appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Rachel Blundy

“When I first drank whisky, I wanted to spit it out.”
With this initial reaction it would be fair to not have expected Cynthia Yeung to become a passionate aficionado of whisky and a dedicated member of the Hong Kong Whisky Society (HKWS).
However, she was sold after her second experience with the fashionable spirit. “It is not just sensory. It appeals to your imagination too. It is still a luxury product, but it is an affordable luxury now,” she said.
Yeung, a customer relationship manager for a shopping mall, is not alone in being a late convert to the strong-tasting spirit. Many of her fellow society members started out as wine drinkers before developing a passion for whisky.
Single malt Scotch whisky - what’s on the label and what it all means
Joseph Choi, a 46-year-old director of a food trading company, used to be a wine drinker but was introduced to whisky at work events.
“In the beginning it was too strong for me, but over time I started to drink more whisky than wine. I found it more interesting overall,” he said.
HKWS, the first official whisky appreciation society of its kind in the city, has been providing a forum for whisky lovers to interact and share their thoughts since April 2014.
They meet at least once a month to try different varieties, discuss new whisky trends, listen to talks from whisky experts, and to generally socialise. They already have more than 60 full-time members and many more who join their events.
Why Hong Kong restaurants are pairing whisky, not just wine, with food
“We prefer to drink better and drink less,” society chair Carmen Tam, a 28-year-old manager for a wine company, said. “We want to enjoy it together and share our knowledge. This is very important.”
Yeung said the group’s meetings were about appreciation. “Drinking people under the table is not our goal,” she added.
“We are selective about what we drink. We are not going to reach for the Jägermeister. I am always mindful of the fact that I am not a young drinker, so I have to be careful.”

And it’s only occasionally that the group will drink to get drunk.
“Sometimes we get quite drunk at the Christmas party,” Choi said. “Or at our Whisky Day. Everyone brings one bottle. We have 40 or 50 bottles to choose from - then it is easy to get drunk.”
Hong Kong’s whisky drinking scene seems to have taken off in the last three years; around the same time the society was established.
Bars such as Ginger in Sheung Wan, a favourite of HKWS, have been stocking an impressive range of drams since last summer. The prices are not always cheap, and the bars can be on the small side, but the air of exclusivity seems to be attracting the city’s more discerning drinkers.
“Back in the day, people were cognac drinkers. Now there are many more people writing and talking about whisky. Looking at the economics of it, whisky just happens to be trendy as Hong Kong is a small place,” Yeung said.
“Word-of-mouth gets around very quickly. There has been a boom in whisky events in the last few years.”
Whisky continues to gain popularity in the Asian market, with a growing number of female enthusiasts
Yeung got into whisky in 2013 while working as an executive marketing manager for a private member’s club. That summer, she travelled to Japan’s Kansai region with her mother and visited the Yamazaki Distillery just outside of Kyoto, where she became particularly fond of a dram called Yamazaki 1984.
“When you learn more about how certain whiskies are being produced, you want to try rarer things and they never come cheap,” she said.
Travelling the world in the search for unusual whiskies has become an extended hobby for some members. Tam and Choi travelled to Scotland last year for a tour of the country’s distilleries, visiting about 25 venues in three weeks.
Bar review: Malt Whisky Bar in quiet Sheung Wan corner is worth a shot
Prior to this, Tam said she “fell in love with whisky” at the Whisky Live exhibition in Taiwan in 2014, where she was taught about the spirit’s many assets by acclaimed whisky writer Jim Murray. When she returned to Hong Kong, she felt compelled to “share the passion and knowledge”.
Tam is among a growing number of women in Asia who are developing a taste for whisky. Taiwan, in particular, has seen a sharp rise in female whisky drinkers.
Yeung once found the spirit’s alcohol content “intimidating” but she gradually grew to enjoy its depth and variety.
“I guess if you look at the history of spirits, it has mainly been people who work in hard labour - men - who have been drinking them,” she said.
“It is relaxing after a day’s work. It is seen as a male bonding experience. But this is true for any drink. I used to find the alcohol content intimidating, but now I can drink anything.”
HKWS is attracting new members all the time, but it remains a tight-knit group as its leaders balance running it around their full-time jobs. They hope it will continue to help spread the word about the value of their favourite tipple.
“You feel a bit lonely drinking whisky on your own,” Yeung said. “But the sharing approach makes it more attractive. You will find that your circle of friends will increase exponentially.”


Greater Bay Area offers jobs, career opportunities, lower living costs, but will young Hongkongers bite? Many need to be persuaded.

Danger lurks as Hong Kong’s hiking hordes discover city’s green country trails, stunning mountain views

So near, yet so far away: Hong Kong’s cross-border couples, families struggle with long separation from loved ones

Platform uses big data to match Hong Kong volunteers with causes that need help

City Weekend

Tipple and mingle: Hong Kong Whisky Society spread the word about their passion

Joseph Choi (left), Carmen Tam (centre) and Cynthia Yeung, members of the HKWS at Bar Ginger in Sheung Wan. Photo: David Wong

(L to R) Joseph Choi; Carmen Tam and Cynthia Yeung, pose for a photograph at Bar Ginger in Sheung Wan. 23JUN16 SCMP/ David Wong

News

Hong Kong

Education

Glasses of the ‘strong stuff’ are going down well at a city society dedicated to sharing knowledge and socialising over a spirit that’s increasingly popular with discerning tipplers
