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Despite Hong Kong’s dynamic drinks scene, there are still two big misconceptions when it comes to whisky, says Eddie Nara, Asia’s first Certified Spirits Educator licensed by the Society of Wine Educators. “The first one is the age statement. I don’t think it’s just Hong Kong, but a lot of people think the higher the age statement, the better it is,” Nara explains. “It’s more complex than that. Even the difference between a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old is worlds different depending on the cask, the label and where it’s from.” The second is the perception of single malt whiskies being superior to blended – a combination of two or more types of whiskies, which can even be from different distilleries. “Johnnie Walker, Chivas, Ballantine’s, these are blended whiskies. [By law], you have to use the word ‘blended’ when it is, but when people see the word ‘single’, they think that’s better. “That’s why when I do tastings, I’ll have four or five samples of whisky with one of them blended. I let the participants do a blind taste test, and the funny thing is, when I ask them which one their favourite is, people almost always pick the blended one. “You’ve got more complexity, it’s more rounded, it’s more approachable. In most cases, blended wins, because it can be very beautiful. It’s like, one plus one equals three.” While Nara also leads classes on cognac, gin and tequila, his personal bias is for whisky, inspired by his Scottish mentor who first sparked his love for Scotch. In 2014, he even flew to Scotland to visit local distilleries and attend whisky courses, a trip he paid for out of his own pocket to pursue what was only a hobby at the time. He had previously worked in a wide range of professional fields, from airlines to oil companies and banks, and the only time he could entertain his new passion for spirits was after work. It was his corporate career that proved to be an unlikely training ground for his first real exposure to spirits and liquor. During countless business dinners with suppliers and partners, Nara was consistently tasked with selecting the wine. “Each time, I would stare at the wine list and think, ‘Jeez, how am I going to pick the right one?’ So I decided to take a few classes, I studied, and I wanted to take it one step further.” He spent every day of his annual leave not on holidays abroad but studying for the exams that would change his life, eventually flying to the US in 2017 to earn his official certification. “I asked them, ‘Am I the first person in Hong Kong to obtain this?’ And they said, ‘No, not just Hong Kong. I think all of Asia.’ “Back then, there weren’t a lot of wine educators, let alone ones that could speak Cantonese, because most were foreigners. On top of that, those that did teach would be doing wine and spirits at the same time, so I figured I should specialise in spirits. “Whisky also started getting more popular then, and with everyone stuck here during Covid, things really picked up quickly.” Soon after, he quit his daytime job. Now he works as a consultant for the Tsim Sha Tsui bar Avenue75 and is a professional trainer for The Whisky Ambassador programme. He regularly hosts masterclasses around the city, the most recent of which was at The Peninsula for the launch of its 11-year-old Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Based on his experience, Nara identifies a clear preference among Hongkongers for whisky matured in sherry casks. “When we say sherry cask, it means that the cask – the barrel in which the whisky is stored – has been used to age sherry for some time so that the wood itself has that taste profile. We put the whisky in, it absorbs that sherry with the grain and the barley. This is what makes whisky so interesting, because you can play around with different types of casks to add or create new flavours. “Most Asians love sherry cask, because it has, apart from dried fruits or nutty notes, what we call an umami character. The savouriness there is something that we see in our cuisine as well, and I’d like to believe that tendency is because our palate is more used to that kind of taste.” Though he claims that he remains impartial towards most whiskies, the one that got Nara hooked was the Yamazaki 12-year-old single malt. However, the import tax on that whisky and others like it is something hindering the bar scene in Hong Kong from reaching its full potential. A policy shift in October 2024 that saw liquor tax slashed on spirits with over 30 per cent alcohol content and an import price above HK$200 (US$26) did little to ease the burden, as its benefits were restricted to higher-end liquors. “If you have very nice, expensive whisky, then it helps a lot, because effectively, you’ve lowered a large chunk of the tax. But for the spirits that most bars use that are still within that cap, they still have to pay that 100 per cent tax. “There are whiskies for sipping, but there are also certain types of spirits for cocktail-making. The biggest cost is the spirit cost, so doing something about that tax would definitely improve both the cocktail side and the core-range whisky selection.” Nara believes that to raise awareness for true progress, the first step is to spark curiosity, while the second is to build genuine understanding. “When you’re trying your next bar or drink, speak to people working there, to people in the trade, at the distilleries, and then you can enrich your knowledge, enrich your experience. Because, you know, it’s all about sharing. “Simply speaking, the best way to learn is to drink more.”
