Edrington Asia Travel Retail has sold more than $1.7m-worth of fine and rare bottlings of The Macallan and Highland Park Scotch malt whiskies at DFS Group’s Masters of Wine & Spirits’ (MOWS) events, since its launch in 2011.
Edrington has also welcomed the latest new ‘revamped format’ of the event in Singapore, which Ryan Hill, Managing Director says has ‘opened up this unique experience to an even broader set of consumers’.
This latest edition of the prestigious annual event was held over four floors of the DFS’ T Galleria Singapore on Scott’s Road in downtown Singapore, featuring a collection of rare wines, spirits and Champagne.
What was previously an invitation-only event for top-tier VIPs was opened up to all DFS’ customers this year, featuring tastings from leading brands across a four-week period where Edrington showcased its travel retail exclusive range of The Macallan and Highland Park whiskies, with the recently released Macallan Rare Cask Black taking centre-stage.
Opening up this year’s MOWS event was a positive move, according to Edrington. Very rare ‘vintages’ were also on show with The Macallan.
EXCLUSIVE RARE TASTINGS
The company said: “Taking over the LOYAL T lounge for two nights, Edrington also hosted a series of exclusive invite-only tastings with members of DFS’ LOYAL T program and VIPs. The highlight of these educational sessions was an exclusive tasting of the Macallan Fine & Rare 1946 – one of the whiskies comprising the Five Decades Collection.
“The tasting was led by Darryl Haldane, The Macallan’s Head of Education, who told the unique story of the 1946 – one of very few peated Macallans ever produced due to a post-war coal shortage. Guests were also able to taste The Macallan No.6 – part of the 1824 Series and another product of The Macallan’s longstanding partnership with Lalique.”
The second night of the event saw featured The Macallan Fine & Rare 1949 and Highland Park Ragnvald and was co-hosted by Darryl Haldane and Martin Markvardsen, the Highland Park Brand Ambassador.
Interestingly, the company said this was the first time a Highland Park Brand Ambassador has hosted a private tasting with VIPs from DFS, with feedback from guests highlighting a ‘significant new found interest in the brand’.
Edrington’s Ryan Hill commented: “What has set this year’s event apart is the new, revamped format which has opened up this unique experience to an even broader set of consumers, providing an excellent opportunity to educate the next generation of connoisseurs.
DFS ‘THRILLED’ WITH ‘INCREDIBLE PROGRAMME’
“Alongside this, the private setting of the LOYAL T bar gave us an opportunity to conduct intimate group-tastings of some particularly rare expressions of The Macallan with a carefully selected group of DFS’ most loyal customers.”
Adding her comments, DFS Group’s Brooke Supernaw, Senior Vice President Spirits, Wines and Tobacco said: “We’re thrilled that The Macallan has joined us for the fifth year at Masters of Wines and Spirits held at our own T Galleria by DFS store for the first time. Daryl and his team created an incredible programme, surprising and delighting our customers with their fantastic product offering and an unforgettable tasting experience.”
Created exclusively for DFS, The Macallan 5 Decades Collection, features five Fine & Rare vintages from 1946, 1950, 1975, 1989 and 1995, each drawn from a single unique cask representing a different decade, to commemorate SG50 [Singapore’s independence jubilee-Ed], alongside this year’s DFS Masters of Wines and Spirits.
The company added: “Exceptionally rare are the Fine & Rare 1946 and 1950, which are a couple of the oldest expressions that have ever been released to the public in the history of The Macallan. A truly iconic showpiece of liquid history, the 5 Decades Collection is presented in a specially designed bespoke cabinet.”