Whisky Live 2014 is just round the corner – it takes place this weekend, in fact – and promises to be a quite a celebration of rare single malts. Dubbed Whisky Live: Collections, this year the largest whisky and spirits show in Southeast Asia will feature a separate dedicated Collector Room showcasing some of the world’s rarest, oldest and most acclaimed whiskies for visitors to try.
Participating exhibitor William Grant & Sons will not highlighting its usual if highly acclaimed range of whiskies from Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and the recently unveiled Kininvie, but will also unveil some rare prized malts in the Collector Room.
For rare whisky aficionados, here are three of their precious babies they told us they’d be showing off:
The Balvenie TUN 1858 Batch No. 2
The Balvenie Tun 1858 batch #2 is a marriage of three sherry butts and nine traditional whisky casks. With a nose of spices, nuts, chocolate, and dried fruits, and a palate layered with honey, dried fruits, peach, white pepper, fudge and oak wood, it is sure to delight novices and aficionados alike.
The Balvenie TUN 1858 Batch No. 3
Tun 1858, a particularly exceptional marrying tun, is bottled especially for the Taiwanese market, and is exceptionally hard to find. The third release of this rare and desirable malt, Batch No. 3 will delight the senses of whisky dabblers through to seasoned connoisseurs.
Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix
In 2010, twice a winter’s worth of snow fell on the Glenfiddich warehouse roofs in just a few weeks. In the most remote part of the distillery, bearing the weight of a herd of elephants, a few collapsed. The bright winter sky poured in, and standing amongst precious casks, Malt Master Brian Kinsman was inspired to mark this moment in history. Selecting and marrying the finest Oloroso and American oak casks from those warehouses, he created Snow Phoenix. Creamy and vibrant on the nose, with honey and chocolate on the palate and sherry notes mellowing into a long finish, this extremely limited release whisky has become highly sought by collectors.
The Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix in all its (snow covered) glory. (photo credit: talkingretail.com)
Glenfiddich Regional Brand Ambassador, Matthew Fergusson-Stewart – whom we’ve had the pleasure of speaking to recently about WGS whiskies – and Regional Portfolio Ambassador Zachary Connor De Git will also be on hand at the event at various masterclasses to give attendees a deeper look into whisky and spirit appreciation (such as the vaunted Solera process that goes behind the making of the Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old).
Just note that you’ll get to try the good stuff in the Collector’s Room only if you have the (pricier) Collector’s pass or Collector VIP Pass, and not just the regular pass.
Tickets for Whisky Live will cost S$80 for the Standard Entry Pass, S$110 for a Masterclass Pass (with entry to one Masterclass), a Collector’s Pass at S$120 (with access to Collector Room and 2 free Collector drams), and a S$150 Collector VIP Pass (with access to one Masterclass, entry to Collector Room with 2 free Collector drams). Entry to additional masterclasses costs S$35 for one and S$60 for two. Tickets to Whisky Live can be purchased on SISTIC.
Whisky Live: Collections
Date: 25th October 2014
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 10.00 p.m.
Venue: Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Rd, 189673
