The way forward for whisky in Singapore has by no means been extra spirited. With a few of the most avid drinkers and collectors within the area, it might appear pure for Singapore to supply its personal drams — however that has not been the case till very not too long ago.
And not using a historical past or business of distilling on the island, coupled with a resolutely tropical local weather not fitted to the lengthy ageing course of, the obstacles to entry are daunting, to say the least.
It falls to a merry band of passionate craft distillers who’re starting to outline what it means to have a real Singapore whisky, with all of the benchmarks that may make us proud. It’s not a coincidence that every one three distillers we spoke to eschewed shortcuts to finish all six processes from begin to end — malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, and bottling.
A made-in-Singapore whisky
Whereas Brass Lion Distillery is well-known for its Singapore-style gin, it has ventured into whisky territory, with its first single malt whisky slated for launch by September.
Founder Jamie Koh, who got down to pioneer Singapore’s gin business in 2018, configured her pot nonetheless to have the ability to distil rum and whisky as properly. Only a yr later, she took up the chance to supply whisky. “We’re fairly experimental, and on the time we had the assets to make whisky, so why not?” she recollects.
In Scotland, many distilleries make gin as a money move answer whereas ready for his or her whisky to mature. It was not the case for Brass Lion, which has all the time envisioned itself as a gin maker. “Actually, we needed to pause manufacturing for every week and run the nonetheless 22 occasions across the clock, day and night time, to show 2,000 litres of wash (the alcoholic ferment) into 180 litres of whisky,” Koh says, nonetheless in slight disbelief.
The method began with a collaboration with native craft brewer The Basic Brewing Co., working collectively to pick the precise top-fermenting ale yeasts and Maris Otter malt that may end in a wash with fruity, biscuit-like flavours.
We’re fairly experimental, and on the time we had the assets to make whisky, so why not?
Jamie Koh, founding father of Brass Lion Distillery
The selection of substances was essential, as fermentation was finished on the native ambient temperature, requiring a thermotolerant yeast that may yield the wash. After distilling, the colourless new-make spirit was poured into an ex-bourbon barrel to mature.
“The primary hurdles have been the chance price and the persistence wanted,” Koh recounts. “There aren’t any Singapore tips, and even Japan, with such a longtime business, didn’t have tips till not too long ago. We didn’t wish to make up our personal, so we adopted the Scotch custom from the get-go and waited three years, which is the minimal normal to be known as Scotch in the UK.”
Modelling the primary Brass Lion Whisky after scotch helped take a number of variables out of the equation. “We do it with a Singapore context and setting, however what stays fixed is the pot nonetheless, double distillation and malt barley, relatively than making a totally totally different whisky. We knew we wished one thing lighter for Singapore’s climate, which is identical philosophy for our gins,” affirms Koh.
Koh anticipates that below 400 bottles of Brass Lion Whisky shall be produced. Style-wise, it affords dried apricot and vanilla on the nostril, adopted by wealthy honeyed sweetness on the palate with a bitter almond undertone. The end ends with a touch of nutmeg spice. Koh shares that there are plans to supply extra batches of whisky. “We are going to use totally different casks, corresponding to port wine or sherry,” she reveals.
Making whisky from Hom Mali rice
“To start with, I attempted malting Tibetan barley and even corn within the R&D course of to make whisky,” says Simon Zhao. “My concept was to make a whisky that might signify Singapore or attraction to Asian palates. We develop a number of rice in Asia. If whisky is to originate from Singapore or Asia, then naturally to me, it could be constructed from rice.”
The founder — a chemical engineer by coaching — first began a meadery in 2015, resulting in a deeper exploration of Asian substances and distillation that resulted within the delivery of Compendium Spirits in 2019. Their flagship merchandise use rigorously sourced honey, molasses, gula melaka, and rice as the bottom of their gin, vodka, arrack, rum, and whisky, all produced in small batches of their Mandai facility.
Zhao finally settled on utilizing Hom Mali, a rice pressure that’s most nice. “It has a flavour that lingers within the thoughts and palate. My crew’s impression is that of a newly-cooked pot of rice — the perfume of the rice reminded us of residence,” he enthuses.
Whereas the Hom Mali Single Grain Rice Whisky and its cask power variant have been in the marketplace since December 2021, there have been steady improvements. In 2022, Compendium launched its Chartered programme, a bespoke barrel ageing programme permitting clients to age their alternative and mix of Compendium spirits in a wide range of casks, from 4 to 32 litres. Clients get a style of being a whisky blender below Zhao’s steering, as they could select their base spirit, interval of maturation, and even refill choices, corresponding to placing whisky right into a rum-aged cask.
In July, Compendium opened Anthology, a restaurant-bar at 10 Round Street, with a lounge for Chartered members to retailer and style the progress of their whisky on the town. Extra excitingly, Zhao is researching a brand new rice whisky that boasts flavours that vary from caramel to wine to ume (plum) in several rice strains.
Constructing a distillery from scratch
As knowledgeable brewer for the previous 15 years — with an excellent longer background as a contractor for 20 years earlier than that — Ernest Ng is uniquely poised as each the top distiller and founding father of Hidden Hill Distillery, slated to launch round September. True to its identify, the Scotch-style distillery is a spin-off and hidden behind RedDot BrewHouse which Ernest established in Dempsey in 2007.
Whereas the underground warehouse/cellar is below building, the manufacturing facility, which was designed by Ng, has already been in R&D use for rum, gin, and vodka. Except for the bought 500-litre copper nonetheless, he designed the brewhouse, which contains a mash tun, brew kettle and filter press, in addition to fermenters.
“I didn’t need to go to Scotland to study the method. As a former contractor, I can strip away all of the advertising and go straight to the science of distilling,” he remarks as we survey the compact and neat set-up. “The remaining is the artwork of it — growing the palate and deciding on the style of the ultimate product.”
Ng has already dabbled in single malt whisky at RedDot’s brewing facility in Melbourne, a product that’s at the moment maturing and can probably be delivered to Singapore to bottle.
I didn’t need to go to Scotland to study the method. As a former contractor, I can strip away all of the advertising and go straight to the science of distilling. The remaining is the artwork of it — growing the palate and deciding on the style of the ultimate product.
Ernest Ng, founding father of RedDot Brewhouse and Hidden Hill Distillery
Hidden Hill’s power lies in its years of expertise in brewing, affirms Ng. “As a certified brewer, I’ve mastery over fermentation, and having wash will produce good distillate — whether or not rum, whisky, gin, or vodka.” The distillery plans to supply a core vary of single malt, single grain, barely peated malt, and bourbon-style whisky that’s 51 per cent corn, all made with its personal wash.
As they’re ageing the whisky in Singapore, they may introduce gins and rum first. “The gins can have extra of a Singaporean character by means of the collection of distinctive botanicals such because the champaka flower, whereas there may be much less room for me to play with whisky, which is already fairly outlined,” he elaborates. But it’s only the start for Singapore’s craft scene to develop past gin and vodka and into the intense world of whisky.
This text was initially revealed in The Peak.
Supply: Her World