On location in Singapore: Seventh annual DFS Masters of Wines and Spirits

SINGAPORE. DFS Group, in partnership with Changi Airport Group, hosted its seventh Masters of Wines and Spirits on 24 and 25 March, marking the first time the annual event was held over two days.

The prestigious event brought together almost 800 local and international guests – including the travel retailer’s top loyalty programme members and media such as The Moodie Davitt Report – to The Warehouse Hotel on the banks of the Singapore River.

The meticulously renovated venue was a former trading warehouse built in 1895, making it a fitting backdrop for the event, said DFS, and its showcase of more than 120 ultra-premium expressions – some of which are over 350 years old – from 60 wine and spirits houses.

The Warehouse Hotel’s rich and storied history aligns perfectly with Masters of Wines and Spirits’ focus on heritage and storytelling

In another first, the Masters collection will be transported beyond Singapore – where it is available for purchase from 25 March – to the retailer’s T Galleria by DFS stores in Hong Kong and Macau this May, DFS Group Senior Vice President Wines, Spirits, Tobacco, Food and Gifts Brooke Supernaw revealed.

“Each year, our talented merchants at DFS bring together the world’s most sought-after wines and spirits and their brand ambassadors, in an event in Singapore dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of the finest products. The curated collection will be available for purchase first at Changi Airport’s Wines and Spirits Duplexes at Terminals 2 and 3, where it will continue to delight our many traveling customers throughout the year,” she said.

We are also very excited to bring a selection from this incredible collection to our customers in Hong Kong and Macau later in 2018.”

Reinventing the wheel: DFS Group’s Senior Vice President Wines, Spirits, Tobacco, Food and Gifts Brooke Supernaw and Global Vice President Consumer Marketing James Holloman aim to always surprise and delight with each new edition of the event

The theme for this year’s event was “Bespoke. Speak Easy. Secret Society.” – alluding to the hotel area’s history as a hotbed of secret societies, underground activity and liquor distilleries. Guests were invited to explore the collection of whiskies, wines and Cognacs in a number of the hotel’s rooms, each designed to “surprise and delight your senses”.

A key card and map were included as part of the welcome kit to help guests unlock the different themed rooms, adding to the speakeasy experience. Guests were entertained by performances by an illusionist, acrobat, burlesque dancer and musician as well as gaming tables while tasting some of the products in the presence of the brand ambassadors.

An immersive experience: Guests were entertained by various performances and experiences in each of the rooms, where they also got to enjoy – naturally – a series of tastings

Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report before the event, Brooke Supernaw noted how Masters of Wines and Spirits has continued to innovate every year, while keeping to the event’s core themes of heritage and craftsmanship.

“Delivering exceptional unique products, educating and exciting our customers – these will always be part of the event’s main objective. But we are always exploring new ways to reinvent it every year. This year, we wanted to do something unique and different.

“The Warehouse Hotel fits within our theme of heritage, if you look at its history and what it’s been used for over the various decades as a warehouse and as a trading location; it was even a nightclub for a while. It has transformed over the years, taking on different personalities just like how Masters of Wines and Spirits has evolved throughout its history.

(L-R) DFS Group’s Director of Spirits Frederik Vanden Bulcke, Executive Vice President of Human Resources Andrew Webster, Executive Vice President Merchandising Ariel Gentzbourger, Vice President Corporate Communications & CSR Jay Frame, Senior Vice President Wines, Spirits, Tobacco, Food and Gifts Brooke Supernaw, President of Merchandising and Consumer Marketing Sibylle Scherer, and President of Store Operations Tim DeLessio

“Besides a new venue, for the first time, we are also having the event over two days this year to reach out to a larger network of customers and potential customers. The first day focused on our media partners and Loyal T customers, and on the second day, we extended it to a range of partners we work within Singapore. We are also bringing it to Hong Kong and Macau so we can further expand our communication and our reach,” she said, adding that these changes were also a response to increased demand.

“Even though Masters of Wines and Spirits is quite well attended, we definitely want to make more people aware of it – not just of the event but also of what we do at Changi Airport in collaboration with Changi Airport Group. We have such beautiful collections of unique and exclusive items, and the more people we can touch through an event like this, the more likely they will visit our stores when they’re travelling through Changi.

Strong partnership: DFS and Changi Airport Group celebrate another memorable event; (L-R) Changi Airport Group Head (Concession Operations – Airside Division) Monet Aluquin; DFS Group Managing Director, Singapore and Indonesia, Wilcy Wong; DFS Group Senior Vice President Wines, Spirits, Tobacco, Food and Gifts Brooke Supernaw; Changi Airport Group Airside (Concessions Division – Online Retail) General Manager Nicole Foo; and Changi Airport Group Vice President Airside Planning and Leasing Chandra Mahtani

“Customers are at the heart of what we do, and the first consideration when we’re planning an event such as this, or building an assortment or working with brand partners on activations, is that we always want to excite and delight and bring the unexpected to our customers.

“We absolutely listen to their feedback. Our Loyal T customers have asked for specific products and on many occasions, we’ve gone out and sourced it, whether it’s a vintage wine or a specific barrel of whisky. We have great partners that we work with and having built that personal relationship is critical,” she underlined.

DFS underlines the importance of brand partnerships to the success of Masters of Wines and Spirits; (L-R) DFS Group Director of Spirits Frederik Vanden Bulcke (middle) with Marcin Miller (left) and David Croll (right), co-founders of The Kyoto Distillery, Japan’s first craft gin distillery

Private collections and silent distilleries

This year’s event also saw the introduction of a private collection with more accessible price points that were not featured in the Masters of Wines and Spirits book, Supernaw revealed. This extended range could be purchased on the night of the event itself at duty paid prices, opening up the collection to a wider spectrum of customers and offering them the instant gratification of owning a collectable piece, she noted.

Along with leading whiskies, wines and Cognacs as reported earlier, an extended collection of 54 premium products available in the Masters series includes the Octomore 8.2 by Bruichladdich, the DFS exclusive Rare Cask Reserve Araid 18 Years Old 0.7L by William Grant & Sons, the Cask-aged Kyoto Dry Gin 2nd Edition by Ki Noh Bi, the Craigellachie 24yo Small Batch Exceptional Cask by Craigellachie, the Dalmore Luceo, the DFS exclusive Highland Park Single Cask Series 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and the Single Cask #1476 Mizunara Heads by Malt Chichibu (see product details below).

“All the brands we’ve selected and some of the reasons why we selected them are because of the stories behind them. All of them have unique stories but they’re all rooted in the history and heritage of how the product is made – each with a distinct storyline of how they got to where they were, flavour profile, mouthfeel and how the product has been created to represent that brand. That’s the great thing about this collection and what makes the wines and spirits category so dynamic.”

Impressively, the DFS team has also curated a selection of spirits from silent distilleries, Supernaw highlighted. “These distilleries are no longer operating but there are barrels still available and some brands have gone in and bottled product just for Masters of Wines and Spirits.” These include the Ladyburn distillery which only operated for nine years, but has released the rare Ladyburn 1974 single malt from William Grant & Sons’ reserves of maturing whisky; and the Caroni rum distillery (rum being a newly introduced category to the event) which closed in 2002.

Single malts continued to anchor the collection – it is by far the biggest assortment by category at the event, Supernaw noted, a reflection of the wider trend in the industry. “Going back to the heritage and craftsmanship, there is so much in single malts. Each one has a distinct personality that allows us to showcase it in a unique way. Single malts has been a driver that we have identified many years ago and really seeded in terms of growth but it continues to deliver not only significant performance but also experiences for our customers to explore, because there are so many.”

Whiskies and Cognacs dominated the Masters collection; (from top)Louis XIII Le Jeroboam with T.T. Trunks Paris; Martell Metaphore; The Macallan in Lalique – Golden Age of Travel, Steam Train; The Macallan Fine & Rare Masters’ Selection; and The Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter 3: 1981

Classes with the Masters and a Meeting of Masters

This year’s event saw the return of the master classes and whisky panel, where selected guests were given the opportunity to attend two Classes with the Masters hosted by The Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE and Château Latour Asia Pacific Sales and Marketing Manager Rufus Beazley.

They also got to meet leading spirit brand ambassadors through an interactive whisky panel, hosted by DFS Group Director of Spirits Frederik Vanden Bulcke and featuring experts from John Dewar & Sons, Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich and The Kyoto Distillery.

The Balvenie Master Class Workshop – Single Malt Whisky saw David Stewart, the industry’s longest-serving malt master, discuss how craftsmanship is brought to life at The Balvenie. He guided guests through the entire Chapter 3 set of the DCS Compendium, comprising five rare single-cask single-malt bottlings, ranging in age from 13 to 55 years.

The Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE (top), a longtime supporter of the Masters of Wines and Spirits, led the Single Malt Whisky master class where guests got to taste the entire Chapter 3 set of the DCS Compendium

In the Château Latour Master Class Workshop – Wine, Rufus Beazley took visitors through a vertical tasting across decades of Château Latour products.

Château Latour Asia Pacific Sales and Marketing Manager Rufus Beazley (top) took guests through a tasting of the Petrus Magnum Collection

The Whisky Panel, attended by The Moodie Davitt Report, focused on the topic of craft and craftsmanship with a lively discussion between four experts, including – in yet another first – three female whisky experts:

  • Chloe Wood, Asia Pacific Brand Ambassador, Bruichladdich (Single Malt Whisky)
  • Kirstie McCallum, Senior Blender, Bunnahabhain (Single Malt Whisky)
  • Stephanie MacLeod, Master Blender and Malt Master, John Dewar & Sons (Aultmore – Single Malt Whisky)
  • David Croll, The Kyoto Distillery (Whisky and Gin)
The Whisky Panel master class featured, for the first time, three female experts: (L-R) Chloe Wood (Bruichladdich); Dr Kirstie McCallum (Bunnahabhain); Stephanie MacLeod (John Dewar & Sons/Aultmore); and David Croll (The Kyoto Distillery)

“Craft to me is a deep understanding of your products,” said Stephanie MacLeod. “It’s a combination of deep knowledge and the skills of a variety of different people – maltsters, distillers, coopers, etc. It is very much about teamwork and family. It is not only about using multiple skills, but it also spans multiple generations. You are creating a legacy – it is not just about the here-and-now, but also about building a product and skillsets for the future.”

MacLeod also highlighted the importance of bartenders and social media in bringing Scotch whisky to a wider audience. More distilleries are encouraging their products to be made into cocktails and working with mixologists and bartenders – whom she also regards as craftspeople – to create beautiful looking and tasting products that consumers can share online.

She then led a tasting of the Aultmore 31 Year Old Exceptional Cask (Cask no. 1635), noting that it was a collaborative effort between DFS and John Dewar & Sons to choose this specially created whisky for Masters of Wines and Spirits.

For Dr Kirstie McCallum, craft is also about passion. “You have got to have a real passion for what you do… there’s a real art to it. People at the distillery are always excited and interested when creating something new – it’s all about experience, it’s all about knowledge, and it’s all about love, and you’d never put something together that you don’t love.” As a PhD graduate in Analytical Chemistry, she maintained that science “just adds a lending hand” to the art of whisky-making, and it cannot take the place of the blender’s nose and palate and the distiller’s knowledge.

Craft is about knowledge and passion, says Dr Kirstie McCallum, with science offering just “a lending hand”

Guests were then guided through a tasting of the Bunnahabhain 1980 Canasta Finish, created and bottled on the Islay, with only six bottles per edition and only 20 units available.

Chloe Wood echoed McCallum’s sentiments on science, revealing that nothing at Bruichladdich is done or regulated by computers – the human touch is what makes every bottle of whisky unique. “We are not looking for consistency,” she said. Making sure that everything is done by people and that every step of the process is done right gives the whisky a certain quality that cannot be replicated. She also highlighted how Bruichladdich has been challenging whisky conventions with innovations such as unpeated Islay and what is thought to be the world’s most heavily peated whisky, Octomore.

Guests got to taste the Octomore 8.2, meaning “The big eight” in Scots Gaelic, an enigmatic spirit and a cult classic amongst whisky aficionados, according to Bruichladdich. Its release was a landmark moment for head distiller Adam Hannett.

David Croll cautioned against overusing the word “craft” but was positive about consumers’ growing interest in the stories behind the brands, what goes into the liquid and how it is made. As the co-founder of Japan’s first craft gin distillery, to him “craft is really about making the best possible product we can”, even without a point of reference and starting “with a blank sheet of paper”. This relative freedom allowed him to push the boundaries and experiment with different botanicals while working closely with Kyoto’s agricultural communities.

Croll then led a tasting of the Single Cask #1476 Mizunara Heads by Malt Chichibu, noted for its strong, earthy aroma and sweet fragrance similar to rich brown sugar, with a long finish with hints of prune and dried fig.

Guests in the Whisky Panel had the opportunity to taste two innovative products from Japan, Single Cask #1476 Mizunara Heads by Malt Chichibu (left) and Cask-aged Kyoto Dry Gin 2nd Edition by Ki Noh Bi

Another highlight was the tasting of the Cask-aged Kyoto Dry Gin 2nd Edition by Ki Noh Bi, a Japanese gin created, blended and bottled at Ki Noh Bi’s dedicated artisanal distillery in Kyoto using local ingredients and inspired by the history and culture of the ancient Japanese city. Hailed as a first of its kind, this DFS exclusive limited edition of Ki Noh Bi gin is aged in casks that previously held Japanese Single Malt whisky and labelled using mask images from the Kamiasobi Noh Troupe.

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