Whisky or Whiskey? Depends on your geographic location and the English language that you are taught in, both word refer to the same alcoholic beverage around the world that we love and appreciate. My early whisky journeys evolve around Scotch whisky, bourbon whiskey before moving into Japanese whisky.
The world of whisky is pretty big out there, yet there is this duplex in the world today, that has a wide selection of whiskey from all over the world inside the duplex. Where can you find this wide whiskey selection? Inside Changi Airport Terminal 2, it is known as The Whiskey House! With a diverse range of 179 single malts, 68 blended Scotch whiskies, 30 American whiskies inside The Whiskey House, for the Whisky or Whiskey lover in you, this is a must visit place when you visit Singapore! As a whisky fan and avid traveler, I am wondering to myself, how did I manage to miss out this awesome whisky place inside Changi Airport during my previous trips?
On the upper level of the duplex, there is an amazing, must visit destination for all whisky lovers, an intuitive and experiential whiskey shopping experience whereby you can enjoy complimentary tastings of 100 different whiskies from around the world. This is where you taste and enjoy the whisky before choosing your favourite whiskey to bring home.
This was also the location whereby I attended their Whiskey Appreciation Masterclass, part of the Whiskey Festival, taking place from May 25 to July 1 at Changi Airport. For that weekend on June 16 and 17, the regional brand ambassador for The Balvenie whisky house played host for whiskey appreciation masterclass. That was where we met Neil Strachan from Scotland, who hosted us for the whisky appreciation masterclass. His sharing was very interesting and interactive, teaching us how to appreciate and learn more about whisky, the fragrance, aroma and taste. Having an expert to share about whisky tasting makes drinking whisky even more special and fun! If you are a Scotch whisky fan, do follow Neil on his Instagram account! Neil is an awesome ambassador, I hope to have future opportunities to learn more about Scotch whisky from him!
I am probably the “worst student” among the group of us at the Whiskey Appreciation Masterclass because I was busy tasting/drinking the Balvenie single malt vintage whiskies (I don’t wish to declare the number of whisky glasses that I had during the masterclass!) and taking photos of them for this article! While this is not specifically a whisky review article, I would just share some of my thoughts, all of them are pure vintage class and each has its own distinct fragrance, aroma and strength. What were the types of Balvenie whiskies that we tasted during the Whiskey Appreciation Masterclass? There were the 12 years, 16 years, 21 years and 25 years! Do you have a favourite from these four bottles of Balvenie whiskies? From these four bottles of Balvenie vintage whiskies, my preference is the 25 years vintage!
While drinking and enjoying Balvenie whisky, it brought back my recent travel memories to Nikka distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido, during October 2016. I had a memorable and fun whisky tasting/distillery tour on my own! I would love to visit the whisky distilleries in Scotland in the future! Nothing beats visiting a whisky house/distillery, soaking in the atmosphere and surroundings! It’s like a pilgrimage for whisky lovers!
Whisky and Whiskey lovers in the world, I know you have a bias towards particular whisky houses around the world, you have your favourite whiskies. When you visit Singapore, don’t miss this golden opportunity to visit the Whiskey House inside Changi Airport Terminal 2!
I hope to share more about my whisky tasting experiences in the future, along with cuisines that would be suitable for each type of whisky. Whisky and cuisines pairing sounds like a great food and beverage adventure for me!
I would like to thank Changi Airport Social for the invitation to the whiskey appreciation masterclass!