It seems almost blasphemous to say this, but whisky wasn’t really on my radar until several years after expatriating to Shenzhen from Cape Town. The reason is simply that as most South Africans would agree we usually drink brandy mixed with cola. This changed sometime around 2003 when I expatriated from Cape Town to China, specifically to Shenzhen. At that time, Western food was not as prolific as it is now, so I would frequently visit a restaurant owned by a Canadian. He was friendly, and as I became a regular at his place, he would chat with me about Canadian whiskies and offer recommendations for “easy drinkers” when I told him I didn’t have much of a palate for it. In time, we became friends. I enjoyed the whiskies he had on selection, and when we had worked through those, we would drink together and sample other whiskies from around the world, comparing tasting notes.
It blew my mind that an alcohol served straight up could be full of complex flavours. I also realised that if the drink needed cola, it probably wasn’t very good anyway. So, while Canadian whisky has sentimental value for the growth it allowed me, I settled on Speyside whiskies being my go-to choice. Besides having a very pleasant aroma, the unique cask finishes can add even more layers and subtle flavours without losing the original whisky’s flavour profile.
Fast forward many years later, and I’m still hard at work in Shenzhen with my own design and branding company. Outside of work, I’m part of a few different WeChat communities, one of which is a group for whisky enthusiasts to share thoughts, opinions and reviews on various whiskies. It’s through this community that I first learned about Nine Rivers Distillery and so I reached out to one of the project leaders to learn more about it.
The tipping point for me to get involved in the project was because I really could “get involved”. My experience in design and branding was one of the things that the project was missing and the project was still young enough to be a blank canvas offering me total creative freedom.
So far, one of my best memories has been working on the glass design for the bottles. I didn’t have much experience with glass, but with other members on the Nine Rivers design team, we pooled together our collective expertise and created something truly unique. We got to showcase it at the Founder’s Social over the summer and I couldn’t be prouder of how classy and sophisticated it looks. Beyond that, though, was the experience of working with the other members of the team. There are no “office politics” or clamouring for the boss’s attention like I have seen at various points in my career; rather, it was a group of professionals wanting to create a world-class whisky from a place they’ve called home, whether it’s Shenzhen, Beijing, Wuhan, or one of the many other cities our members live in.
It’s now been two years since I joined this project, and as we get closer to breaking ground in Fujian, I keep thinking about how I got here. Of all the ways to get involved in whisky, it’s amusing to trace my path across South Africa, China, Canada, and Scotland. Then again, maybe not. Except for our local friends involved in the project, I think most expats will also have a story echoing parts of mine. I hope you keep tabs on this project because it’s going to put China on the map when it comes to whisky: by whisky lovers, for whisky lovers.
Darryl Swanepoel
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