A sake enthusiast, a wine lover or a whisky-loving geek? Here’s our roundup of some of the most important booze festivals on the Singapore drinks calendar for the rest of this year.
Booze lovers in Singapore are a pretty spoilt lot when it comes to drinks-centric events. The Singapore drinks calendar is chock-a-block with all kinds of activities over the year, ranging from large scale festivals to smaller affairs like wine pairing dinners or whisky masterclasses especially when a producer comes to visit.
And there’s many more even as we head towards the end of this year. From Whisky Journey and Whisky Live to Sake Social and the inaugural Great Palate, we look at some of the bigger, more important drinking events in Singapore for the rest of the year.
Sake Social
Tuesday 1 October 2024
Join Singapore’s first Sake Samurai Adrian Goh and his fellow Sake Social organisers in celebrating World Sake Day. Sake Social makes its return for a second edition after its successful debut last year, and this year the mini sake fest held at The Dempsey Project will showcase some 60 sake labels, most of which are more unusual variants ranging from unpasteurised (namazake) and unfiltered (muroka) sake to natural (shizenshu) and aged sake (koshu).
For example, festival goers will be able to sample sake from Hiroshima’s Imada Brewery made using a dormant rice variety, and another using a rare century-old yeast strain from Nara Prefecture’s Ohkura Honke. Then there’s “The Beginning”, a Junmai Daiginjo Kimoto Henpeimai personally brewed by Singapore’s first Sake Samurai Adrian Goh at Gakkogura Brewery in Niigata earlier this year, while Singapore’s own Orchid Craftworks will also showcase their range of sakes.
Tickets are priced from S$58 to S$88. You can purchase your tickets at www.sakesocial.sg.
Wine Discovery Weekend
Saturday 12 October 2024
Back for its 9th edition, mini wine fair Wine Discovery Weekend by one of Singapore’s leading wine e-commerce sites Ewineasia.com will see its signature walkabout tasting take place this year at Mandarin Oriental Singapore. This year the theme is ‘Treasured Terroirs & Hidden Harvests’, and the wine tasting is set to offer more than more than 120 wines to sate the thirst of even the most demanding of oenophiles.
Wine lovers can expect to sample wines from around 17 different winemaking countries, ranging from familiar Old World names from France, Spain, Italy, Austria and Portugal, to popular New World expressions from Australia, US, Chile, and Argentina. Then there the more unusual winemaking regions, such as Russia, China, Morocco, Peru, and Syria.
And for wine lovers with a penchant to learn more, running alongside the grand wine hall tasting are masterclasses that allow you to delve deeper into the rabbit hole. Topics run from the likes of “Spanish Icons” featuring cult producer Alvaro Palacios and “Hidden Spanish Treasures” with wines to one focused on leading Rhone Valley producer Yves Cuilleron.
The Wine Hall Walkabout tickets are available at the price of S$98 nett, while each masterclass is priced at S$38 nett per person. To find out more about Wine Discovery Weekend 2024, visit www.winediscoveryweekend.com.
Great Palate
Saturday 19 October 2024
New wine and spirits festival Great Palate is wine and spirits distributor Malt & Wine Asia’s first foray into running their own tasting event, and drinks enthusiasts can expect a large number of the brands they represent featured at the key wine walkabout session on Saturday 19 October at The NCO Club at JW Marriott South Beach.
The walkabout will see over 100 wines and spirits with a huge focus on wines from the Old World such as Champagne Frerejean Frères, Champagne Vilmart & Cie, Château de Pommard (Burgundy), J.Denuziere (Rhone Valley), St Patrice (Châteauneuf-du-pape), Château Saint Maur, (Provence), Tenuta Sant’Antonio (Verona) and Beronia (Rioja). As for those who love fortified wines and spirits, expect to sample the likes of ABK6 (Cognac), Nomad (whisky), Cocchi (Italian vermouth), Gonzalez Byass (Spanish sherry), and Cockburn’s (Port), as well as The Gardener’s Gin. Anchored around the signature walkabout tasting are a number of themed masterclasses for those keen to learn more.
The Great Palate will also feature various wine dinners at The NCO Club that same evening, as well as other wine dinners around town.
Prices for the Great Palate Wine Walkabout tasting is S$88++, while the themed masterclasses are priced from S$108++ each. Prices for the wine dinners range from S$118++ to S$298++ for the gala dinner. Find out more at maltwineasia.com/great-palate.
Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Singapore
Saturday 26 October 2024
More love for wine enthusiasts in Singapore as renowned wine publication Decanter’s worldwide series of Decanter Fine Wine Encounter tasting events makes its grand debut in Singapore for the first time.
A one-day exclusive affair on 26 October, Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Singapore is set to showcase 60 of the world’s premier wine producers – each of which will be showcasing five of their best wines including one exclusive release from their collection – for an immersive tasting experience of fine wines for wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike. Expect to sample these special vintages from iconic labels such as Penfolds, Château D’Esclans, Tenuta Sette Ponti, Laurent-Perrier, and Domaine Franco Chinois Vineyards.
A grand tasting ticket will also give exclusive access to the Decanter World Wine Awards Winners’ Table, where attendees will be among the first to sample Gold, Platinum and Best in Show wines from this year’s competition. Available are also a number of masterclasses, led by prestigious producers such as Burgundy’s iconic Clos de Vougeot, Bordeaux’s Château Lafite Rothschild, and even Nikka Whisky.
Grand Tasting tickets are priced at S$165, while masterclass tickets go for between S$167 to S$600. Each grand tasting ticket also accords the holder a complimentary Riedel wine glass as a keepsake (you can purchase your tickets here). For more information, visit: events.decanter.com/singapore/home.
The Malt Affair Vol. 8
Saturday 2 November 2024
Community-driven whisky-centric spirits festival The Malt Affair returns for its eighth edition. What started out as a tiny little affair back in 2017 featuring some of the more unusual whiskies in town – particularly those that are limited-edition, single cask, or independently bottled – has blossomed into one of the most important events on Singapore’s drinks calendar for raging malt maniacs.
Held at Amara Singapore on Saturday 2 November, the upcoming edition will feature over 500 whiskies from bigger outfits such as Diageo and Proof & Company, whisky bars like Highlander Inn, The Single Cask and The Swan Song, to small indie outfits such the likes of INTERCO-MLE, SimplyWhisky.sg, Friends with Drams, and Happy Three Friends.
As were at previous years, the event is also likely to feature a number of intimate masterclasses, as well as exclusive bottlings.
Entry for The Malt Affair Vol 8 costs S$15 per person (drams are priced separately). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: www.themaltaffair.com.
Whisky Live
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November 2024
Possibly the biggest event for whisky lovers on the Singapore drinks calendar, longest-running spirits festival Whisky Live is back for its 13th edition. To be held at Mandala Club on 23-24 November, this year looks to be a far smaller and more intimate affair this time.
We don’t have any specifics for Whisky Live 2024 as yet – buy hey, we have dates and a venue – so watch this space.
For more information, visit: www.whiskylive.sg.
Whisky Journey
Friday 29 and Saturday 30 November 2024
Whisky Journey makes a return trip for its 2024 edition, and this year the whisky-focused festival will be held on 29-30 November at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre. Last year’s show which drew over 2,500 malt-loving devotees to sample whiskies from an impressive showcase of over 30 distinctive brands, so you can expect this year’s festival to rock as well.
As was with previous Whisky Journey editions, attendees are able to enjoy complimentary drams, purchase exclusive distillery releases and special bundle deals, all with a single ticket. Each ticket grants the attendee more than 30 complimentary drams in their Whisky Journey passport, ensuring sufficient libations for even the most demanding whisky enthusiast. Additional whiskies are available for sampling at prices as low as S$2 per dram.
Exclusive masterclasses will offer attendees insights and tastings directly from the whisky makers themselves – including Patrick Shelley, owner of Currach Irish Whiskey, and David Allen from Springbank – for a deep dive.
Tickets are priced at S$78 each (you can purchase your tickets here). For more information, visit: www.whiskyjourney.com.sg.
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