ensuring that our consumers get to enjoy their favourite beers. Therefore, we introduced training programmes such as the Guinness Perfect Pour to ensure that consumers in Malaysia can enjoy the perfect taste of Guinness, just as it was intended. After bracing two years of a challenging pandemic, I am pleased to gather physically once again with the best Guinness bartenders across Malaysia and witness the emergence of this year’s champion bartender.”
The grand finale saw HEINEKEN Malaysia crown Richard Jugie from The Sarawak Club as Malaysia’s Guinness Perfect Pour 2022 champion. Ang Ai Keow from Souliquid Puchong has also earned the first runner-up title. Both winners have successfully mastered the perfect pour and will soon be on their way on an all-expense-paid trip to the Home of Guinness, where Irish brewer Arthur Guinness first started brewing the world-renowned stout over 250 years ago.
Richard Jugie, bartender at The Sarawak Club and Guinness Perfect Pour 2022 champion said, “I am extremely grateful to be part of this year’s Guinness Perfect Pour where I got the opportunity to hone my skills and master the perfect pour. It is indeed a unique experience as I’ve got to train alongside my fellow bartenders where we challenged ourselves in serving and delivering Guinness’ distinctive taste.”
Vasily Baranov, Sales Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia added, “We want to ensure that our premium brands are served at the highest quality. Hence, through our annual Guinness Perfect Pour training programme, we work alongside our partner outlets to serve and showcase our Guinness beer – as the work of art it is. We are very impressed with this year’s participants as 670 passionate bartenders strived to master the perfect Guinness pour and served only the very best to consumers. By maintaining excellence through proper bar training, it is a promise to all our fans, that across Malaysia, everyone can enjoy a perfectly poured glass of the World’s No. 1 stout.”
During the celebration event, attendees had the chance to participate in exciting activities alongside a live band to amp up the celebration. Attendees also had their very own mini perfect pour challenge, where event guests had a hand in trying out the unique six-step Guinness Perfect Pour and learned how to bring out the perfect Guinness flavour, aroma, and presentation. The competition was intense as the event attendees gave their best shot at breaking the high score and winning exclusive premium gifts.
For more information on Guinness Perfect Pour and other HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Star Academy programmes, please visit www.star-academy.heinekenmalaysia.com.
