‘World’s finest and rarest’ wines and spirits on show in Macau, from US$160,000 Hennessy cognac to ultra-rare Finn Thomson whisky
- If money is no object, the DFS Masters of Wine and Spirits exhibition is going to make you feel like a kid in a candy store
- An all-star line-up of ultra-rare spirits and fine wines includes Colombian label Dictador’s gorilla-shaped rum bottles and a discontinued malt whisky from 1987
I’ve long been fascinated by the culture of consumerism in Macau, where casinos and luxury boutiques are common bedfellows. Lucky night at the tables? A shopping spree is just a chip’s throw away.
Although Macau’s previously bright positioning as the “Las Vegas of the East” has somewhat dimmed post-pandemic, there is still very much a market for high-end experiences and extravagance to sate the appetites of consumers – in particular, the moneyed shoppers from mainland China who have resumed their travels to the former Portuguese enclave.
One of the most impressive shows of power to date is a DFS Masters of Wine and Spirits pop-up exhibition – running until the end of April – that takes more than 100 top-shelf labels from 50 of the world’s leading producers and places them in the thoroughfare of the City of Dreams complex in Taipa.
A futuristic, Blade Runner-esque set of neon pink and black circular structures sprawled across the luxury shopping centre’s T Galleria invites visitors to weave their way down its atrium past shelves lined with millions of dollars worth of booze as though in a high-end liquor store in the metaverse.
Under the glow from neighbouring luxury boutiques such as branches of Dior, Salvatore Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton, connoisseurs can take in the curation of fine wines and spirits available for this year.
Divided into categories including champagnes, wines, whiskies, cognacs and – new for 2023 – sections dedicated to premium rum and tequila, the pop-up is touted as an opportunity for collectors to explore rare cellar and distillery releases, limited edition bottles, and exclusive bottles created especially for DFS.
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“Each piece in the collection was selected with our customers in mind, bringing together a spectacular array of the world’s finest and rarest wines and spirits in the vibrant city of Macau for the second time,” said Christophe Marque, president of merchandising for DFS Group.
There are some under-the-radar gems, including several releases from emerging independent whisky bottler Finn Thomson, a ninth-generation Scotch whisky expert who is praised among cask nerds for his detailed selection process.
The Finn Thomson Whisky Duffton 1987 34-Year-Old represents an old whisky style from the Dufftown distillery that is no longer being produced – only 242 bottles exist in the world – and is being sold for 5,500 patacas.
Personally, a highlight was the showing of deeply complex Colombian rums from Cartagena-based Dictador, which are made from virgin sugar cane honey – utterly delicious when sipped slowly, allowing the notes of butterscotch, brown sugar and coconut to unfurl on the palate.
Among the more unusual selections on show are the gorilla-shaped sculpture Dictador bottles designed and hand-painted by French artist Richard Orlinski, which you’d expect NFT-mad sneakerheads to snap up with their cryptocurrency.
They contain a one-of-a-kind blend to celebrate the artist’s life and work, created from a selection by Dictador master distiller Hernan Parra of rums from every decade between 1966, the year of Orlinski’s birth, and 2006 drawn from his family’s private stock of premium barrels. These bottles are available for 848,000 patacas each.
“You have to be unique, you have to be collectable,” says Katharina Schittko, the regional managing director for Asia of Dictador rum, of the special blend.
