WHISKY
Whisky, the most popular of the range of spirits, is best enjoyed neat. It's not the only way but it’s the most common among whisky enthusiasts. Some drink it with a splash of water or an ice cube added and if you want something even fancier, have one with a ice ball!
If you’re serious about whisky, drinking neat will be commonplace. You learn different notes/flavour profiles of whiskies from all the different regions of Scotland, be it from Islay, Speyside or the Highlands. For example, Cao Ila, is considered peaty (common for islay whiskies) and smoky with a little bit of seaside, which makes sense considering the distillery is located at a port.
Once you try some of these whiskies from different locations, you start to familiarise yourself on how the origin of the whisky affects the taste. Once you open yourself up to the wide range of flavours available, you can more accurately pick the favourite kind of whisky you most enjoy. All of these single malt whiskies are best enjoyed neat of course!
"Time to be pleasantly surprised!"
RUM
Drinking rum neat is definitely something you should try. But before you do, it's important to know which ones you should avoid drinking neat. Generally speaking, lower end white rums should only be used for cocktails. You might still be able to enjoy a lower priced dark rum, but if you want to experience something exquisite, spend a little bit more and you will not regret it.
One advantage of 'sipping' rums is that they are mostly cheaper than single-malt whiskies. There is a huge range of rums to try from, namely, Abuelo 12yrs, Pyrat Rum XO, Flor De Cana 12 yrs, and our all time favourite is the Diplomatico Exclusive (which is also a 12yrs). Just like whiskies, these rums have some depth and complexity and each having different characteristics, more discerning when you regularly try them. The Diplomatico Exclusiva Rum will set you back $89.
The best way to find out more is to go by trial and error, but we would caution you to avoid white rums. There are exceptions, and only if you know about it. For example, HSE Agricole Blanc is a high end white rum that can be drunk neat, but if given a choice, most would prefer this in a cocktail like a mojito.
TEQUILA
Tequila has always gotten a bad name. It's notorious and infamous and it's the one that reminds us of drunken nights, sombrero hats, tequila shots with salt and lemon/lime wedges. The mention of tequila may sometimes even cause some to shudder, reminding them of the nightmares they experienced post-party. Some may not even recall anything the night before and the only thing left would be the throbbing headache in the morning. "It was supposed to be only 1 shot" they'd say.
That is why it will surprise many that tequila can be drunk neat and it can be a wonderful sipping spirit.
We can recommend a few, Don Julio Anejo, Casa Nobel, Corzo Anejo and Codigo. Tequila is a bit unique, in that both the blanco & anejo can be drunk neat. They are surprisingly good! Just stay away from the cheaper ones and leave those for drunken nights.
GIN
The gin craze in Singapore has been around for sometime now. We will be covering the different brands of gins in another article. Gin can be drunk neat, but the most common way to drink it is with a bit of tonic. Gin is most commonly used for cocktail recipes, the most popular one being gin & tonic.
One of the more interesting gins we have tried is the Marconi 46, and Monkey 47. If you are an entry level gin drinker, these two gins would most probably blow your minds. If you do try these two gins with tonic water, get a premium brand of tonic like the Fever tree.
VODKA?
Honestly we have not had much experience with vodka, if you have any experience drinking vodka neat , do email us to let us know your experience at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.