You might feel the urge to roll your eyes when yet another cocktail bar describes itself as “hole-in-the-wall.” It’s a phrase almost too common in the cocktail scene, especially with so many cocktail bars aiming for that speakeasy character. Specialist whisky bars tend to aim for a more luxe vibe. They’re usually found in plush, crowded, well-heeled spots, and they take their spirits very, very seriously. Rarely do we encounter one that embraces the charm of being hidden away.

That's until you discover Samsu Huay Kuan.

Tucked away in the quieter nooks of Orchard Road, within the unassuming shopping mall connected to Concorde Hotel is this hole-in-the-wall whisky bar with just 16 seats, a pleasant and quiet sanctuary from the glossy, commercialised stretches of Orchard Road.

This locale is peppered by Japanese eateries and is a favourite haunt for Japanese expats. In fact, just across the street you’d find Cuppage Plaza that is affectionately dubbed “Little Ginza”. That’s for the number of authentic yakinuku restaurants, izakayas with Japanese-only menus, late-night ramen shops and Japanese KTV lounges – a picture that would remind you of the cloistered alleys in Tokyo’s nightlife districts.

Roughly translated from Hokkien, “Samsu” means liquor distilled thrice ; “Huay Kuan” means club. Samsu Huay Kuan’s name is a nod to Singapore’s past and inspired by samsu, a moonshine that once flowed freely and illicitly across Singapore and Malaysia from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Samsu, due to its association with the Chinese migrant laborers, played a significant cultural and social role in Singapore's history. You could say it was the early spirit of modern Singapore.

 

At the Huay Kuan, however, you’ll find that the spirits on offer are anything but illicit. The owner, Jeremiah, is a passionate whisky enthusiast who greets you like an old friend the moment you step inside. Within moments of me knowing him, I found out he’s an equally passionate dog lover.

 

With his mellow and relatably Singaporean demeanour, he would light up with a delightful geeky enthusiasm each time he gets a chance to share an interesting story behind one of his bottles on the shelves. It may not seem like it, but the softspoken Jeremiah had been a Navy officer for over a decade before sailing into the whisky business.

Layout, Décor and Vibe

The bar is about the size of an apartment living room with a minimalist décor of clean lines and uncluttered surfaces to ensure that the focus remains squarely on the spirits. The beauty of a small, intimate bar is that you’ll receive personalised service without having to wave to grab the bartender’s attention. If you need a friendly guide, Jeremiah is happy to tailor his recommendations to your palate and mood.

Special whisky tastings and masterclasses are regularly conducted here, with a special focus on Japanese whisky. Jeremiah, leveraging his role as the distributor for Shizuoka Whisky in Singapore, hosted a Shizuoka tasting session earlier last year joined by the founder, Taiko Nakamura-san, who gave us a deep dive into this whisky-making experience while drinkers enjoyed some light snacks ordered from the nearby izakaya.

More recently, they hosted a Mars Whisky tasting session featuring Mars’ latest range of Japanese whiskies from its various distilleries across Japan. A representative from Japan guided us through that tasting journey where we could notice the impact of Japan’s varied climate on the flavour profile of their single malts.

These sessions make the bar a cosy little space where drinkers could deepen their whisky knowledge and also connect with the artisans and fellow whisky lovers.

Drinks Selection

I don’t normally talk about prices, but I undeniably love the fact that most drinks here are very reasonably priced. It’s almost as if you’re rewarded for locating this hole-in-the-wall bar.

The curated selection of Japanese whiskies includes the famous Yamazaki, the revered cult distillery Chichibu and gems from rising craft distilleries such as Kanosuke, Shizuoka and Sakurao.

Jeremiah makes an effort curate the popular OB (original bottling) from several Japanese brand. Due to his connections to Shizuoka Distillery, you can also easily find the full range of Shizuoka single malts including rare finds here. Every visit is an opportunity to try something new.

And while the bar focuses on Japanese whiskies, it has a nice selection of Scotch craft distilleries, with the cult-followed Springbank standing out, a variety of Caribbean rums, American Bourbons and French Cognacs.

My recent indulgence were a single cask Shizuoka, a single malt Sakurao Distillery, a Springbank 18 Years Old, and a rare vintage Ballentine’s from the 60s.

This is a rare single cask bottling from Shizuoka, bottled for a private individual named Muraki, probably as part of Shizuoka’s cask program. This is only about 4 years old but noses and tastes nothing like the others. Unlike the typical Shizuoka that’s bright, fruity and lightly malty, this is much richer with lots of dark maltiness, caramel, toffee, toasted graham crackers, roasted walnuts and even burnt sandalwood. It makes me speculate that the cask had been charred to a much greater degree than usual. Very appealing and unusually hefty notes from Shizuoka!

Next up is the Togouchi branded single malt from Sakurao Distillery that was uniquely aged in an old railway tunnel that passes through the mountain ranges. According to the distillery, the spirit develops gentle, fruity and sweet flavours when left to age in the dark and cool environment of the mountain tunnel.

I find this to have very distinct notes of banana and cream, along with a light oily texture and a pleasant warmth at the back of the throat.

Venturing into Scotch, I chanced upon an OB Springbank 18 which surprisingly I haven’t tasted before. True to the cult distillery’s signature character, it’s got that slight funkiness on the nose, mildly bucolic (farmy) aroma. Yet on the palate, it’s dominated by bright and ripe Sherried fruits. I find it very luscious, with layers upon layers of overrupe red fruits, jam and sweet tea. This one’s a lovely and beautifully rounded Sherried Springbank.

Finally, a foray into one of my favourite underrated category of whiskies – vintage blended Scotch.

This one’s an old 17-year-old Ballentine’s procured from the Taiwanese market, but I could not find any indication on the label of what year this was bottled or distilled. “How do you know the vintage of this bottling?” I asked Jeremiah. He grabbed the bottle and referred to the tax label on the back, paused to do some mental sums and answered “1969.”

Here’s a random fun fact about Taiwanese history. After the 1912 Republican revolution (or Xinhai Revolution) which overthrew the monarchy in China, the Republican Kuomintang government established the Republican Calendar that basically “resets” the year counter, so 1911 of the Western Gregorian calendar is the year ‘0’ according to Taiwan’s Republican calendar.

This old tax label applied buy the Taiwan Liquor Bureau states that the year was “Mingkuo 75”. With some quick math on Jeremiah’s end (1911 + 75 = 1986) we can deduce that this bottle was imported into Taiwan in the year 1986. And since this is a 17-year-old Ballentine’s, we can make an educated guess (1986 – 17 = 1969) that the contents were distilled on, or before the year 1969!

In a glass, this old Scotch certainly did not disappoint. It’s got a lavish bouquet of old school Sherry notes, rich strawberry jamminess on the aroma, and a palate bursting with honey and cream and nuanced Madiera cask notes with an array of trail mix nuts. Lovely, lovely stuff. Remarkably, this slice of history could be savoured at just S$20 a dram, which is fantastic value if I do say so myself!

Overall Thoughts

Samsu Huay Kuan is a perfect hideaway in the least crowded part of town for those looking to escape the city’s relentless pace. It’s not just the quiet, serene setting to taste and learn about spirits, but also reasonable prices for its respectable range which encourages a more relaxed and enjoyable visit. Even if you’re relatively new to whisky and rum appreciation, you can rest assured that you are getting your monies’ worth while exploring the menu without triggering your “kiasu” (fear of losing out) response.

@CharsiuCharlie