Huzzah and Hurrah! Whisky Live is back for its 10th run this November.
By now, you might have had a go at the festival, but then again, you might not. In either case, we sum up the highlights for both newcomers and crusty, jaded veterans.
If you’re new or a whisky beginner
First love is indeed sweet. If you’re not familiar with the format of Whisky Live, it’s basically a giant spirits festival slash convention slash party. There’s a little for everyone, but it’s pretty friendly to newcomers and amateur (as opposed to professional, like us) alcoholics.
We’d recommend getting the Discovery Pass, which is the “basic” level and entitles one to 10 whisky tasting portions and a cocktail. You get to enjoy the core of the event, which is trying all sorts of whiskies and rums from all over the world. This year’s lineup will feature 600 whiskies and other spirit across more than 70 distilleries. It’s not the cheap stuff either; there are plenty of good drams to go around.
At the Tasting Hall and Spirits Room, we’d take a look at Nikka Whisky, which will be showcasing its signature Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt (which do not taste like coffee, just to set the record straight).
If you prefer Scotch, head over to the stalwart William Grant & Sons booth, you can try The Balvenie 14-year-old The Week of Peat, and the Glenfiddich 23-year-old Grand Cru. The good folks from Bruichladdich will also be there to give everyone a taste of the Classic Laddie, the peated Port Charlotte, or the heavily peated and highly regarded Octomore.
Finally, if spirit doesn’t appeal, there are always cocktails. Some pretty good cocktails are available on the Cocktail Terrace, and each ticket comes with one free drink there. We’d look out for Nikka with Jigger and Pony at 5pm on Sunday evening. If you’re tired of whisky, then look for Smoke & Mirrors’ Head Bartender Jorge Conde, who will be presenting special three tequila cocktails using Código Blanco, Código Rosa and Código Añejo.
If it’s your second year or you’re a whisky enthusiast
If you’re here for the second time around, chances are that you’ve already tried many of the whiskies in the main tasting hall. At this point, we’d suggest going one up and getting a VIP Pass. You get double the tasting coupons, dining vouchers, goodies and access to the VIP area.
While most of the brands will be in the main hall, the VIP area has more exclusive stuff that you won’t often get to taste. We don’t know what exactly will be in the room this year, but we can tell you that last year, a very fine set of rums (Caroni, Hampden, Foursquare) and the very limited La Maison du Whisky Artist Series were up for tasting.
Considering these bottles run up to the four and five-hundreds, it was a pretty good deal. That’s not even considering the privacy and quiet that one enjoys; you get it the doors one hour earlier and the VIP area itself is a little more exclusive.
If you’re a little tired of whisky, Whisky Live actually has a pretty good collection of other spirits to try. Always check out the Transcontinental and the Velier rums, which include the Caronis, Clairins and Hampdens. For gins, we suggest checking out the Kyros and the Colombos. And always, always, go check out the Calvados by Christian Drouin.
If you turn up every year
If you turn up every year, chances are you might not need all our advice. Firm friendships would have been made with the people selling the whisky, favourite brands would have been identified, and you’ve possibly gotten your tickets already.
Well, for those who want a bit more, we still suggest getting the Connoisseur Pass. The draw other than the new drinks this year will be the masterclasses and the Collectors’ Room. The Collectors’ Room took a hiatus last year, but this year you can some of the rarest of the rare whiskies, including this year’s Yoichi and Miyagikyo, a 60 Year Old Glen Grant (!), a 1972 Glendronach, and a 40 Year Old Springbank.
Which masterclass to go for will be up to your taste, but we think that the most exciting ones are the Octomore 10 Masterclass at 1.30pm on Saturday, the Teeling Masterclass at 6pm on Saturday, and the Masterclass G&M by David King at 3pm on Sunday. The Octomore is not even out in the market, the Irish whiskies are on the rise, and the G&Ms tend to be pretty good on average!
The Details
Finally, we get to the nitty gritty. To our relief, Whisky Live returns to Andaz on the 9th and 10th of November. Transport, therefore, is no problem at all, and its easy to get there by cab, bus, or MRT.
The tickets prices are different for Saturday and Sunday, with the Saturday tickets going for $69 and $119 for the Discovery and the Connoisseur pass respectively, and Sunday’s at $55 and $105. We suggest looking at the masterclasses before buying the tickets to make sure you buy the ticket for the right day.
For more information, you can visit www.whiskylive.sg.
