Those who enjoy fine spirits and hokey promotional events got a kick out of Glenmorangie Whisky's tasting at the Kee Club on Thursday night.
To debut its new Signet scotch, it transformed the venue into a dark cavern lit only from numerous sonic stations, where guests listened to an audio track that elucidated on how the unique spirit was crafted.
'Because it's so different, we wanted to introduce it in a different way,' said Glenmorangie's head distiller and whisky-maker, Bill Lumsden (below). 'That's why we created this sonic tasting.'
Apparently, it's not enough to see, smell, taste and touch your drink. The complex scheme was a way to emphasise flavours like orange, chocolate and coffee in the Signet, a drink Mr Lumsden has been refining for 12 years.
'I discovered scotch in university and became a passionate consumer. I was also interested in coffee and intrigued by its roasting technique to bring out different flavours. I thought, 'wouldn't it be fun to make malt whisky that way?'. In some respects, this is my magnum opus. It's the longest project I've worked on.'
As such, the Scotsman prefers to treat his national drink with respect. 'You don't want to knock it back in a shot glass. You don't want to atomic-bomb it in a beer. At a dinner last night, a guy challenged me to down it in one glass. Of course I could do it, but it's such a waste.' Especially when a bottle costs about HK$2,500.