7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Miss Whisky Live 2019

Get ready to taste drams of liquid gold because the biggest whisky event is back for its 4th year in Manila.  

Presented by Grand Cru Wines and Spirits, Inc., Whisky Live Manila 2019 will feature over 180 different types of whisky from the biggest brands all over the World on October 18 and 19, 2019, at the Grand Hyatt, Bonifacio Global City. Be a part of this year’s festival and taste the biggest collection of whisky brands under one roof, enjoy interactive booth activities, and learn everything whisky from experts and spirit aficionados. This year, the popular event is also including a Bar Show where cocktail enthusiasts can mingle with local bar industry giants. 

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Read about Whisky Live 2018 

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Here are seven reasons why you shouldn’t miss Whisky Live 2019:

1) Taste the largest selection of whisky in one event

How about over 180 reasons? Whisky enthusiasts will never go thirsty with the biggest selection of whisky from all over the world. Taste over 180 different types of whisky from the participating brands and distributors, including Diageo, Beam Suntory, William Grant and Sons, Apotheke Crafts and Spirits, Edrington, and Pernod Ricard. 

Each of these companies will be sampling various expressions under their portfolios, so make sure you visit the big booths. For example, Diageo has The Singleton, Johnnie Walker, Talisker, Cragganmore, Caol Ila, Mortlach, Lagavulin, and many more. The blended malt Monkey Shoulder is under the family-owned William Grant & Sons, which also carries Glenfiddich and The Balvenie (who has been winning the Best Booth award for consecutive three years in Whisky Live Manila). Beam Suntory will be carrying Maker’s Mark and Auchentoshan. 

Apotheke Craft spirits will showcase its craft spirit bottles and the famous Michter’s American Whiskey. Pernod Ricard carries some of the whisky market leaders, Jameson Irish whiskey, Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet, and Aberlour single malts. Edrington will be highlighting Highland Park, The Glenrothes single malt, and blended malt Naked Grouse. 

2) Learn from the industry experts

For the past years, Whisky Live Manila features the biggest names in the whisky industry, including master distillers, Keepers of the Quaich, and various brand ambassadors. This year, hobnob with industry greats from their brand booths and learn from the 13 scheduled masterclasses. 

Meet the brand ambassador for Chivas Regal at Chivas Brothers, Bonnar Fulton, and learn how to make your own Chivas Blend in a one-hour masterclass and take home your very own signature bottle. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), an international members club that bottles the world’s most extensive selection of exceptional and rare single cask and single malts, will be conducting an exclusive “members-only” tasting and class hosted by their brand ambassador, Keeper of the Quaich Kelvin Tam. Apply to become a member via smws.ph to join the class. 

Learn about the five decades of the gentle dram from Speyside distillery, Tomintoul, hosted by Global Brand Ambassador Iain Forteath. Kavalan Taiwanese whisky distillery will be bringing in their brand ambassador Kaitlyn Tsai for a special tasting of Kavalan Single Cask exclusive bottling for Whisky Live Manila 2019. Penderyn Distillery’s technical director Dr. Giancarlo Bianchi will introduce its award-winning single malt whiskies from South Wales straight from the barrel during a 1-hour masterclass. 

Click on this link for a complete schedule of the 2-day masterclasses. 

If you can’t attend the masterclass, worry not as you can still meet these industry greats as they walk you through each of their brands on their brand booths throughout the festival.  

3) Taste rare bottles and new expressions

One of the draws of Whisky Live is getting the chance to taste rare and special bottles. 

Last year, (Diageo) Johnnie Walker House opened a Blue Label Ghost and Rare, a special release created by Master Blender Dr. Jim Beveridge using whiskies from three “ghost” Scotch whisky distilleries that have long since closed together with other rare malt and grain whiskies. They also opened Diageo Special Releases—Convalmore 32 (Php 92,000) and Brora 37 (Php 110,000). This year, make sure to drop by at the Diageo booth to sip special drams and exclusive bottles that every whisky aficionado will enjoy. 

For new expressions or other rare bottles, ask the person operating the booth if you can try their new releases or if there are special bottles they’re keeping under their tables. Chat them up and be friendly so they can let you in on their secret stash, which is usually opened by the end of the night.  

New in the Philippine market joining this year’s roster of award-winning whiskies are Buffalo Trace and Sazerac Rye Whiskey (bottles from the world’s most awarded distillery), and Sagamore Rye Whiskeys (world’s best rye whiskeys from Baltimore).  

This year, must-try bottles are coming from three independent bottlers—The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, and Douglas Laing. These companies will serve hard to find bottles, old blends, and limited edition bottlings. 

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society will be sampling ten new SKUs from their collection. Guests who want to buy bottles can avail of a discounted SMWS membership fee that includes a three SMWS exclusive release 10 cl bottles, a club lapel badge, and a journal.

The newcomer in PH shore is the disruptive whisky independent bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company from Atom Brands, the company behind Master of Malt. The brand may appeal not only to the younger market but also to whisky connoisseurs because of the company’s extensive whisky collections from over 145 distilleries, including rarely seen bottlings from closed distilleries. Funky label designs will delight nubes with its cartoony labeling but will definitely pique the interest of whisky geeks because of the puns and jokes that only a true aficionado will understand.  

People who missed Douglas Laing from last year’s festival can once again taste the bottle offering from this quirky brand. Chat up with Douglas Laing’s ambassador, Keeper of the Quaich, Paul Wang. Play interactive games at their booth, and he might give you miniature bottles or other Douglas Laing trinkets. 

Are you a peat head? Whisky Live Manila showcases a bottomless peat with peaty and smoky whiskies from all over the globe. Watch out for Highland Park, The Six Isles, Smokehead High Voltage, Smokehead Single Malt, Ardbegs– Ardbeg Ten Years Old, Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Ardbeg Uigeadail (2009 Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible World Whisky of the Year), and Ardbeg An Oa, Lagavulin, Caol Ila Special Release, Talisker, Port Charlotte, and the peatiest of them all, Octomore from the Bruichladdich distillery. Independent bottlers will also carry a slew of peat bombs.  

4) Overflowing cocktails

This year Whisky Live Manila extended the festival with a Bar Show in partnership with spirit brands. The show features Manila top bars The Curator, Backroom, Buccaneers, and Proof Manila for pop-up shifts on the venue. Festival-goers can take a break in between drams of whisky to savor free cocktails all over the premises.  

Guests may also indulge on overflowing cocktails from the annual Whisky Live bartending competition that feature brands, bartenders, and school collaborations.

Taste the cocktails that will be presented by these collaborators:

1) Jose Rizal University (JRU) x Kavalan with mentors Ian James Osillo and Marc Bautista

2) Enderun Colleges x Buffalo Trace with mentors Shinichi Itoh and Vanessa Rabadon

3) De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde X Pernod Ricard with mentors Claude de Lima and Angelica Castro

4) Lyceum of the Philippines University x Bruichladdich and Remy Cointreau with mentors Jairra Poltrias and Cedric Cello

5) Saint Scholastica’s College x Lambay and Camus with mentors Ji Agunat and Sean Carlo de Vera

5) Non-whisky brands to discover

Whisky Live is also a host to various spirits, usually courtesy of sister brands of the whiskies featured in the exhibition. 

Beam Suntory will bring in Japanese gin Roku and 100 % Japanese rice vodka, Haku. William Grant and Sons will be featuring Hendrick’s Gin and Bruichladdich Distillery, makers of Octomore and Port Charlotte, will highlight their Islay gin, The Botanist. Apotheke Craft Spirits has over 20 craft gins from their portfolio, so make sure to drop by at their booth to sample their brands and get your fill of G&T. 

Diplomatico rum and Plantation rum will also grace the event and will be seen in the cocktail area. Bacolod rum Don Papa will showcase their rum portfolio and launch their new Exceptional Cask, Sevillana. Lakan Lambanog will be present to represent our local spirit, and Compadre Craft beer will be available on-premise. 

6) Collect whisky souvenirs and shop for exclusive priced bottles

Aside from the overflowing liquid gold, the festival features a lot of fun and games. Booths offer a lot of activities that give out tokens and souvenirs for engaging guests. The Balvenie booth always offers customized leather goods to attendees. Last year, lines piled up as they stamp gold leaf monogrammed leather key chains. Other brands give out whisky holder lanyards, miniature bottles, stickers, glasses, and miniature flasks when you buy any bottles from their portfolio.   

Bottles are often for sale at the booth, which is priced lower than the retail price. Guests can shop at The Booze Shop and get low-priced bottles exclusive for the event.

Some items will only be available during the event. Take advantage of the independent bottlers presence and purchase bottles for your home bar.

The Booze Shop

7) Because FOMO

Whisky Live is the biggest whisky event in the Philippines and will be attended by 3000 festival-goers.

Your friends, your classmate, your client, your boss, your colleague will probably drop by, so, if you don’t want to be left out in the IG and FB stories, make sure you get your ticket today! 

Get your tickets online today and avail of the 30% discount. Whisky Live Manila 2-Day pass is available for Php6999. Single-pass costs Php4999 per head. Tickets include unlimited tastings from over 180 different whiskies, appetizers, and hors d’oeuvres within the premises, 2019 Whisky Live Crystal Glencairn Glass, a bottle of Evian Water, WhiskyLive Manila Eco Bag, and access to the Manila Bar Show. 

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To make the most out of Whisky Live 2019, follow these tips:

1) Have a plan – Whisky Live for nubes will be an overwhelming experience. There will be a lot of bottles to taste, so, take your time and choose the brands you would like to try. Start with the rare bottles, the most awarded brands, and whiskies that are not be available in the market yet. You don’t want to finish the night with only three booths because you drank more than one dram of the whisky bottle you usually have at home.

According to Johnssen Li, one of the owners of Grand Cru Wines and Spirits, Inc, if you are among the younger crowd, you might like the cocktail offering at the Bar Show. “For whisky tasting, I will recommend starting with a lighter whisky style, probably an Auchentoshan, which is a triple-distilled whisky or a John Jameson. Then from there, gradually move up the chain for a more medium body. If you’re a hardcore whisky lover, try the peaty whiskies like Ardbeg, which is more intense,” he advices. 

2) Eat before heading to the event – Trust us, we’ve learned our lesson well. Don’t attempt to navigate a festival of this size on an empty stomach, YOU WILL REGRET IT.

This year, the festival will be showcasing an assortment of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres within the premises, so take advantage of the finger foods.  

3) Explore / Ask – Whisky Live is a learning experience. Do not hesitate to ask the ambassadors about their brands, or their recommended ‘must-tries’. Make sure to ask the booth for special bottles as it’s not usually displayed, and they only open limited editions at specific schedules throughout the evening.

4) Stay Hydrated – Your Whisky Live pack comes with a bottle of Evian water, stay hydrated throughout the night. You will be tasting hard spirits, and it will be strong, so you need to keep hydrating to remain sober. If you’re out of Evian, there will be water stations available throughout the event.

5) Drink Responsibly – The Whisky Live Manila organizers are monitoring consumption by using a token system to serve the drinks. Tokens are unlimited, but they must be procured from the in-house license nurse, who will run a series of tests (walk a straight line, breathalyzer, etc.) to make sure it’s safe for the attendee to continue sampling. For the safety and enjoyment of all participants, the exhibition organizers reserve the right to remove any person who is behaving irresponsibly from the venue.

6) Be ready to shop – Whisky bottles from brands will be available for purchase during the tasting event. Some will be sold at lower than the normal retail price. So, dear imbibers, ready your wallets, this is the best place to shop if you’re loading up for your home bar.

7) Take your Glencairn home – Your Whisky Live kits contain one glass of Glencairn. Most attendees leave their glasses lying on tables. These tasting glasses costs from Php 600 or more depending on which store or shop you will purchase it from. It serves as your take-home token, so make sure you take it home and start your Glencairn Whisky Live collection every year!

Whisky Live Manila 2019 is organized by Grand Cru Wine & Spirits, Inc. Visit whiskylive.ph to purchase tickets and view the updated list of masterclasses and participating exhibitors. Follow @drinkmanila on Instagram and Facebook for our Whisky Live event coverage.