When I lived in Ireland, where I first learnt about whisky, I thought that no one, except the Irish, could have so much passion for whisky. That is until I moved to Singapore, where whisky rules the bars.
I had never seen anything like that in my life! Ladies asking for small producing brands with specific finishes and releases, while gentlemen like to keep it within traditional brands. I was even surprised to find people purchasing one or more bottles at the same time and asking to keep it in bar for their next visit. This made me think that they were high rollers!
But the reality was very different from what I thought. This act of purchasing entire bottles of whiskies to be shared among friends is a cultural norm among customers here. The traditional westernised single serve is very common, but does not have any value for local consumers. By sharing a bottle, it creates a great atmosphere where everyone is serving themselves and no-one has to drop out of the conversation to call for service. Of course, if you do need anything, you simply call the waiter.
I have experienced several nights like this with my ex-colleagues, local friends and most of the time the chosen topic of the night was whisky and all things related to it. That is, until one day, one of my friends shared with me the brown spirits created here in Asia, and I am not talking about whisky! Curious? Keep an eye out for more information coming soon on this mysterious brown spirit!
The Indigenous Bartender 