When I strolled into the office in Jakarta Monday morning, straight from Singapore airport, the team were rather surprised to see a chirpy bright-eyed lass rather than a sorely hung-over miss.
Why such an expectation? The guys all knew I spent the weekend imbibing at Whisky Live Singapore and assumed much over-indulgence would have occurred.
The secret? I followed a ‘Whisky Live Survival Guide‘ regime recommended by a friend who has much more experience with such events than I.
It roughly goes along the following lines:
- Sniff to your heart’s content, sip, swish and swash merrily away but above all… spit don’t swallow!
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate… water more than aqua vitae is your friend
- Less is more… yes the temptation is there to try everything but after a point it all blurs… so go slow, take breaks, give up trying to sample all
- Select very carefully your full indulgences…
- Go early to explore at a leisurely pace, chatting with folks before the crowds inundate and inebriation changes the dynamic
This all seemed rather sensible advice. I’ve always been a quality over quantity kind of gal, more interested in the tasting adventure and conversation that goes along with the exploration than the effects of alcohol.
Perhaps a sacrilege to some – including a few whisky brand ambassadors – who gasped at my dumping, rinsing before repeating my sampling routine, however the approach served me well.
Surely others must adopt a similar strategy? I can’t imagine actually drinking all on offer! Fess up you whisky convention veterans!! How do you survive?
Some of the distilleries and independent bottlers featured at Whisky Live Singapore included:
Plus some rare drams in the collectors room. Beyond whisky there were other discoveries too, such as Velier’s distinctive Clarin rums and stunning Hampden 2010 HLCF. And a convenient ‘Ladies Room‘ to escape for a few minutes of ‘down time’ before heading back into the sampling fray.
There were many highlights and the links above are to a few posts sharing various insights. Above all, it is the stories, meeting interesting people over the whisky fabric that was the most enjoyable.
I sincerely hope to be back next year and look forward to continuing explorations.
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(Photo: Table for One) 
Old Pulteney, Benromach, Bowmore, Hampden 
Old Pulteney, Benromach, Bowmore, Hampden 
Whisky Lady 