Bathurst’s Reckless Brewing Co has claimed the top honour at the 2026 Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show for its Reckless Stout.
Read full story →Bathurst’s Reckless Brewing Co has claimed the top honour at the 2026 Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show for its Reckless Stout.
Bathurst’s Reckless Brewing Co has claimed the top honour at the 2026 Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show, with Reckless Stout named Best Beer or Cider of Show from more than 220 entries. The result marks the first time Reckless Brewing has taken out the Show’s overall award, although the brewery has now collected eight Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show champion trophies since it began entering the competition in 2024. Reckless Stout also won Champion NSW Beer or Cider and Champion Porter or Stout for the second consecutive year, while the brewery’s Baltic Porter 2026 was named Champion Experimental or Specialty Beer. Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show Chair of Judges Richard Adamson described Reckless Stout as a standout example of its style.
Rainbow Ready accreditation is designed to help LGBTQIA+ travellers identify venues and operators with inclusive policies and practices.
Australian hospitality and tourism businesses can now apply for Rainbow Ready, a new national accreditation designed to help LGBTQIA+ travellers identify venues and operators with inclusive policies and practices. Developed with research from the University of Queensland, the voluntary program is overseen by the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) and is open to tourism attractions, accommodation providers, hospitality venues and events. Accredited businesses can display the Rainbow Ready sign at their premises and in marketing materials. Dr Faith Ong from UQ’s Business School said the research, which included interviews with LGBTQIA+ travellers and tourism operators, found some travellers research businesses before visiting to determine whether they will feel welcome and safe. “It might come as a surprise, but even in this day and age, many LGBTQIA+ people still need to research businesses beforehand for their travel safety,” Faith said.
Sapporo has launched a national bartender competition challenging staff at its tap venues to demonstrate the Japanese beer brand’s traditional two-part pour.
Sapporo has launched a national bartender competition challenging staff at its tap venues to demonstrate the Japanese beer brand’s traditional two-part pour. The Sapporo Pour competition asks bartenders to film and upload their best attempt using Sapporo’s two-part-pour tap, demonstrating the technique from the initial pour through to creating the beer’s signature head. The competition comes as Sapporo reports its Australian sales have increased by more than 11 per cent over the past year. Sapporo Marketing Manager Amy Kearney said the brand has been educating bartenders about the pouring technique and is now putting their skills to the test.
Join Pure Wine Co. for the inaugural Pursuit of Purity […]
Join Pure Wine Co. for the inaugural Pursuit of Purity Portfolio Tasting. Featuring more than 200 wines from Australia's most respected producers and acclaimed international estates, the event showcases a portfolio defined by provenance, regionality and quality. Hosted by acclaimed wine writer, presenter and educator Shanteh Wale, the day offers a thoughtfully curated program of exclusive producer masterclasses, guided Coravin and Coravin Sparkling System tastings, museum and limited-release wines, and the opportunity to engage directly with leading winemakers and brand owners. Discover benchmark producers including Yarra Yering from Victoria's Yarra Valley, Champagne Devaux from the Côte des Bar, Zephyr Wines from Marlborough, Longview from the Adelaide Hills and many more, as they share the wines, stories and sense of place that define their regions. Pure Wine Co infor@purewine.co | 08 8339 7883 The leading online news service for Australias beer, wine, spirits and hospitality industries. More by The Shout Team
Japanese spirits brand Ukiyo has expanded its Australian portfolio with the launch of Nashi Pear Gin, now available through Proof Drinks Australia.
Japanese spirits brand Ukiyo has expanded its Australian portfolio with the launch of Nashi Pear Gin, now available through Proof Drinks Australia. Distilled in Chiba, east of Tokyo, the new expression is built on Ukiyo’s rice spirit base and uses 11 botanicals, including Nashi pear, juniper, yuzu, mikan peel, bitter orange, sansho pepper, matcha tea and sakura blossom. The 40 per cent ABV gin combines pear and citrus aromas with juniper, orchard fruit and gentle spice on the palate, with the rice spirit base contributing to its rounded texture. Cassie O’Neill, National Field Sales Manager at Proof Drinks Australia, said the expression was designed to give bartenders a recognisable flavour that could work across a range of serves.
Melbourne-based Marionette has taken out the top honour at the 2026 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show, with its Berry Liqueur named Best Distilled Spirit in Show.
Melbourne-based Marionette has taken out the top honour at the 2026 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show, with its Berry Liqueur named Best Distilled Spirit in Show. Thirteen major awards were presented by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, with Marionette’s French-style Berry Liqueur also named Champion Liqueur. The result gives Marionette back-to-back wins in the category after its Caretaker’s Cottage Black Forest took the title in 2025. Now in its third year, the Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show attracted 299 entries, with 94 per cent receiving a medal, up from 89 per cent last year. Chair of Judges Stuart Gregor said the breadth of spirits entered was one of the defining features of this year’s competition.
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Jesinta BurtonWestern Australia reporterSep 20, 2026 – 1.52pmPerth publican John Parker has secured the future of the centrepiece of his bar and restaurant empire after the protracted separation of its owners, as other venues in its shrinking stable look set to hit the market. Creditors of the entity behind The Royal have backed Parker Group’s $850,000 proposal to pull the business out of administration, eight years after it spent $13 million restoring the popular 700-person, 1880s premises in the heart of Perth. SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy link Share via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this article
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Marionette Berry Liqueur and Reckless Stout have been crowned Sydney Royal’s Champion Distilled Spirit and Champion Beer or Cider for 2026. The result marks a continuation of momentum for the two independent producers, with both defending their 2025 Champion Liqueur and Champion Stout titles. The Bathurst-based Reckless Brewing Co earned four trophies in total, with its core-range stout winning three trophies from 228 entries to be named Best Beer or Cider of Show, Best of NSW, and Best Porter or Stout, while Baltic Porter 2026 took home Champion Experimental or Speciality Beer. The four trophies bring Reckless’s Sydney Royal tally to eight across three years, after it won two titles in 2025.
The Federal Government’s move to restrict Working Holiday Makers and ongoing delays in processing skilled visas will hurt the Australian hospitality industry, warn peak industry bodies. Under new reforms announced Thursday 17 September, the Albanese Labor Government will introduce a ballot system for years two and three of the Working Holiday Maker Program, among a series of other changes. The ballot for year two will be capped at 45,000 people, 21 per cent less than the 57,000 granted access in 2025, while the ballot for year three will be capped at 5,000, 84 per cent less than the 31,000 granted in 2025. Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke MP, announced the policy in a speech to the National Press Club: “To qualify for your second year you have to do 88 days in the regions. To qualify for your third year, you have to do six months. That won't change. But what you will be qualifying for is a ballot. Not everybody will get through because we need to have some control and certainty of what those numbers are.”
Moët & Chandon has been named title sponsor of the 2027 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, making it the first drinks brand to hold the race's naming rights since Heineken in 2022, and the third since Foster’s in 2006. Moët & Chandon returned as the official Champagne sponsor of the racing series in 2025 as part of a 10-year global partnership between F1 and LVMH, the parent company of Moët & Chandon. The return started in Melbourne, the first race of the 2025 series, where a giant Champagne cork shaped hot air balloon was launched over the city's CBD. Moët & Chandon President and CEO Sibylle Scherer said headlining the 2027 Melbourne Grand Prix was a natural choice given Moët & Chandon’s long history in the city, with the maison’s first Australian shipments arriving in 1888 for the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition.