If you believe that travel retail is the place to pick up cheap alcohol, you couldn’t be more right… or wrong. While you can certainly peruse the relatively wide repertoire of wines and spirits in travel retail whose prices aren’t encumbered by additional government cess, you can also find exceedingly rare spirits or wine that challenge your credit card’s limits – take the very limited-edition Macallan Oscuro, for example, released only for travel retail at DFS.
Well it gets even more interesting. Leading luxury travel retailer DFS Group (DFS) has announced that it will hosting the 2014 Masters of Wines and Spirits, a curated retail collection and exhibition of some of the world’s most legendary – and not quite so modestly priced – wines, champagnes and fine spirits at Changi Airport. Most of them would be quite worthy to sit in the collection of the most money-drenched Middle Eastern oil magnate or newly-minted tech billionaire.
You’ll find, for example, the cask-strength Glenlivet Winchester Collection Vintage 1964 50-year old (left).
Curated by The Glenlivet master distiller Alan Winchester, the first release of the series is a single cask whisky – an American oak cask seasoned with bourbon – of which only 100 bottles will be released.
And how about The Macallan’s Masters of Photography‘s Elliot Erwitt edition (right)? The whisky maker collaborated with the legendary photographer to create the fourth edition of the series that sees 58 of his photographs each of which are paired with different single cask Macallan whiskies and then presented in a special boxed set that also contains his book ‘Elliot Erwitt’s Great Scottish Adventure’.
Whisky lovers may also be interested in the whisky stone-capped limited edition The Dalmore 45 YO, produced exclusively for DFS Masters of Wines and Spirits, which is a blend of whiskies drawn from Matusalem sherry and vintage port CASKS aged from 1967, 1968 and 1969.
For cognac fans, there’s the Martell Premier Voyage (pictured with global ambassador Jacques Menier from Martell), which pays tribute to the time founder Jean Martell went around the Cognac region in 1715 to select the most refined eaux-de-vie that kickstarted the House of Martell. Martell’s current Cellar Master Benoit Fil would recreate that journey almost 300 years later to produce this, and DFS will be the first retailer to offer this prized spirit in Asia.
From Martell there’s also The Queen’s Carafe, which draws inspiration from the carafe of Cordon Bleu first presented to Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on her state visit to France back in 1957. There’s only two in the world, with only one actually available to the public.
Let’s not forget champagne: aside from Krug’s first four Jeroboams and Moët & Chandon’s Methuselah Nectar Imperial Rosé Leopard Luxury Edition amongst others, there’s the Perrier–Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé 2005 Mathuselah from Maison Perrier-Jouët offered exclusively at DFS, carefully blended by chief winemaker and cellar master Hervé Deschamps.
There’s also premium wine – hidden amongst the most exquisite Bordeaux you may espy the highly-rated new world Penfolds Grange 2010, made with a blend that consists of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Australia’s Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Magill Estate – that is good for drinking now but will certainly get better with age.
You’ll find these and more at the 2014 Masters of Wines and Spirits. “The 2014 Masters of Wines and Spirits collection represents our philosophy of curation, adventure and discovery. It is an opportunity to explore and discover new brands, enjoy classics from esteemed leaders, and experience in person the history, heritage and craftsmanship of the masters,” said Harold Brooks, President, Global Merchandising, DFS Group.
“We are delighted to partner with DFS again, for the fourth time, on this prestigious event,” said Ivy Wong, Senior Vice President, Airside Concessions, Changi Airport Group. “The exclusive Masters of Wines and Spirits collection, which will be showcased at DFS’ newly renovated store at Changi’s Terminal 1, will enhance the depth of shopping experience in Changi,” she added.
DFS will be hosting Masters of Wine and Spirits, Asia’s largest retail exhibition of premium wines and spirits, exclusively at Changi Airport from now till 28 February 2015.
Participating Brands at 2014 DFS Masters of Wines and Spirits
Aberfeldy, Amuse Bouche, Antinori, Ballantine’s, The Balvenie, Bowmore, Camus, Chabot, Château Angelus, Château Ausone, Château Beychevelle, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Gruaud-Larose, Château Guiraud, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château de Laubade, Château Lynch-Bages, Château Margaux, Château Montelena, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Palmer, Château Pichon Baron, Château Suduiraut, Continuum, The Dalmore, Domaine Clarence Dillon, Grands Crus Classés, Gaja, Graham’s, Grands Vins de Bordeaux, Glen Grant, Glenfarclas, The Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Harlan Estate, Henschke, Highland Park, Hennessy, Johnnie Walker, Krug, Lagavulin, Léoville du Marquis de las Cases, Luce, The Macallan, Maison M. Chapoutier, Martell, Marquis de Montesquiou, Masi, Moët & Chandon, Ornellaia, Penfolds, Perrier-Jouët, Pont des Arts, Quinta Do Noval, Rémy Martin, Ridge, Silverado, The Singleton of Glen Ord, Shui Jin Fang, Vérité, Veuve Clicquot and Viña Almaviva
[…] surprises then, that Richard made an appearance at the recent Masters of Wines and Spirits showcase to unveil the new DFS-exclusive Dalmore 45YO whisky. A mix of vintages 1967, 1968, and 1969, the […]