We finally made it! The ground breaking ceremony for Nine Rivers Distillery. Except with us doing everything a little bit different – we actually had two ceremonies!
Under the guidance of our Feng Shui master the ceremony was scheduled for a really special day – Friday, 18th February 2022. A day that only happens once every 60 years. The day of the Four Black Water Tigers.
Most people know that the Chinese astrological calendar has a 12 year cycle, with years being named after one of 12 animals. There is actually a lot more depth to the Chinese calendar, that includes elements, heavenly stems, earthly branches and colours.
At 3am, there was a moment in time where Four Black Water Tigers came together. There was a Black Water Tiger Hour, on a Black Water Tiger Day, in a Black Water Tiger Month, on a Black Water Tiger Year.
From a Feng Shui viewpoint, there simply couldn’t be a better day throughout the entire 60 year cycle, to lay the foundation stone for our project than February 18th 2022.
Laying Our Foundation Stone
It all started on Thursday, 17th February, where under the guidance of our Feng Shui Master, we chose the perfect spot on our site for our Foundation Stone. Then we built a solid concrete foundation for the stone that was precisely aligned and perfectly level and left it to settle and cure before the real work began at 2am in the early morning of Friday, 18th February.
Traditional Feng Shui is very precise and specific. The perfect moment to lay this stone was between 3am and 5am – a 2 hour window to lay, level and cement this totem around which the entire Nine Rivers Distillery Project will be built.
Jay, Hayden, Tim, Daniel, Jan, Jonathan, Jeremy and Chen Xiao Shun our Feng Shui Master, heavily armed with wellys, umbrellas and pockets stuffed with bottles of whisky spent almost two hours to ensure the perfect alignment of our foundation stone. While the rain was heavy and the mud was treacherous, they managed to get everything done within that perfect time window and then toasted to the success of the Nine Rivers Distillery Project on behalf of everyone involved and invested in this project.
The Second Ceremony
Our luck was in, as technically there are two really good hours on the day of the Four Black Water Tigers. The second best hour was 08:00. So we did it all again for those people that couldn’t be present at 2am.
What was important to us for today, when considering so many of our 112 strong team could not attend, was to ensure everyone had their presence in name and in spirit.
Additionally, we kept the ceremony as short as was sensibly possible with a planned intention that we will have much larger and more significant event when more of our team can be present to celebrate with us.
AMCHAM South China
Representing AMCHAM South China, was Mr. Tim Shaver, member of the Board of Governors, deputising for Dr Harley Seyedin.
AMCHAM South China, under the leadership of Dr Harley, are one of the cornerstones of the Nine Rivers Distillery project. It was the relationships of Dr Harley and AMCHAM South China that created introductions for us at provincial government level that led to our relationship with Fujian and Longyan. Additionally, it was the support of AMCHAM South China that created the opportunity for us to purchase the land parcel that we are building on.
Despite having more than 2’300 members, and supporting both American and International companies across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian, Dr Harley and his team still took the time to not only listen to a dream from a bunch of whisky lovers, but supported us, coached us, mentored us and helped us to get to where we are today.
It All Started With Some Whisky Nights
It just wouldn’t be right to have our ground breaking and not take a moment to remember how this all started. Whisky lovers getting together and talking about whisky while drinking whisky.
From the very first events in Shenzhen, in Hua Qiang Bei (华强北), Futian district. At the bottom of a dark alley next to a dodgy hostel where we enjoyed 50ml whiskies for 50 rambos once a month at Tino’s, often until the small hours. People came from all over China to be a part of those nights, often timing their business travelling to match the Shenzhen whisky night schedule.
All of the other whisky nights started as a result of the photos and the stories that were shared in the numerous whisky groups that unite us all. Including the current Shenzhen Whisky Club, hosted by Danny Lyons, who took over as the bannerman of whisky in Shenzhen.
Events popped up at Whispers and Morgan’s in Guangzhou. Liberty, Hollywood Baby, Ziggies and The Percy in Dongguan. Mudy warmed up the colder parts of China with whisky events at Sophies Bar, Taverna Vigna, Mikey’s and Mailo in Shenyang. Lucas started to build a love for whisky at The Toucan, Paddyfields and Devil’s Smokehouse in Wuhan.
Graham turned it all up to 11 by hosting whisky nights in full Scottish dress at Cozy Café, O’Mahony’s and Trolley Bar in Tianjin.
Shaun stepped up at The Range in Chengdu. We even had an event at Cages in Shanghai hosted by some random guy that vanished and got forgotten about.
Plus hundreds of ad-hoc events at homes across China, hosted by many of the people who became founders of Nine Rivers Distillery.
Of course the rumours that we might have got it together a lot quicker if there wasn’t quite so much whisky drinking involved is absolute nonsense. We were just waiting for the perfect day to make it all happen – that once in 60 years, day of the Four Black Water Tigers. That’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it!
Last But Not Least – Our Thanks To All Of You
We have been sharing our story with you all over these last few months. The story of how a bunch of whisky lovers from various whisky nights across China, all got together to do something that all whisky enthusiasts have thought about over a whisky or three – to make our own whisky.
It has been a significant and challenging journey to get to today, when we finally break ground on a piece of land that we collectively own, and start building something that we all think is going to be really special. But this really is just the start of the next chapter in the story. There will be many more chapters – finishing the construction, installing our own patented stills, crafting our first whiskies, filling our first casks, opening up our doors to everyone that wants to come and visit us, bottling our first matured whiskies and (hopefully) winning recognition and awards for world class whisky.
But a story really needs an audience and that’s why it’s time for us to take a moment and thank you all for reading our story, sharing it with your friends and being a part of this experience with us. It makes us all happy to know that so many people are interested in what we are doing. We hope you all stick with us, keep reading, continue to share our story and if you want to be more involved, then feel free to get in touch with us.
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