Event: Weekly Whisky Tasting @ The Connoisseur Emporium
Date: Every Friday @ 730pm
Venue: The Connoisseur Emporium @ Marina Bay Link Mall
Cost: $46 per person
For Enquiries Please Contact: Heru @ 66342268 or heru@pacificcigar.com.sg
For our second special segment of the new Singapore Whisky Monthly, sgwhisky proudly presents to you the Weekly Whisky Tasting Sessions @ The Connoisseur Emporium. This post is a preview of these tasting events via a review of the session on the 15th of April 2011 that I was fortunate enough to attend courtesy of the good people at The Connoisseur Emporium.
The Weekly Tasting Sessions at The Connoisseur Emporium are organised with only one thing in mind: education. Primed as an educational exploration of the world of whiskies catered to whisky lovers of all levels, these sessions are informative, helpful and contain fantastic drams to boot. Drawing from the extensive range of Single Cask Bottlings that The Connoisseur Emporium carries (For more information do see sgwhisky's review of The Connoisseur Emporium), the tasting sessions are indeed a treat for the palate and the mind.
The focus on education and awareness is evident from the moment one enters The Connoisseur Emporium during these sessions. A nice, detailed map of Scotland shows the various whisky producing regions in Scotland, as well as the locations of the various whisky distilleries. On top of that, everyone's glasses are placed on a map, with each glass placed in correspondence with the whisky they are tasting, location of the whisky and some basic tasting notes.
The Informative Place Map
During the session that I was fortunate enough to attend, the line up of whiskies included 4 different drams, each from a different region of Scotland, namely: Royal Lochnagar (Highlands), Bladnoch (Lowlands), Miltonduff (Speyside) and Isle of Jura (Island). The whiskies, too, are chosen to expose one as much as possible to the various regions of Scotland and the differences in profile that these whiskies contain. The rich flavours of the Single Cask Whiskies that were used were amazing to say the least, and a great way to showcase the actual flavour profiles of the whisky without any added colouring or filtering.
The Day's Lineup
The information and visuals do not just end there, though, as more items are also put on display to aid one's understanding of the whisky production process. The Connoisseur Emporium also puts up a display set on their bar counter which contains the various raw materials used in whisky production! Be it the barley that is used to make the mash, the new-make spirit that is distilled or the much revered peat that gives that smoky aroma and flavour to the peaty whiskies, one can see for themselves the different items that are needed for the production of the Water of Life. This, in this humble writer's opinion, is a fantastic touch which really aids people in understanding the intricacies that go into the production of whisky.
New Make Glenfarclas (Extreme Left), part of the displays
Tying all these nuggets of information together are two great gentlemen who host these tastings, Andrew Skene and Matthew Fergusson-Stewart. Their combined expertise in whisky, from retail to appreciation, help bring all the various parts of these tastings into a coherent whole. During these sessions, Andrew, who is responsible for the importation of these whiskies shares his knowledge of the world of Scottish whisky and explains the various processes that go into whisky production and bottling, especially for the independent bottlers that he works with. Matthew, on the other hand, leads the tastings, explaining the various intricacies that go into the ways to taste whisky, as well as the different flavour profiles one may encounter when tasting whisky. The expertise of these two gentlemen and the various sources of information that are available during these tastings make the whole session very informative, comprehensive and it does significantly improve one's knowledge of whisky and the ability to appreciate it at a deeper level.
Andrew (Extreme Left), Matthew (Extreme Right) and those who
attend the session on 15th April
attend the session on 15th April
It is great to see that such tastings are being held on a weekly basis as it really does set a great foundation to help people in Singapore understand more about the world of whisky. The only little issue is that seating is limited, with a limit of around 8 individuals allowed per tasting, so book early to avoid disappointment! For all those who are setting out on a road of discovery, look no further than this great weekly event. Great information, friendly people and great whiskies all in one tasting session, it doesn't get any better than that!
(Credits: Sgwhisky would like to thank Heru and the management team of The Connoisseur Emporium for kindly sponsoring sgwhisky's review of this great event, as well as Heru again for the photographs of the event)
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