Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Whisky Live Manila 2016 takes place on Oct. 28 and 29 at Shangri-La at the Fort. With 14 masterclasses, over 121 spirits to try, and unlimited sampling over two days, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and caught up in all the excitement of free pours only to find out later that you missed out on an important dram or event. Since this is the first festival of its kind to hit our shores, we created a guide for people who are new to navigating whisky festivals. Here are 10 tips for making the most of the biggest whisky tasting event of the year. Have a plan. Before you go to the festival, do a little research about the exhibitors and brands under each company. Make a list of spirits you want to try again (note: some people recommend not sampling anything you’ve had before), hard-to-find brands that you may not see outside a whisky festival, and anything new to you that you’re interested in sampling. Figure out what you want to try during the crucial first hour (when your palate and mind are clear) and head to those booths first. Explore. Participating brands include Jameson, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Mars Whisky, Teeling Whisky, Evian, Bruichladdich, Monkey Shoulder, JFHillebrand, Dewar’s, Tanduay, Glengoyne, Kavalan, The Singleton, The Glenrothes, Don Papa Rum, Ungava, The Glenlivet, Johnnie Walker, The Glendronach Distillery, The Balvenie, Tomintoul, The Benriach, Tequila Corralejo, Jura, Chivas, Akashi, The Macallan, Highland Park, Yamazakura, and The Dalmore. Each of these companies will be sampling different bottles under their portfolios. If you don’t see your favorite brand on the list, check if they’re affiliated with a larger company. Who knows, they might open up your favorite bottle or surprise you with a better one. For example, the blended malt Monkey Shoulder is under the family-owned William Grant & Sons, which also owns Hendrick’s Gin, Glenfiddich, and Balvenie; The Dalmore is under Whyte and Mackay (owned by Philippines-based Emperador Inc.), which also carries Jura and other brands of liqueurs and vodkas; Bruichladdich also has peaty bottles of Port Charlotte, Octomore, and The Botanist gin; Diageo owns Johnnie Walker and many other whisky brands, such as Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Crown Royal, Cragganmore, Singleton, and Haig. Eat before you drink. Don’t attempt to navigate a festival of this size on an empty stomach. Drink water. All pass holders receive a bottle of Evian. You’ll need this to add water to cask strength whiskies and to open up the flavors of the pours you sample. But the drops of water you add to your whisky won’t be enough to keep you hydrated. Make use of the water stations inside the venue or buy more Evian from the sponsors’ booth as you make your way through the festival. You’ll enjoy yourself a lot more and you’ll probably feel better the next day. Rule of thumb: your water consumption should at least match your spirit consumption. Pace yourself. Take small, slow sips of each sample. Take breaks in between pours to drink water, eat, and talk to exhibitors and attendees. There will also be a bartending competition to watch and master classes to attend. Drink Responsibly. The Whisky Live Manila organizers are monitoring consumption by using a coupon system to serve the drinks. Coupons 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 organizers of the exhibition reserve the right to remove any person who is behaving irresponsibly from the venue. Jim Murray Choose your masterclasses carefully. There will be a series of masterclasses and two whisky celebrities will be there: Whisky Bible author Jim Murray, and The World’s Best Whiskies author and Keeper of the Quaich Dominic Roskrow. The classes under these two celebrities are the most expensive among all the scheduled events and you may not be sure about which one to attend. If you can afford both, go ahead (we recommend it). If you’re trying to choose one, here’s a quick tip: If you’re interested in palate, taste, and flavors, catch Jim Murray’s Blind Tasting. If you want to learn about distillation, whisky processes, and techniques, go for Dominic Roskrow’s talk on Unique and Rare Single Cask Whisky. Take photos and notes. Your memory about the tasting notes of everything you tried may not be reliable by the end of the day. Don’t finish every sample. Just like a wine tasting event, Whisky Live will have stations for buckets so you can spit out the whisky samples (or pour them out, if you can’t bring yourself to spit). We know that every drop of whisky is precious, but no one will force you to drink it all, especially if you want to taste a lot during both days of the event. The samples will at least be in 15 mL drams, so if you can imagine tasting 100 drams, well, do the math. Be ready to shop. Whisky bottles from most 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. Whisky Live Manila 2016 is organized by Grand Cru Wine & Spirits, Inc. Visit whiskylive.ph to purchase tickets and view the full list of master classes and participating exhibitors. Follow @drinkmanila on Instagram and Twitter for our Whisky Live event coverage.