Malaysia’s premiere whisky and spirits event, WhiskyPLUS happens this Saturday, and Wholly Spirits will be there championing the spirit of independent whisky bottlers as well as the fun of rum.

Wholly Spirits will be presenting three independent whisky bottlers at WhiskyPLUS – The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Eiling Lim and That Boutique-y Whisky Company, and will also be returning with premium Venezuelan rum brand Diplomatico.

Here’s a lowdown on the four brands we will be bringing to WhiskyPLUS.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

For this year’s Whisky PLUS, Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) global brand ambassador John McCheyne will be on the floor to talk about why the SMWS is considered one of the world’s best-known independent bottlers of whisky.

The Edinburgh-based SMWS is a members-only whisky club founded in 1983, with more than 25,000 members in 20 countries all around the world. It was recently named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s 2018 Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition, the sixth win for the SMWS in the past nine years.

At WhiskyPLUS, guests will be able to taste selected bottlings from the SMWS, some of which will be making their debut at the event.

They will also be able to sign up for the Malaysian chapter of the society, which will include exclusive access to SMWS bottlings and discounts at Partner Bars in worldwide (including the ones in Malaysia: The Whisky Bar KL and The Cabinet @ Bangsar).

For more information about SMWS, visit the official website (my.smws.com), or follow SMWS Malaysia on Facebook (fb.com/SMWSMalaysia) or Instagram (@TheSMWS_Malaysia).

Diplomatico rum

Also returning to this year’s WhiskyPLUS is Diplomatico rum, which has a long and proud history of making Venezuelan rum, or ron de Venezuela.

The Diplomatico brand was created in 1959, and the rum is produced by Destilerías Unidas S. A. (DUSA) in Venezuela, a distillery at the foot of the Andes Mountains. The distillery is strategically located close to the main sugar processing plants in the area as well as the nearby Terepaima National park, where they get their pure water from.

Come try some great rum at our booth, which will include the flagship Diplomatico Reserva Especial, one of the most awarded rums in the world; Diplomatico Mantuano, a blended rum aged for up to eight years; Diplomatico Planas. a white rum comprising a blend of pot still, column and batch hettle rums aged for up to six years.

For VIP pass holders, you’ll get the chance to try the Diplomatico Ambassador, crafted from the distillery’s best rums, aged in white oak barrels for a minimum of 12 years. Once optimal maturity is achieved, the rum is finished for another two years in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.

Eiling Lim

Eiling Lim is Malaysia’s first and foremost independent bottler of whiskies and spirits, who has not only bottled exceptional whiskies, but also produced her own line of Malaysian-flavour gins as well.

For WhiskyPLUS, VIP guests will get to try several of her bottlings, including the Irish Single Malt 2002, Orkney Malt 2000, and the Older Than Older Blended Malt Whisky.

While only VIP pass holders will get to taste the whiskies at the main area, Eiling bottlings are available for purchase at the booth.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Making its Malaysian debut at WhiskyPLUS, That Boutique-y Whisky Company is an independent bottler that offers stunning whiskies from world-renowned distilleries.

The brand’s most distinct features (other than the great whiskies it bottles) are the fun and informative graphic-novel-styled labels that contain humourous references, in-jokes and shocking puns.

But don’t let the wacky nature of the labels fool you – the whiskies they bottle are exceptionally unique and are a must-taste tipple at WhiskyPLUS, especially if you’re a true whisky lover.