The Whisky Live Mentorship gave HRM and Culinary students the opportunity to learn the basics of bar management, liquor and spirits theory, and cocktail mixology. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
Every year, those who enjoy their whisky look forward to Whisky Live, an annual festival where whisky lovers get to explore the world of whisky, liquor, and spirits.
This year, the festival moved to the newly reopened Shangri-La Makati and took over the entire ballroom wing. While the main floor is a bit smaller than in previous years, it more than made up for it by using the outside waiting area of the hotel’s grand ballroom and all of the function rooms on the ground floor.
As in previous years, ticket holders were provided with a map of the exhibits, a Glencairn glass, and plastic chips. The chips help ensure responsible drinking. Each sip costs one chip, and when they run out, guests must take a breathalyzer test to receive more chips. Fail the test and that’s it for the night.
Drinking an inordinate amount of alcohol in such a limited time would not be wise. My experience at Whisky Live was by no means exhaustive. I’m sure I missed some excellent drams (or perhaps couldn’t recall them). Here are some of the highlights from this year’s Whisky Live:
For whisky geeks, a more expensive ticket opened up the VIP tasting room. On one hidden corner was a tightly controlled room where higher-than-top-shelf whiskies and spirits worth around P2 million were sampled. With bottles averaging P50,000 to P100,000 a bottle, this was an amazing way to sip 30-year-old and special edition whiskies from around the world. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
Tickets for Whisky Live masterclasses quickly ran out. Here, liquor and spirits experts started off with a background of the featured bottles, then guided participants through tasting selected bottles. The Single Malt Whisky Society session led by Kris Ong was a great benchmark for these masterclasses. In this class, the bottles sampled were numbered limited edition whiskies with descriptions of flavors instead of the usual names and age statements and ranged from fruity to funky. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
New this year were the workshops right outside the ballroom. These were for new drinkers just starting their journey into whisky with sessions like the Chivas Regal session where brand ambassador Owen Robers guided students how to blend their own whisky complete with a souvenir blending kit to take home. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
The big brands came out to play. Remy Martin generously poured out cocktails made with 1738 Accord Royal Cognac as well as drams of Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte from their Laddie-green trailer. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
Besides drams of Highland Park and Naked Malt, Edrington had a cool treat at their booth scooping up their banana ice cream infused with Naked Malt whisky. It was a pleasant break from all the heady drinking as this wasn’t strong or boozy. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
The lesser-known brands were also out in full force. For those new to whisky, the ideal destination was the Douglas Laing booth, where they were sampling their established Remarkable Regions Collection. Each bottle provided a delightful introduction to the unique characteristics of each Scottish whisky region, ranging from the approachable Speyside, Highlands, and Lowlands to the more distinctive flavors of Campbelltown and Islay whiskies. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
I also enjoyed the Black Bull blended whisky from Duncan Taylor. Many Speyside whiskies often include green apples in their tasting notes, but I felt that this flavor can sometimes get overshadowed by the dominant notes of honey, toffee, and vanilla. However, in this whisky, the sweet notes are less distinct, allowing the brightness of the green apple to shine through. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
I’m not well-versed with Japanese whiskies, so I took the opportunity to try some. I’ve tried the Mars Cosmo whiskies available at Mitsukoshi Fresh and found them to be quite rich and full-bodied, with prices at the same range as a premium 15-year-old scotch. I also liked one of the Yamazakura whiskeys, which had a mellow flavor and reminded me of sake. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
Getting to meet the rock stars behind the bottles was a highlight of the show. One such celebrity was Ann Ho, the whiskey blender from the Taiwanese distillery Kavalan, which has been awarded Best Whisky in the World for its single cask Solist whiskeys. Ann sampled the new Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask whiskey, which is much lighter with just a hint of the distillery’s trademark spice, all while signing the occasional bottle for her fans. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
Then there were the fresh faces of the local bar scene. Xi by Café Guilt’s resident bartender-mixologist Alyssa Lorenzo, fresh from winning the Tanqueray No. 10 challenge at the World Class Finals in Brazil, was busy slinging cocktails and serving up drams of XR21, Mortlach, and the new Johnnie Walker Blue Elusive Umami at the Diageo booth. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
“We don’t have pleated whiskies, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make them,” said Jack Tan, Pernod Ricard Regional Sales Director as he talked about their new whisky, the Deacon. For those transitioning from honey toffee Speysides, this offers an affordable opportunity to explore the funkier whiskies with the peat and smoke dialed down to friendly levels. The Deacon left a lasting impression with its steampunk motif, earning them the title of the best booth at Whisky Live 2023. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
While whisky takes the prominent spot in the event's name, it wasn't solely about whisky. Filipino-Englishman Sherwin Acebuche and the Tarsier Asian Spirits crew were also presenting their gins crafted with a selection of Asian botanicals. The Backpacker series of gins, featuring ingredients like galangal, kampot pepper, kalamansi, and even premium tea, proved to be a major hit. In addition to their delectable offerings, they contribute a portion of their profits to Tarsier conservation for every bottle of gin sold. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
Sugar Cane farmer and rum distiller Paco Cojuangco displayed Luisita Rum’s new Blanco, a new white rum that’s primarily positioned as a base for cocktails. It will launch soon at about the same price as their Oro. Photo by Jeeves de Veyra
