We chat drams, food pairing, collecting, and parting with thousands for a bottle with Singapore-based whisky expert Matthew Fergusson-Stewart.
Having spent the last 13 years honing his thirst for the whisky craft, Matthew Fergusson-Stewart has accumulated a wealth of first-hand experience from across the many facets of the spirit’s industry. From his time with The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Western Australia, and iconic whisky bar The Auld Alliance – home to Southeast Asia’s largest collection – to travelling the region as an ambassador for Glenfiddich, and creating his own consultancy in Singapore, Matthew has lived and breathed whisky in all its blissful forms.
What should we be looking for in a good whisky?
Truly ‘bad’ whiskies are rare in my experience; most commercially available whiskies are good to fantastic, but this, of course, depends on what you like. I think it is pretty hard to go wrong with an established brand unless you happen on a style you simply don’t like.
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Tell us about the major flavour differences – is all whisky smokey?
Whisky probably has the most diverse array of flavour and aroma of any spirit, with variations based on age, different grains used, and different rules and practices between countries and regions. While some are intensely smokey or peaty, particularly many of the whiskies from Islay, Scotland, most whiskies are not. American Bourbons tend to have sweetness and vanilla notes, Irish whiskey is usually light, floral and fruity, rye whiskeys are spicy, there are your briny west coast whiskies and there are ‘sherry bombs’ from some distilleries in Scotland. And of course, pretty much everything in between.
What is the lowest amount of money you can spend to get a decent bottle of whisky?
There is a decent whisky for pretty much any budget. If you want to start at the lower end of the price scale then a standard bottling of a big-name blended whisky is often a good choice. After that, I’d recommend some flagship single malts from some better-known distilleries.
How has the target market for whisky changed over the last few years?
Whisky has historically been seen as a drink for middle-aged white men, and thankfully, this has changed a lot. More and more young people, women, and people from Asia and Africa are enjoying whisky these days. It took far too long but distilleries have also finally moved away from the rather sexist and cliched advertising that dominated whisky marketing up until the 1990s. The fastest growth markets for whisky globally right now is Africa and Asia, and the ‘typical drinker’ is now more likely to be 25 to 30 rather than 45 to 50.
What whisky would you suggest for lads easing their way into the scene?
Whisky should be enjoyed, so it is best to work out what you like and slowly expand your repertoire rather than forcing yourself to drink something you think tastes like disinfectant. I usually suggest going to a bar that offers tasting sets (usually a selection of half shots) with four of five different styles. Grab a set, sit down and slowly work your way through. I also recommend joining an online forum – there are many whisky groups on Facebook, like Dram Full Hong Kong – to ask questions and learn more. Finding a friend or two who are also getting into whisky makes the experience a lot more fun, too.
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Where would you suggest we start a whisky collection?
The biggest problem people have with starting a collection is that they drink them as quickly as they buy them. An easy way to overcome this is to buy two bottles at once, so you can drink one and keep the other on the shelf. Again, start with your favourite styles and distilleries and work your way through.
When building a collection, price becomes a bigger factor. Shop around, find people in the secondary market, get to know suppliers and distributors. A final point to be aware of is that counterfeit whiskies do exist, particularly as you are getting to higher-end bottlings. If you don’t know enough to spot them, ask a friend who does. Some are very convincing.
How important are age statements and why are we seeing fewer of them?
This is a BIG question. Distilleries used to focus heavily on the importance of age in their marketing, largely because the whisky market plummeted in the 80s and they had large reserves of aged stock. The market has made a massive turnaround and people are now buying whisky more quickly than they can produce it – it takes 12 years to sustainably increase your supply of 12 year old whisky.
As a result, distilleries have been marketing younger whiskies, as they can increase supply of younger whiskies more quickly. Because they spent years telling us how much age matters, people are reluctant to purchase such young whisky for good money, so distilleries have removed the age statement on younger bottles and refocused on other attributes of the product. Whisky without an age statement is often referred to as ‘NAS’ whisky, which is short for ‘No Age Statemet’.
The truth is, age is an important factor in whisky, but was never as important as it was made out to be when there was a supply glut. There are some superb young whiskies on the market today. If in doubt, try a whisky by the glass before you commit to buying a bottle.
We see a lot more English and Irish whiskies hitting the market – do you have any recommendations?
While Scotland and America are probably the best-known for whisky and whiskey, recent years have seen an explosion of offerings from all over the world, including England and Ireland, though Ireland has been a whiskey producer longer than Scotland. For the most part, they are producing high-quality products. One of my favourite distilleries at the moment is Teeling, an innovative and creative Dublin-based distillery producing some incredible whiskey.
We hear a lot about Asian whisky these days; what’s your take on the movement and which drams should we be reaching for?
Japan has been producing whisky for many years, but now we are seeing offerings from many other places in Asia, including Taiwan and India. India has long produced huge volumes of lower quality whisky for the domestic market but is now producing some great internationally acclaimed bottlings too. Both have significantly warmer climates than Scotland, Ireland and Japan, so the whisky is undeniably different, but still very much worth drinking and including in your collection.
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What’s your take on whisky for cocktails and which styles should we be mixing with?
I firmly believe if it’s your whisky you should drink it how you damn well please. That said, if you take an expensive whisky with delicate and subtle aromas and mix it with Coca Cola, you’re going to hide everything you have paid for and you are wasting your money. A great whisky cocktail works with the flavours of the whisky, it does not try to hide them. If the cocktail tastes the same with a bottom shelf and top-shelf whisky, just use the bottom shelf whisky.
That said, one of my favourite cocktails right now is the classic Boulevardier, made with Bunnahabhain single malt Scotch whisky – I call it a Bunnabhardier. The way the flavours come together is superb, giving you a classic Boulverdier style with an incredibly long and complex finish.
The ‘Smokey Cokey’ is becoming a popular mixed drink too – a heavily peated Islay whisky like Lagavulin or Laphroaig with Coca Cola. While sweet sodas often hide some whisky flavours, the smoke here shines through.
Can you pair whisky with food?
Absolutely you can pair whisky and food. It is not as mainstream as wine pairing, probably because people want a beverage that they can quaff rather than sip while eating, but it can be a great experience. I have hosted many whisky pairing dinners and some have been spectacular. The results are largely down to the chef; you need one that is very good at their craft and willing to tweak their dishes to fit the whiskies.
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What makes a bottle of whisky worth up to US$10,000 or more?
To fetch extraordinarily high prices, a whisky needs two things: t needs to be great to drink (and people need to know it is great to drink), and it needs to be limited in supply.
Many people have said to me “no bottle of whisky is worth that much money”, to which I think the best response is “no bottle of whisky is worth that much money – to you”. I have never paid US$10,000 for a bottle of whisky, but we all have different budgets and different passions so I understand why some people would want to do so. I may not have bought any, but I have sold a few, and none of the buyers have expressed regret.
Lead Image: Kim Choong
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