Masterclasses
Discover new releases, limited bottlings and the stories behind them through a curated programme of masterclasses led by industry experts.
A look-back at WLS25 Saturday Masterclass line-up:
Discover why Blanton’s remains the benchmark for single-barrel bourbon in an immersive tasting led by Aaron Lawrence, General Manager of Global Sales & Marketing for Blanton’s Bourbon, where he leads the brand’s worldwide efforts to share one of Kentucky’s most storied spirits.
This rare experience traces the evolution of Blanton’s through a progressive flight, from foundational expressions to Singapore- and Paris- exclusive releases, alongside high-proof single-barrel selections. Guests will explore the influence of warehouse ageing, proof variation, and barrel selection philosophy, gaining insight into the nuances that define true single-barrel craftsmanship.
A must-attend session for bourbon enthusiasts seeking depth, context, and access to expressions rarely poured in a single sitting.
Available only to VIP ticket holders on Saturday, 22 November 2025.
A release that sits at the intersection of rum, culture, and archival storytelling, the Velier Magnum Series returns with its third chapter, dedicated entirely to Hampden Estate, Jamaica’s legendary pot-still distillery.
This session is a rare window into the vivid, expressive world of high-ester rum, guided by Daniele Biondi, the man who helped reshape the global conversation around sugarcane spirits. Guests will be led through distinct Hampden marks, each expressing a different layer of the distillery’s identity: from bight, acetone-kissed high notes and wild tropical fruit, to deep varnish, brine, spice, and the electric, wax-and-solvent tension that defines true Jamaican high-ester rum.
All benchmark bottlings in extremely limited quantities. This is a masterclass session designed for rum collectors, whisky crossover drinkers, and anyone who chases origin, technique, and terroir in the glass.
Available only to VIP ticket holders on Saturday, 22 November 2025.
A rare hands-on session with one of Asia’s most awarded distilleries, and a chance to blend your own interpretation of Kavalan LÁN, the newest expression shaped by Taiwan’s sub-tropical maturation and Kavalan’s signature cask-forward style.
In this interactive masterclass, guests will taste through select Solist Casks (the whiskies that defined Kavalan’s global rise) and explore how humidity, mountain spring water, and accelerated tropical ageing create the distillery’s hallmark ripe-tropical, creamy profile. Under Kavalan Brand Ambassador, David Chen’s guidance, you’ll experiment with components to create a personal blend inspired by LÁN’s core philosophy: bold fruit, clean oak influence, and textural depth.
Expect an insider’s look at Kavalan’s blending ethos, from selection to structure, and walk away with a one-of-a-kind blend, and a deeper understanding of how Taiwan’s climate and cask programme push whisky into new territory.
Available only on Saturday, walk away with your own mini-bottle of Kavalan LÁN blended by you.
For 40 years, Nikka From The Barrel has stood as one of the most technically exacting blended whiskies in the world, a benchmark for precision, structure, and depth in Japanese whisky. Create in 1985 to evoke the sensation of when the blenders experience the whisky “drawn straight from the barrel”, it remains Nikka’s most iconic expression and one of the highest-selling Japanese whiskies globally for Nikka.
Built from over 100 parcels of malt and grain whisky from distilleries including Yoichi and Miyagikyo, it reflects the pinnacle of Japanese blending discipline and detail. In this rare anniversary session, guests will explore the architecture of Nikka From The Barrel, breaking down its malt and grain components and uncovering the blend and marriage process, to achieve the whisky’s integration, forming an intense but mellow flavour.
This masterclass includes an examination of the core parcels behind FTB, never-before-tasted anniversary components, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sample un-married From The Barrel drawn directly from the Tochigi Aging Cellar, tasted in its pure, pre-marriage state.
Hosted by Emiko Kaji, Education & Global PR Lead for Nikka Whisky, this is an unprecedented look inside one of Japan’s most revered whiskies, and a rare opportunity to witness the patience, precision, and artistry that define Nikka Whisky.
This masterclass session is available on both Saturday & Sunday, 3:30pm.
Established in 2000, The Single Malts of Scotland range was created by Elixir Distillers to showcase high-quality single malt Scotch whisky from across Scotland’s regions. Each release is selected for its distillery character, maturation quality, and overall balance, reflecting Elixir Distillers’ long-standing commitment to cask selection and transparent whisky sourcing. All expressions are non-chill filtered, free from added colour and are bottled at a strength that shows them at their very best.
In this masterclass, Sarah Parr, International Sales, Elixir Distillers, will introduce the history and philosophy behind the range, highlighting how the selection process has evolved over the past 25 years, and offer insight into the future direction of Elixir Distillers, including the development of its own distilleries in Speyside and Islay.
Designed for whisky enthusiasts and collectors, this session provides a structured look at independent bottling, cask management, and how regional style and maturation shape the identity of single malt Scotch.
This masterclass is available only on Saturday, 4:45pm.
For over 125 years, Gordon & MacPhail has matured whisky in a way few others can: selecting spirit at distillation, filling bespoke casks built to suit each character, and nurturing whisky across decades – often through multiple generations. This patient, custodial approach has guided some of Scotland”s most admired long-aged releases and remains central to the family-owned company’s philosophy today.
In this session, Neil Farquhar, International Private Clients Manager, will explore G&M’s unique perspective on maturation, from matching spirit to wood at the start of its life, to monitoring development over extended ageing, and understanding when a whisky has truly reached its peak.
Guests will taste several rare, long-aged expressions from G&M’s Private Collection, alongside other distinctive whiskies, gaining insight into how G&M develops depth, balance and complexity over time.
This masterclass is available only on Saturday, 5:45pm.
A look-back at WLS25 Sunday Masterclass line-up:
Founded by Ichiro Akuto and guided by a commitment to hands-on craft, discover how precision, ingredients and an obsessive attention to detail from grain to cask has made Chichibu Distillery a cult-favourite.
In this intimate session hosted by Yumi Yoshikawa, Global Brand Ambassador for Chichibu Distillery with experience spanning distillation in both Japan and Scotland, guests will explore how Chichibu shapes flavour: from fermentation choices and local maturation conditions to the subtle differences between Distillery I and Distillery II.
Side-by-side cask samples reveal how technique, time, and terroir come together to form the distillery’s distinctive style. This experience includes never-tasted-before cask samples from both distilleries, a new-release expression, an unreleased cask secret, and a Singapore-exclusive single cask.
Available only to VIP ticket holders on Sunday, 23 November 2025.
For 15 editions, the ARTIST series by La Maison du Whisky has explored curation through the idea that a single cask can carry mood, tension, movement, texture and place, much like an artwork. Each expression is bottled at natural cask strength and paired with an original contemporary piece, not as mere decoration, but as an extension: a dialogue between palate and perception.
ARTIST #15 continues this philosophy through two chapters: Dark Side of the Moon which explores long-aged, sherry-forward Scotch, and Something in the Water, a study of Islay, where peat, sea air and time align in elemental clarity.
Hosted by Marion Attardi of LMDW’s Creations Team, this VIP-exclusive session is a peated exploration of structure, texture, tension, and intent — a moment for those who appreciate that whisky can be shared together, yet felt entirely on one’s own.
Available only to VIP ticket holders on Sunday, 23 November 2025.
Rum isn’t one style, it is a spectrum shaped by origin, raw material, and technique. From cane varietals and fermentation cultures to still types, climate, and maturation philosophy, place imprints character long before the cask does. This masterclass explores the distinct terroirs that define Planteray’s vision, where regional identity is preserved and elevated through thoughtful ageing and blending.
Guided by Matthieu Gouze, Sales Director EMEA & APAC for Maison Ferrand, guests will explore how environment and production shape flavour: from Jamaica’s pot-still intensity and wild fermentation to Fiji’s lush tropical fruit notes and Barbados’ signature balance and elegance. Along the way, discover how Planteray employs tropical ageing followed by continental refinement to amplify terroir while honouring each rum’s origin.
From cane to cask, this session is an invitation to expand your palate, sharpen your perspective, and experience rum through the lens of craftsmanship and place, a tasting for the curious, the thoughtful, and those who appreciate spirits with a story and a soul.
This masterclass session is available only on Sunday, 2:30pm.
For 40 years, Nikka From The Barrel has stood as one of the most technically exacting blended whiskies in the world, a benchmark for precision, structure, and depth in Japanese whisky. Create in 1985 to evoke the sensation of when the blenders experience the whisky “drawn straight from the barrel”, it remains Nikka’s most iconic expression and one of the highest-selling Japanese whiskies globally for Nikka.
Built from over 100 parcels of malt and grain whisky from distilleries including Yoichi and Miyagikyo, it reflects the pinnacle of Japanese blending discipline and detail. In this rare anniversary session, guests will explore the architecture of Nikka From The Barrel, breaking down its malt and grain components and uncovering the blend and marriage process, to achieve the whisky’s integration, forming an intense but mellow flavour.
This masterclass includes an examination of the core parcels behind FTB, never-before-tasted anniversary components, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sample un-married From The Barrel drawn directly from the Tochigi Aging Cellar, tasted in its pure, pre-marriage state.
Hosted by Emiko Kaji, Education & Global PR Lead for Nikka Whisky, this is an unprecedented look inside one of Japan’s most revered whiskies, and a rare opportunity to witness the patience, precision, and artistry that define Nikka Whisky.
This masterclass session is available on both Saturday & Sunday, 3:30pm.
The Benromach distillery, owned and operated by Gordon & MacPhail, recaptures a lost Speyside style that combines traditional hand-made production methods with a disciplined approach to quality. The result is a delicately peated whisky that remains true to Speyside’s gently smokey past, while offering unique expressions suited for today’s single malt drinker.
In this session, Neil Farquhar, International Private Clients Manager at Gordon & MacPhail, delves into Benromach’s production philosophy: how its lightly peated character is shaped through fermentation, distillation, and cask selection. From the experimental Contrasts range to the signature Core collection, culminating in a rare 40 Year Old release, he reveals how time and craft shape the distillery’s enduring character.
This masterclass session is available only on Sunday, 4:45pm.
Few distilleries capture the soul of rum like Hampden Estate.
For nearly three centuries, the iconic Trelawny distillery has remained faithful to its ancestral methods: long & wild fermentations, copper pot stills distillation, and tropical ageing, producing rums unlike any other in the world.
In this session, Christopher Bellail, Rum Project Manager at La Maison & Velier, invites guests into the world of Hampden. A journey into the art of high esters rum, and a deep-dive into Hampden Estate and its legacy. Expect conversation, discovery, and a tasting that distills the essence of the distillery’s unmistakable DNA, crowned by the APAC debut of the Hampden 15 Years Old.
And in true Hampden spirit, something wild and unexpected will make its way into the glasses: an exclusive pour that invites you to experience the Fragrance of Trelawny.
This masterclass session is available only on Sunday, 5:45pm.
