Whisky Journey – Singapore’s first bar and restaurant whisky trail [Release]

I’m pretty new at Whisky, no doubt, but I always enjoy a good aromatic Scotch or some smooth Japanese single malt.

S.L.A.T.E. Bar. *Image by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store*

It’s the most Whisk-derful time of the year

This holiday season, revel in an all-new whisky experience with Whisky Journey, Singapore’s first island-wide bar and restaurant whisky trail.

As a 10-day celebration of whisky culture and Singapore’s F&B scene, Whisky Journey will see 15 restaurants and bars partnering international whisky distilleries to offer unique tasting menus, whisky pairings and an around-the-world whisky tour for just $32.

To ensure that there is something for everyone – from first-time imbibers to connoisseurs – there will be signature serves, exclusive limited Whisky Journey inaugural bottlings and rare bottles for sale.

*Cable Car 1890’s Saloon. Image by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store*

Whisky Journey is organised by The Whisky Store, one of the pioneers in the local whisky scene. The organisers had originally planned for Whisky Journey’s debut as a two-day weekend event in May. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has since pivoted to a restaurant and bar trail that ensures Whisky Journey remains an inclusive, educational and celebratory whisky event.

Glen Scotia Distillery. *Image by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store*

At the same time, the innovative concept hopes to reinvigorate the local F&B sector and bring the Singapore bar scene together while prioritising the safety of guests.

From 11-20 December, guests can visit FIFTEEN (15) restaurants and bars island-wide and have the opportunity to taste whiskies ranging from family-owned boutique distilleries to renowned international brands. Each venue will be paired with a whisky distillery and offer a tasting menu, samples of highly sought-after casks and rare bottles at wholesale prices. For a list of participating bars and distilleries, please scroll down to the end.

Wala Wala Café Bar. Image by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store

Some of the listed bars and restaurants will also delight guests with unique whisky pairings. To truly celebrate whisky culture and ensure an enjoyable experience for all, restaurant and bar staff will be trained by the distilleries to share tasting insights and experiences.

This unique 10-day F&B extravaganza also hopes to offer a new way for guests to celebrate the holiday season with loved ones – through a unique travel experience one golden-hued dram at a time.

The Cooperage. *Image by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store*

#SupportLocal Bars

The revamped Whisky Journey concept is also focused on supporting local F&B businesses, bars in particular, during these challenging times.

As a first-of-its-kind restaurant and bar trail, the organisers want to empower the F&B community with a differentiated and unique experience for the holiday season.

*The Writing Club. Image by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store*

Through meaningful collaborations with international whisky distilleries, Whisky Journey also hopes to foster new collaborative opportunities for local establishments, allowing them to engage audiences with new whiskies and drinks, and provide a platform to elevate whisky appreciation in Singapore.

Distilling the Season

Be spoilt for choice with the wide range of rare whisky selections including exclusive inaugural Whisky Journey bottlings from brands such as Tomatin, Duncan Taylor, Glencadam, Inchmurrin and Glen Scotia. With ticket passes starting at an affordable price of $32, guests will journey through the different whisky regions and be treated to a free whisky tasting dram at each partner bar and restaurant. Need some nibbles? A delectable range of additional whisky tasters will be available from $2 onwards.

Whisky Journey will be carried out in accordance to existing government regulations with temperature screening and social distancing restrictions in place. To ensure that guests will have the opportunity to enjoy their free whisky drams, free pours will be extended beyond the event till 30 December 2020 at selected partner bars. Guests are also encouraged to make reservations before visiting each partner bar or restaurant as well.

Whisky Journey will be held from 11-20 December 2020 at various participating bars and restaurants across Singapore.

All passes are available for purchase at www.whiskyjourney.com.sg.

Early Ticket passes are available at $32, with passes priced at $45 each at the door. Pass holders will be entitled to a free Glencairn whisky glass, a Whisky Journey passport and a free 10ml tasting dram at each participating bar and restaurant. All guests will also have the opportunity to buy additional drams from only $2, access to industry experts, exclusive access to Whisky Journey bottlings, and many fringe activities.

Participating Distilleries:

Bunnahabhain
Cù Bòcan
Currach
Deanston
Duncan Taylor
Glencadam
Glen Scotia
Inchmoan
Inchmurrin
Kalak
Ledaig
Loch Lomond
Ornabrak
Paul John
The Lakes Distillery
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Tobermory
Tomatin
Tomintoul

Participating Bars and Restaurants:

Cable Car 1890’s Saloon
Copper
FOC
Jiu Zhuang
Joo Bar
Malts
Quaich Bar South Beach
Silvermalt
S L A T E.
The Cooperage
The Other Roof
The Writing Club
Tom Dick & Hillary’s
Wala Wala Café Bar
#WLJK

This feature is brought to you by Whisky Journey by The Whisky Store.

Editor’s note: As part of ongoing COVID-19 Safe Management Measures, your safety and health during your visit is important to the venues. You will be required to adhere to SMM actions such as SafeEntry, and social distancing. Stay safe, fellow otters!

28 November 2017 Drinks

Chivas Regal Mizunara Whisky @ Bar on 5 [Media]

Bar on 5

Bar on 5 at Mandarin Orchard Hotel recently got us over one evening for a tasting of some whiskys. Set within the urban buzz, this chic and contemporary bar, situated at level 5 (hence the name) is a popular hang-out amongst sophisticated professionals, corporate business people, and trendsetters. There’s also a decent craft beer bar adjoining to the lounge, but that’s a story for another time.

A post shared by Mandarin Orchard Singapore (@mandarinorchard) on Nov 1, 2017 at 3:49am PDT

Chivas Regal Mizunara Whisky

Debuting in Bar on 5, the Chivas Regal Mizunara blended scotch whisky is an award winning special by their Master Blender Colin Scott. With a part of the blend matured in rare Mizunara oak (Quercus mongolica) casks, it gives a unique sweet and creamy taste with hints of spice and hazelnut. Accompanied by Chivas Regal’s Whisky Sommelier, we were treated to a tasting session where any decent Scotch is enjoyed with a splash of water (and not copious amounts of sweetened drinks), and in this case with tulip glasses to fully enjoy the fruity aroma of peaches and pears. Paired with a selection of light canapés, we enjoyed every sip of the whisky.

Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

As a bonus we were ALSO treated to another variety of Scotch, the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve. Named for the distillery’s founder, George Smith, it’s a single malt Scotch that’s on the lighter end of single malts with generous aroma and taste of fruits. As their product manager calls it, ‘a good, gentle introduction to people who just started to enjoy single malt whiskys’.

I Think You’re Neat!

A short (heh, whisky pun) and simple evening, but we had a really fun experience of enjoying a couple of decent whiskys that will definitely leave a longer note. Currently they have offers for bottles of the Mizunara Oak (at time of writing the launch promotion is $460++ for 3 bottles), but do check it out at the bar as it may change time to time.

More Information

Bar on 5 @ Mandarin Orchard
Level 5, Mandarin Orchard Singapore
333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867
Operating Hours
Sunday – Thursday: 11.00am – 1.00am
Friday, Saturday, Eve of Public Holiday: 11.00am – 2.00am
Phone: 6831 6286
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26 April 2017 Drinks

Fat Cow Review – Not Going’s A Huge Missed Steak!

So it was my birthday a while back, and the gf decided to bring me to a place she had found on the entertainer app for a lunch treat. At first when I first heard the place to be at Camden Medical Centre, I thought she wanted to bring me to a dietician clinic for some slimming!

Fat Cow

A paraphrased introduction to their history and name won’t do them justice so much, so here’s their self-explanatory introduction:

Established by Refinery Concepts, FAT COW first opened its doors in October 2011.
The word “FAT” in FAT COW stands for luxury and indulgence, and is also a play on the word “Fatt” which in Mandarin dialect means prosperity. Spanning slightly over 3500 sq ft, the restaurant’s design takes a contemporary approach to the Japanese “Wabi-Sabi” concept – the art of finding beauty in things modest, simple and humble.

Indeed, the interior is reminiscent of a simple Japanese inn despite its premium status; basically wooden outfit with straw mats, and warm, dim lighting. Separated sections also give you the privacy you’d like while enjoying really good beef!

Let’s get on with the food, shall we? At Fat Cow, the set lunches apparently have lots of raving reviews, with their signature The Fat Cow Donburi being obviously the most popular. But for today, my only beef (hehe) is how limited my stomach space was!

Well, as the name suggests Fat Cow is known for serving quality beef, and in different styles. For the sake of variety, I ordered the A5 Ribeye Shabu Shabu, while my partner got the Grade A4 Ribeye Ohmi beef. Ohmi beef, being one of the “Top Three Wagyu” of Japan, is known to have one of the most intense flavours coming from its fine marbling of fats. Served with a plethora of seasonings, you can either top it up with some yuzu sauce or with just some good ol’ salt. As soon as I popped that piece of meat into my mouth, it just melted and true enough, the sweetness was simply put, glorious! The shabu shabu serving was also pretty generous, and the soup stock, unlike some more casual dining places, isn’t just blasted with MSG and doesn’t rob your taste buds of the inherent full-bodied flavour of the meat. If you’re looking for a fuller meal though, I’d recommend getting some carbs like “The Fat Rice” which is basically seasoned with their signature shoyu sauce mix.

Of course they also have a (very) mean collection of Japanese whisky and other good food on the menu, such as the sweet potatoes we ordered to start off but somehow ended up coming right at the end of the meal. It was for the better in any case, as it would have masked the taste of the good stuff (read: beef).

Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4″]
They’re quite atas, but at the same time they’re tucked in a quiet corner of the Orchard district

Price: [star rating=”3.5″]
I have to say that it is dear to dine here given the strictest standards they give to their food preparation. However this was made much better with the entertainer app!

Quality: [star rating=”5″]
You mean you didn’t see my pictures above? Also, if you’re into a more well-rounded meals, you can also check out their set lunches which are relatively affordable and from what I observed from my dining neighbours, are generous in serving as well.

Overall: [star rating=”4.5″]
Trust me when I say that not coming here is a huge missed steak!

More Information

Fat Cow
1 Orchard Boulevard
#01-01/02
Camden Medical Centre
Singapore 248649
Tel: +65 6735 0308
Email: ENQUIRY@FAT-COW.COM.SG
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