Cheers to Venkadesh! This year he did it!

Congratulations to our Bar Manager, Venkadesh! He just won the title of “Sake Sommelier of the Year” in the international sake sommelier competition in London.

Regular readers of our blog may remember that last year, Venkadesh came second (read more about it here), so we’re extra delighted that this year, he managed to take the top spot.

Next time you’re at the Bonnington, pop into Healey’s Bar and try one of his sake creations!

As always, you can find out more on our homepage! Have you seen our YouTube channel already?

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Venkadesh stands tall in 2nd position at the Global Sake Sommelier Competition!

He’s done it! Congratulations to Venkadesh, our Healey’s Bar & Terrace Manager, for achieving an outstanding 2nd place in the recent Global Sake Sommelier of the Year competition! For more details about the competition, read our previous blog post here.

Venkadesh was one of six semi-finalists, who battled it out at the final, which was held in London on 23rd November 2015.

We’re all very proud that one of our team-members represented us and the UAE at this prestigious annual event and finished in the top two!

We wish Venkadesh all the very best for the future! Who knows, he might just grab the trophy for us at next year’s Sake Sommelier competition!

It’s definitely a great start to the festive season. If you’re looking to celebrate, we’ve got some great offers and events at the Bonnington. Check out the details here.

As always, you can find out more on our homepage! Have you seen our YouTube channel already?

Sake Expertise on the Move! Good Luck, Venkadesh!

We’re very proud to announce that Venkadesh, our Healey’s Bar & Terrace Manager, will represent the Bonnington and the UAE in the 2015 Sake Sommelier of the Year competition.

Venkadesh is one of only six semi-finalists from around the world and will travel to London next week to try and win the title of Global Sake Sommelier of the Year. If he’s successful, he’ll win a unique trip to Japan to take the Sake Sommelier Association’s Advanced Sake Sommelier Course.

For those unfamiliar with sake and the Sake Sommelier of the Year competition, here’s what you need to know: Sake is a Japanese rice wine made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Unlike wine, sake is produced through a brewing process similar to that of beer. Undiluted sake contains 18%–20% alcohol content, which is more than that of wine or beer.

The Sake Sommelier of the Year competition is an annual event jointly organized by the Academy of Food & Wine Service and the Sake Sommelier Association. Held in London, it is the first of its kind to be held outside Japan. The competition aims to find the most skillful sake sommeliers, bring them to the attention of their customers, and raise the profile of their outlets and sake in general. More than 50 sommeliers from Europe, Asia and the Middle East entered the first competition in 2013.

The Sake Sommelier of the Year 2015 will be held at The Millennium Hotel, Knightsbridge on 23rd November 2015. We wish Venkadesh all the very best and hope he’ll bring the title to Healey’s and the UAE!

We’ll update you on the results on our social media pages!

As always, you can find out more on our homepage! Have you seen our YouTube channel already?