As a kid, I harboured certain caricatured impressions about fine spirits and the type of people who drink them. Whisky drinkers were these mysterious, ostentatious, almost James Bond supervillain-like figures. They would hold a glass of amber liquid, recline comfortably on large leather armchairs in dimly lit rooms thick with cigar smoke, plotting to take over the world whilst surrounded by fine mahogany furniture and lots of animal trophy heads decorating the walls.

The Auld Alliance in Singapore's Rendezvous Hotel comes the closest to embodying my childhood vision about whisky drinking, minus the sinister vibes and animal trophy heads. It’s regarded by whisky lovers around the world as one of the most prestigious collections of whisky and rums in Southeast Asia. In terms of ambience it’s arguably the most classic whisky bar-like whisky bar in Singapore.

The bar sprang into prominence in 2017 when it decided to crack open a bottle of the legendary Samaroli Bowmore 1966 Bouquet and Samaroli Laphroaig 1967 to be served by the dram to customers.

Most bars would hesitate to open such valuable bottlings, especially in a relatively small market for whisky like Singapore. Bear in mind - one bottle of this amber stuff fetches north of US$60,000 at auction and could have easily been sold to a private collector. Whisky lovers who caught wind of this flew in from Bangkok to Tokyo for a once-in-a-lifetime taste of these legendary rare whiskies.

The founder of the bar is Emmanuel Dron, a Frenchman and prolific whisky collector. The name “The Auld Alliance” is a nod to the historic alliance between France and Scotland dating back to 1295 – a fitting name as the bar holds a large collection of Scotch and rare French wines and spirits including Cognacs, Calvados and Champagnes.

As you step into The Auld Alliance, the hustle of Orchard Road melts away. The décor has a classic European charm with its dark wood paneling, gleaming bottles showcased in glass shelves and leather chesterfield armchairs that invite you to sink in and stay awhile. And despite the polished vibe there is no pretence.

There is no dress code – you could in theory walk in wearing shorts and slippers and the staff would greet you with the same courtesy. But out of respect for them, I would lean towards smart casual. The tone of the evenings here is subdued, with a gentle hum of conversations, clink of glasses. The clientele tends to be a mix of whisky lovers and serious rum connoisseurs (in fact, this is a favourite haunt of our rum writer Weixiang Liu), or other more mature patrons.

The service mirrors the setting – very attentive, polite and knowledgeable as in fine dining restaurants. While you might not get to speak with the man who opened the bar, his team does a very professional job attending to every guest and providing appropriate recommendations.

Drinks Selection

As I mentioned, this place is a treasure trove for spirits lovers in terms of rarity and variety. It has over 1,500 bottles of whisky, but also premium rums, French brandies (Cognac, Calvados and Armagnac), and even vintage Champagne and Port wines.

The option to order by the half-dram is a thoughtful touch, and allows you to taste a larger variety of expressions without breaking the bank. In fact, just several years ago, I exclusively drank whisky. It was at The Auld Alliance where the I was introduced to a world beyond whisky, and began appreciating premium rums and French brandies. I suspect the bar has performed a similar service for many other whisky drinkers.

Notably, The Auld Alliance prides itself on offering many bottlings with cult followings, including a large range of Samaroli-bottled whisky and rums, single malt from Japan’s famous ghost distillery Karuizawa, an extensive set of the Hanyu-Ichiro Malt “Playing Cards” collection , Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, Caroni rum from Trinidad, and a range of vintage rhums from the French Caribbean.

Bar owner Emmanuel’s personal friendship with the late Silvano Samaroli, a highly revered figure in the whisky world, underscores the bar’s deep connections within the spirits community.

Fun fact for Scotch lovers: Samaroli himself visited the bar in 2017 to admire its collection of whiskies bottled by him, and shared stories with Emmanuel and his team. He was then given an exciting tour around Singapore by Emmanuel and his wife.

It's not just about the rare finds here which, admittedly, could easily intimidate with their price tags. What many in the local drinks community appreciate is that the bar frequently brings in exclusively bottled whiskies, rums and brandies from respected producers that are both high quality and accessibly priced, which gives us another reason to come back within a month or so.

One of the iconic Japanese whisky expressions I've searched for a long time before chancing upon it here is the Hakushu Sherry Cask 2013 release that was exclusively matured in sherry casks up till bottling. 

I found the Hakushu to be syrupy and supremely well-rounded with a thick, viscous palate of raisins, apricots, figs and black berry jam, and a touch of classic minerality and mintiness that the Hakushu distillate is known for. Sweet and moreish Christmas cake but with some grassy, herbal notes balancing it off. 

That same day, me and my pals also had the privilege to try our first Karuizawa whisky and do a "bottle kill" of a fable distillery. We tasted the "Black Label" Karuizawa Cask Strength 1st Release. For the uninitiated, Karuizawa Distillery from Japan is a demolished distillery that garnered a legendary status amongst whisky experts worldwide because of its immense scarcity and high quality sherry aging that gives it exceptional complexity and depth.

This one's really complex and compelling to say the least, with intriguing flavours that are both powerful and mellow at once. Whaat? So it starts off mellow with gentle Manuka honey, but heat quickly builds along with light medicinal notes, wood tannins and strawberry jam, with spearmint and liquorice cutting through. Light meatiness, apple vinegar and tobacco notes come up at the end.    

The beloved indie bottlers Thompson Bros from Dornoch, Scotland, are regularly featured here. During a Thompson Brothers masterclass held here sometime ago, we sampled a lovely 30 Year Old Islay Single Malt 1990 that was specially bottled by the Bros for The Auld Alliance. This one is an unlabelled Laphroaig with gentle but aromatic peatiness reminiscent of Eagle Brand medicated oil, along with a bright citrusy note, sweet grapefruits along with a growing black tea influence on the back of the throat. 

On the legendarily rare Scotch side of things, a memorable expression is the 31 Year Old Littlemill 1988 "Friendship" bottled by Hideo Yamaoka in collaboration with Emmanuel. Littlemill Distillery is a Lowlander Scotch that has ceased production since 1994, and claims to be one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland (for reference the title of the oldest still-operating whisky distillery goes to Glenturret which was officially built in 1763). 

This is full on buttery with heavy cream, clarified butter, candy floss and with gradually growing notes of rosemary and minerality, coupled with gentle orchard fruits and citrus zest. True to its Lowlander spirit, it's grassy and citric. But at this age, it's acquired an unusually perfumed sweetness and lemon character that makes it really memorable - like an air freshener in a dram.

I ought to give a mention to the fantastic rare rum collection here. Rediscovered by Luca Gargano of Italian spirits company Velier SpA, Caroni Rum from Trinidad holds a special place in the hearts of rum lovers and collectors similar to the reverence seen for rare whiskies like Karuizawa. It's unusually heavy and full-bodied, and of course, the distillery was dismantled in 2002 which makes its rums increasingly precious and sought after by collectors.

This 23 Year Old Caroni 1996 Tasting Gang bottled by Velier exhibits all of those classic features of a Caroni profile – it's heavy in texture, mildly oily and with tobacco aromas. A fantastic experience. Though, interestingly, this expression sees a more pronounced note of Coca-Cola and dry woodiness, and reminds me of a Demerara rum (from Guyana).

Another iconic Caroni expression is the 20 Year Old Caroni 1999 Corman Collins bottling tasted by our rum-loving contributor Weixiang Liu which carries much heavier notes of petroleum that appeal to die hard Caroni fans.

One of the more unusual offerings is the Emmanuel Cammut Distillerie Single Malt (not directly related to Emmanuel Dron) - the first batch of single malt made by a French Calvados (that is, apple brandy) maker. Interestingly, this was aged in apple balsamic barrels in the distillery's cellar. I'll leave you to imagine how this tastes - but if you're curious, our review is here.

Overall Thoughts

If you’re looking for a place to impress your whisky-loving boss or in-laws, then look no further. I might add that the selection of rare expressions is really quite vast here, so doing a bit of research on these bottles you’d like to try goes a long way in enhancing the experience.

There’s also plenty of reason to head down alone. Whether you’re looking to taste a specific rare expression, or just looking to expand your horizons, here’s a nice, comfortable space for a quiet evening of leisurely sipping without need for ostentation.

@CharsiuCharlie